Thread: Where to buy - brass

Non Ferrous Metals Australia - George White

Originally Posted by China

Non Ferrous Metals Australia - George White

Haven't bought from them for some time - can't remember if they have a minimum buy for sizes and lengths?

There are plenty of non-ferrous metal merchants around, many of which will post to you. Prices are competitive, as a rule, but you may need to take note of what alloy you are getting, depending on what you want to use it for. In general, thin sheet stuff is a soft alloy (used for engraving, etc), and the suppler I go to has it in sizes up to 2.5mm thick & will cut off what you want (it comes in huge sheets that no amateur could use in a lifetime!).

Most bar & flat stock local merchants carry is a machinable grade alloy (C380, C385), which is good for turning (making bolts & nuts) or slotting for saw backs, but doesn't peen as well as C260, it will crack & flake if pushed too far. However, I have been using it successfully for plane sides for a long time. The way an infill plane is normally constructed, the heavy peening happens on the steel pins, and only a little hammering is required on the ends of the brass tails, which 380 tolerates well enough.

Some merchants do have limited stock of C260 or similar grades, so figure out exactly what you need for what you are making & make a few phone calls to see if anyone has what you are after. My supplier will get some stuff in for me, but often only if I order about 100 times more than I need!

I've bought a bit of Chinese-made brass on ebay, just to see what it's like. Their alloy designated H62 is an excellent peening brass. According to the tables I can find on the internet, it has the same Zinc/copper ratio as C380, but you can peen it twice as much or more without it splitting or flaking.

Buying bits off the internet can be (marginally) cheaper than buying locally, but there is great variability in the prices asked! You'll wait a month at least for delivery, too, so don't be in a hurry. The biggest problem buying the ebay stuff from my point of view is the limited sizes of sheets available - you'll see a lot of 100 x 100mm sheets of varying thicknesses, which are not much use for anything larger than a palm plane. If you are prepared to buy, a minimum of 1,000 kilos, you can have whatever thickness you want, & get a much better price too!

I did find a piece of 4mm thick, 100 x 300 once, which was the perfect size for my panel plane (the post includes a demonstration of how well the H62 peens vs C380), but I haven't seen any more pieces of that size (at a sensible price), lately.

Peter McBride, who has made quite a few superb infills over the years has mentioned getting some of his material from scrap merchants, which could be a cheaper source, but a bit hit & miss for sizes. Where I buy my brass, they have a shelf of off-cuts, which they sell at scrap prices. I often pick up short pieces, perfect for making thumbscrews or lever-caps, for about 1/3rd of what it would cost to get the same size piece cut for me...

That should get you started...

Cheers,

I have found brass supplies by tracking down people who custom build model steam engines, usually local model train enthusiasts.
They will know of firms that supply brass, in many shapes and sizes, via mail order.
These firms are happy to supply in small quantities but their prices will be high.

Hobby shops (models) will sometimes carry a small selection off the smaller brass stuff thin sheet, and square an round tubes.

Cheers Matt.

I'm attracted to it for a few reasons....

-- It is workable using basic tools
-- One doesn't need a metal workshop to include it in the work
-- It LOOKS FANTASTIC and classy and sexy

Thanks to all for your hints. (IanW, many thanks, you've been more help over the years than you know)

This is a good place to buy hobby stuff Small Parts & Bearings

I used to buy at Brass and Copper in (I think) Seven Hills. Small quantities OK and they have (or had) an offcut bin.

You may be able to get 1mm sheets at Hobby Shops. They will charge a premium but are convenient.

Ps. Interesting woodie remeberence. Once I went into Brass and Copper and they were making up an order of custom size brass channel. I thought some would be great for shoulder planes - I asked if they would sell me some but they wouldn’t. Then i was told the customer name - HNT Gordon.

I get brass, aluminium and mild steel offcuts from Williamstown Metal Merchants Metal Suppliers Melbourne - Steel Sales | Williamstown Metal Merchants

If I need something I can usually find it in his offcut bin. I too would never use a whole sheet.

I just call in on occasions and see what he has, pick up what I need and a few other bits that look useful. It is all priced by the kg

You may find a similar metal merchant in Canberra

Doug3030 - genius! It had completely slipped my mind, we do have a very decent metal dude here.... Metal Mart | Steel retail sales and scrap metal recycling Canberra & surrounds

I actually bought a few things from them. They did all my 1" pipe for the pipe clamps. Great Biz.

Wow... how could I have forgotten THAT!

probably not much help in Canberra but Edcon steel stock Brass in all sorts of sizes.

Cheap if you want a 6m length, but they do cut to size.

Originally Posted by Chris Parks

This is a good place to buy hobby stuff Small Parts & Bearings

I get the occasional stuff from this mob. Not exactly cheap but they have a wide range of small stuff and you don't have to buy large amounts.

My preferred sources for brass, bronze, aliminium, etc, in order, are:

1. Tip Shop - extremely low prices, but never know what, if anything, will be available.
2. Hobby shop - expensive, but they sell in very small quantities.
3. Ullrich Aluminium - also have brass and bronze - minimum quantities apply - half a 3.6m length or 1.8m for bar and rod. Recently bought 3x12.7mm, 3x25mm and 6mm round rod, all in brass and 1.8m long. Quality, service (Staff know their stuff!) and prices good.
4. Internet - quality and reliability very variable.