Everything You Need to Know about Bronze Sheets before Making a Purchase

Any project can be successful with the proper use of material. However, if the material you use is substandard or inappropriate for your project, the result may be different. It may look good at first but you can’t expect it to be durable enough. Over time, the material will start to deteriorate and compromise the structural integrity of your work. In applications where extreme temperature or pressure is involved, the material may easily give in and put your life in danger.

It is, therefore, crucial to be cautious when identifying the most suitable materials for your project. This is especially true when the material you need is metal. With the many commercially available alloys out there, you can easily get lost in the supply store, and possibly not have the confidence to buy at all. One type of metal supply that is particularly difficult to choose is bronze sheet metal, and for good reasons.

Bronze looks like gold and brass. While some types of bronze have a darker shade than gold, others look strikingly similar. It’s very easy to mistake some types of bronze for gold, which is a good thing if you are looking for a material that can add elegance to your work. Meanwhile, brass is also prized for its gold-like color and sheen, so what you thought is bronze may actually be brass. This can be a serious problem if the application you’ll use the metal sheet for requires properties that are unique to bronze. Read more from this article: http://www.rotaxmetals.net/everything-you-need-to-know-about-bronze-sheets-before-making-a-purchase/.

Basics of Brass Tubing Classification: Mechanical vs. Structural Tubes

There are different ways to classify brass tubing. The usual ways are through the types of metal alloy the tubes are made of and by their shapes. Those two properties are the most basic classifications and do play an important part in determining the specific use for the tubes, but there is another easy classification often forgotten by consumers.

The mechanical and structural tubing segregation system is more commonly used by steel and metal manufacturers, but it is also beneficial for consumers to know about this basic form for classification. This will make ordering metal alloy tubing easier for both sides. These are the facts and important information about mechanical and structural tubing:

Differentiating between Pipes and Tubes: The First Step to Finding the Best Bronze Tube Supplies

Choosing the right structural material can be downright difficult, especially for those who have little experience in construction. In fact, with new supplies being introduced into the market regularly, this task can be daunting even for skilled builders. Two types of building material that can be particularly confusing to the untrained eyes are pipes and tubes. Not only do they have striking similarities, but their differences are quite difficult to spot as well. The following are the basic differences between pipes and tubes that can help you in choosing the right material for your project.

Purpose

While pipes and tubes look the same, they actually differ in function. Pipes are used mainly for conveying fluids and gases, while tubes are often used to provide support or added aesthetics to a structure. Most pipes are concealed either underground or within the walls, while tubes are usually (and oftentimes intended to be) visible. Read more from this article: http://www.rotaxmetals.net/differentiating-between-pipes-and-tubes-the-first-step-to-finding-the-best-bronze-tube-supplies/

Work on Design Projects Efficiently with the Help of a Trusted Copper Sheet Supplier

Homeowners would usually have something nice and shiny to upgrade the look of their homes. A usual concern, however, is how much these shiny things will cost them. As their trusted designer, it’s important that you are able to give them the information they need to come up with a well-informed decision when purchasing materials.

Not all that glitters is gold, and fortunately for designers like you, there are alternative materials that could still achieve the desired results without breaking your client’s bank. One of the consistently popular choices among designers and clients is copper.

Why Copper

The foremost advantage of using copper for aesthetics is that it has an intrinsic shine that can instantly lend some sparkle to a room. And it is affordable and cost-efficient as well. Read more from this article: http://www.rotaxmetals.net/work-on-design-projects-efficiently-with-the-help-of-a-trusted-copper-sheet-supplier/

The Types of Industrial-Grade Metal Alloys Made from Bronze Bars

The metal industry has been booming since metals were introduced into the constriction process. Thanks technological advances, metal manufacturing has become a lucrative business. Pure and recycled bronze bars are processed into complex bronze alloys to expand their uses.

