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

[Jerry Frost]

I wasn't very clear. The fire's just to anneal the roll. Using enough heat 
to do the whole mass is much more efficient and easy than trying to do it a 
little at a time, brass is a good thermal conductor so it's really hard to 
heat a small part, especially if it's in close contact with more. Being a 
flattened roll layers are in close contact, even if not pressed hard 
together.

Heating the entire roll should allow it to be unrolled with minimum hassle, 
flattened corners and all.

Heating to red is a good rule of thumb temp and quenching can prevent some 
odd things in certain alloys but not really necessary in most, quenching 
however will set the anneal in all alloys and can do not harm making it a 
good standard practice.

Jer
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bruce ." <freemab222 at gmail.com>
To: "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2012 3:34 AM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Anyone tried to cut 24 gage brass sheet?


> Jerry,
> I'm not sure, but that sounds like overkill to me.
> If he's got a flattened roll of brass, what he needs to do is anneal
> at the outermost fold - only - and unbend that fold.  Then work
> inwards.  The brass needn't be hot when it's unfolded.  Heating to red
> (or perhaps lower), and cooling (or even quenching) will anneal it.
>
> On Sat, Sep 8, 2012 at 5:33 PM, Jerry Frost <akfrosty at mtaonline.net> 
> wrote:
>> 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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>
>
>
> -- 
> Bruce
> NJ
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