[TheForge] Bronze casting

Tue Dec 2 15:24:01 2003

I may have forgotten to mention that I'm in the UK. We can't just pop down
to Walmart and pick up some Naval bronze, you know! After a brief trawl
around, the bronzes I can easily get hold of are a phosphor bronze

Cu  %  REM        Ni  %  0.10 max.
Sn  %  10.0-11.5  Fe  %  0.10 max.
Zn  %  0.05 max.  Si  %  0.02 max.
Pb  %  0.25 max.  S   %  0.05 max.
P   %  0.50-1.00

or a nickel aluminium bronze

        Al    Fe   Ni   Mn   Si   Sn   Pb    Zn   other
% min.  8.5   4.0  4.0  -    -    -    -     -    -
% max.  10.0  5.5  5.5  0.5  0.1  0.1  0.05  0.4  0.05

(which 'meets Admiralty standards!')

I'd be interested in giving this a go - are either of these worth trying?

Thanks for the help so far,

Rich.

Richard Maynard
[email protected]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: [email protected]
> [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Ries Niemi
> Sent: 02 December 2003 17:26
> To: [email protected]
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Bronze casting
>
>
>
> I second Petes suggestion- forge it instead of casting. Quicker,
> easier, and more authentic. I assure you that no bronze age archer had
> a quiver of arrowheads all exactly alike.
> I would suggest actually buying bronze new, so you can be sure to get a
> nice forgeable alloy, as there are hundreds of different bronzes, and
> some are NOT forgeable. I would suggest a silicon bronze, 655, or a
> naval bronze, 465, both are pretty easily forged provided you do not
> get them too hot or work them too cold. Just like the three bears, you
> have to work bronze at the "just right" heat. But when you do, it is
> like forging butter. Bronze is best forged in a semi-dark room, and be
> sure to allow a little extra for mistakes along the learning curve.
> Arrowheads could be forged quite nicely from 1/2" round, and you could
> work your way down a piece- ie start forging a point at one end, then
> cut it off after you have it sharpened to your satisfaction, and do the
> next. That way you dont even need tongs as long as you get a piece of
> bronze 2- 3 feet long.
>
> ries
>
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