The secret to bronze’s versatility is the variation in metal composition. These are some of the most common alloys created from bronze that have a significant impact on the metal industry:

Why Square Metal Tubing Is Worth the Cost When Used for Your Next Projects

Metal tubes come in different shapes and sizes. The most common type utilized by architectures and designers are the round tubes. Although round metal tubes are a very popular option, square metal tubing also has its share of valuable features that are known to many consumers. The secret is finding the best applications for tubes with this particular shape. Here are some of the advantages of square metal tubing that are worth noting:

Where to Buy Copper Sheets and How to Use Them for Home Enhancement

Renovating your home at least every couple of years can help you avoid costly repairs and raise your living standards. Depending on the materials you use, you can enjoy extra perks, such as added durability to your furniture and fixtures. One material that is particularly worth incorporating into you project is copper sheet.

Copper is prized for its many useful properties, including malleability, corrosion resistance, and antimicrobial. It’s one of the few metals than can be flattened and stretched into thin sheets without breaking. While copper tarnishes easily, it doesn’t rust or corrode. Its ability to trigger the oligodynamic effect (a natural phenomenon that kills bacteria) makes it a powerful water purifier. These three properties make copper perfect for the following applications in your home remodeling project.

Countertop

You do most of your kitchen tasks on your countertop, so it is only right to make sure that it is not only durable but hygienic as well. By covering with copper sheet, you’ll not only add protection to this expensive fixture, but you’ll also make sure that the food you’ll prepare for your family is free from harmful bacteria. Plus, it’s naturally elegant-looking so it’s okay concealing the granite underneath it. Read more from this article: http://www.rotaxmetals.net/where-to-buy-copper-sheets-and-how-to-use-them-for-home-enhancement/

How Sheet Metal Is Formed?—From the Machines to the Sheet Metal Suppliers

Some metals, such as bronze and brass, are pliable enough to be molded into thin sheets. They can be rolled, hammered, or pressed to produce materials that are needed for various industrial and structural applications. The process of forming sheet metals into functional items may seem obvious, but in truth, it’s more complicated than it looks.

There are a number of metalworking processes that involve sheet metal, each of which yields products of unique purpose and quality. This diversity of processes helps address issues arising from the differences in properties of metals. Here are some of the most common metalworking processes sheet metal products have to go through before they are delivered to sheet metal suppliers across the country.

Decambering

Most sheet formation techniques start off by preparing a strip of metal. Sometimes, the process of forming the strip is not very smooth so much so that camber is left on certain parts of the output. To eliminate this defect and produce a smoother and finer surface, the strip is either flattened or leveled until the strip relaxes straight. After becoming uneven as excess volume is pushed to the sides, the edge is either cut or smoothened. Read more from this article: http://www.rotaxmetals.net/how-sheet-metal-is-formed-from-the-machines-to-the-sheet-metal-suppliers/

4 Important Questions to Ask Brass Suppliers before Closing a Deal

Any smart business owner knows that buying from the right supplier is crucial in the success of a project. Signing a deal with just any supplier without doing necessary background and reference checks can be disastrous. Such problems like inability to keep up with demands and frequently late deliveries can harm the profitability of a small business.

This is why asking the right questions matters when it comes to looking for the best brass suppliers. Just by doing the extra step, the choices of potential suppliers are cut down significantly. Here’s a list of the questions business owners must ask suppliers:

What Are the Differences between Solid and Plated Brass for Sale?

Brass is a versatile alloy that is made by combining bronze, zinc, and sometimes other elements like tin and silicon as well. Due to the alloy’s many advantageous properties like high durability, heat conductivity, and ability to withstand corrosion, it is commonly used for pipes and other structural needs. Aside from the practical and structural uses, solid brass for sale is also used as decorative pieces such as ornaments, door handles, and even as pots and pans.

Due to the value and popularity of brass, it can sometimes be confusing for consumers to know if their brass pieces are solid and pure or if they are simply just plated brass. Of course solid brass pieces are more valuable and expensive than plated brasses, which is why it helps to know how to tell the differences between the two brass types to avoid overspending.

Here are simple ways for customer to test brass pieces before purchasing them:

Brass Sales Facts: What Makes Brass a Good Material for Musical Instruments

Have you ever wondered how some musical instruments, particularly the brass family, can create their beautiful, loud sound? You may think that it is mainly due to their unique construction and shape. In truth, there are other factors involved. One that is particularly influential is the type of metal the instruments are made of.

Brass instruments are made, obviously, from brass. While other metals, including aluminum, tin, and copper, have almost the same level of malleability as brass, they are not suitable for this application. It’s easy to understand why by looking at the unique properties of brass.

