[TheForge] a blacksmithing question and a ceramic/pottery question

[Andrew Vida]

On 1/5/2012 1:49 PM, terry l. ridder wrote:

> given the color of the part, we initially thought it was either copper,
> brass or bronze alloy. the part is too light to be a copper, brass or
> bronze alloy. using an optical microscope, an examination of the break
> area leads me to believe that the part is a Beryllium alloy.
>
> why use a Beryllium alloy to make the part to being with?

How about pot metal?  Beryllium is very likely NOT the metal for reasons 
I will not go into here.

If you can get the part into one piece, I would fill and threaded holes 
just to the limits of the threads, then make an RTV mold, shoot a wax 
and cast it in red bronze.  If you think there is a critical dimension, 
spray a couple coats of well-thinned lacquer on to make up for 
shrinkage.  Run a tap through the threaded areas and you are done.  Fast 
and relatively painless.  You can have it done in a couple of days, 
assuming you are sending the piece out to be cast.

I would not over complicate the problem.