Thread: interested in some brass 3mm thick plate?

Hi Clinton, for a long time I've been trying to buy smaller pieces of something more malleable than the common 380 machineable alloy. That's the only stuff I can buy from the main supplier round these parts, so I'd be interested. When you say half-hard, which alloy are you talking about, specifically?

I would be looking at pieces for plane sides, so something like 75 x 250 would be most useful to me, and easier to pack & handle than anything bigger. I think 3 mm is a bit light for sides on any serious plane over about 225mm long, but ok for smoothers & shoulder planes & the like. I reckon pieces of around the size I nominated would be reasonably versatile and easy to pack & handle. Doing the arithmetic on the raw cost, that's $7 a piece plus your costs plus postage - not too bad, particularly when I can't get anything but the machinable stuff, here. Of course other people may have other projects in mind like saw backs (though be aware it may not take a full bend without annealing?) which require quite different dimensions, so there's likely to be quite a range of preferred sizes if you get much other interest.

A sheet the size you specify is going to be one weighty item, so I assume you know what you're in for, & have the gear to do the cutting & docking?? They wouldn't sell you a half-sheet, eh?

Cheers,
(PS - you might get more response, too, if you add a post under a few other headings like 'hand tools' directing anyone interested here - this section doesn't always attract a lot of viewers, I notice).

Ian - I'll keep you informed.
You are speaking my language... 3mm is not good for a jointer, but ok for a smoother.
I like heft in a tool.
Yep, I'm going to do plane sides in brass... so we are thinking along the same lines.

I'm in Sydney and I'm inski! I'd be lying if I said I needed a lot though. I'd just like to try my hand at making a couple of brass bottom and sided planes

well, thats 3 people interested.
I'll get into action and post the results of what I am able to get my hands on.

Hi Clinton

I was after some brass to make sliding bevels. I would only need 1" wide bar to make the blade. Would I be able to drill and cut a slot in the brass you are looking at? I know its not much, but I only need a small amount and I would take enough to make 6 or so blades if that made it any easier.

Cheers

Rob

Originally Posted by Beaver

Hi Clinton

I was after some brass to make sliding bevels. I would only need 1" wide bar to make the blade. Would I be able to drill and cut a slot in the brass you are looking at? I know its not much, but I only need a small amount and I would take enough to make 6 or so blades if that made it any easier.

Cheers

Rob

Rob - 3mm brass would make a rather clumsy blade for a bevel gauge - 1.5mm (1/16") would be more in proportion, unless you are planning a real whopper? You can usually find that sort of thickness in smaller pieces - door plates for e.g. The Bunnies where I go (when I can't avoid it! ) carries a small range of brass rods & flats. They charge about 4 times the wholesale price, but if they did have a suitable piece, it would be cheaper than the time & petrol to go looking elsewhere....

Just a thought...
Cheers,

Sorry to hijack your thread Clinton........

Ian would 1/16" be firm enough for a bevel blade? I plan to make a 6" sliding bevel.

Cheers

Rob

Originally Posted by Beaver

Sorry to hijack your thread Clinton........

Ian would 1/16" be firm enough for a bevel blade? I plan to make a 6" sliding bevel.

Cheers

Rob

Rob - I think it would be ok for a sliding bevel, but might be a bit light & too easily kinked in the event of an accident like the floor-meeting kind for a 6" blade. The blade on my 6" CC square is about 3/32" I would judge (I can check it for you tonight if you wish) and it would be quite easy to bend if you were careless with it. I'm just thinking about the tapping & pushing you do to a bevel blade when setting it.

I recently made a small sliding bevel, and used a piece of 0.8mm (30 thou") Bunnies scraper blade left over from a saw-making binge, for its blade. It was not much more difficult to work with than brass - both like sharp, newish files for shaping, but you do need a decent drill to make holes in the steel. I also have a slitting-saw blade of the exact size, which made cutting the slot in the stock very easy & accurate, though it's not that hard to do a good job with a tenon saw, if you have one that cuts the right-sized kerf. The scraper material was ideal for the blade on this one, which is only about 75mm long, but I reckon it would do a 150mm blade very nicely, too.
Cheers,

Hi Ian

Thanks for your reply. I will follow up with you in your other thread on the hand made bevel.

Cheers

Rob