[TheForge] Anyone tried to cut 24 gage brass sheet?

[Ron Childers]

Worth a try; plenty of room for a fire where I make charcoal. 

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Jerry Frost
Sent: Saturday, September 08, 2012 5:34 PM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Anyone tried to cut 24 gage brass sheet?

Okay, I had a different picture. Bruce has a good point about keeping
layers together under a reciprocating saw.

Can you build a fire in your yard? A couple bags of charcoal and
something to put over the roll say sheet steel roofing to help keep
ambient air off should anneal it enough to unrole. If you sprinkle a
good dusting of borax over it it'll keep the oxy off the brass, where
the layers are in contact aren't going to suffer too much. Just keep the
fire burning a little rich, that's not enough air to make it happy. I'd
just build a smokey wood fire but I live in the woods, the neighbors
can't even see us. Oh yeah, you don't really need to quench it to anneal
but it sure doesn't hurt.

A weed burner and do it a layer or two at a time will work too.

Don't be shy unrolling it but don't get too rough, it'll come if you're
firm but brass work hardens just out of spite if you try bullying it.
Unwrap it far as possible on the first pull, you'll only get 2-3 and
it'll get hard, you'll feel it. Thinking about it here, each layer will
have it's sweet time and not work harden when you unwrap the one out
from it.

Yeah, it'll be some hassle but it's just a job, nothing seriously
technical.

Jer
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Childers" <ron at munlaw.net>
To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Friday, September 07, 2012 3:17 AM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Anyone tried to cut 24 gage brass sheet?


> This is a large piece of sheet brass that looks like someone rolled it
> then almost flattened the roll. Sorry I didn't make that clear, but I
> don't think the snips will work; however, the suggestion to anneal is
> probably the first step in the process of unrolling it. Since it must
be
> annealed to work anyway there is no lost motion. It is too big to fit
in
> any of my gas forges so it appears localized heat from a burner may be
> the only way. It is about the thickness of a dime; what gage would
that
> be? If approached as a purely practical matter a trip to the scrap
yard
> would yield the perfect piece, but I have an aversion to wasting
> anything.
>

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