Perfect for Acoustic Resonators Consisting of Long, Narrow Tubes

Here are some of the most common brass instruments—trombone, tuba, trumpet, cornet, baritone horn, euphonium, tenor horn, and French horn. Most modern student-model flutes and piccolos are partly made of brass as well, even though they belong to the woodwind family. Each of these instruments need to have resonators to be able to produce loud sound of varying tones. Read more from this article: http://www.rotaxmetals.net/the-major-factors-that-influence-and-shape-the-copper-brass-sales-industry/

The Major Factors that Influence and Shape the Copper & Brass Sales Industry

The metal industry has been thriving since the 19th century when technology first made it easier to process metal ores on a larger scale. It has rapidly changed through the course of time because it is adapting and changing based on the demands and needs of the consumers. Back in the day, the only factors affecting copper & brass sales along with other metals were the demand and the ability of manufacturers to supply.

Today, there are more factors that influence the prices of metals. These are the most important of those factors:

Factor #1: Available of Natural Resources

All types of pure metals are naturally occurring in the form of metal ores. These are mined and harvested, but they are non-renewable resources which means their numbers are depleting and as they start to become rare commodities, their prices begin to spike. Meaning, the less virgin ores found in nature, the higher the prices of metal and metal alloy products and pieces. Read more from this article: http://www.rotaxmetals.net/the-major-factors-that-influence-and-shape-the-copper-brass-sales-industry/

The Importance of Greener and Cleaner Metal Processing for Copper and Brass Sales

There are several factors that affect the prices of copper and brass sales, but two are considered the most important. First, it is the way the metals are obtained. Metal ore mining costs a lot more than recycling used metal and metal alloys. Second factor is the amount of consumer demand for the products. If no one is using copper and brass, prices would drop because of the availability of excess.

The second factor is not a problem because consumers are using copper, brass, bronze, and other metals for various applications. This means that the first factor is the driving force behind the prices. As part of responsible consumerism, recycled copper and brass should be prioritized. Aside from that, here are other reasons why recycled metals are better than those made from ores:

Round Vs. Square Brass Tube, Why Use the Different Shapes

There is no denying the versatility and strength of brass tube. The debate on these tubes isn’t whether they should be used; it is which shape is better suited for the job. Tubes made of brass come in all shapes and sizes. Common shapes range from the typical round and square, while other suppliers can make custom-made shapes upon a client’s request. All of this is because brass tubes have a lot of applications both in practicality and design.

When it comes to the round and square tubes, many still debate on which one is better. Here is a quick comparison of both shapes:

How to Differentiate Copper from Brass Sheet Metal

Copper and brass sheet metal are used for a number of different applications. The sheets can be used as a part of architectural detail or sometimes for added aesthetic flare. The tricky thing about copper and brass is that sometimes they can look too similar. This can be problematic when someone is looking for specific properties of either copper or brass.

Using the wrong type of sheet metal can have disastrous effects, especially when the sheets are required to hold any form of structural integrity. Before using any sheet metals for your next projects, try these tricks to differentiate brass from copper:

Property Check: Bronze and Brass Channel, Bar, and Other Supply Types

More than three-quarters of the periodic table of elements are metal. Unless you’re a chemistry professor, however, surely not all of them will sound familiar. Some are more popular than others because they are utilized for many different practical applications thanks to their unique properties. There are even those that can easily be combined with other elements and produce even more durable materials.

One good example is copper. It can be combined with almost all kinds of metal and produce outstanding alloys. The most popular copper alloys are bronze (copper-tin) and brass (copper-zinc). These metals are even more widely used than over half the family of metals. Here are some facts about bronze and brass that you need to know before you start considering them for your projects.   

Density

Density is the degree of compactness of a material. This property usually represents a bunch of other properties, such as malleability and strength. Brass has a density of 8.3 to 8.7 g/cm³, while bronze’s density starts at 7.5 g/cm³. This means in most cases, brass is more malleable and stronger than bronze. There are several factors that affect metal’s density, including content and alloying process. Although zinc is less dense than tin, it binds well with copper, making the resulting alloy (brass) more compact.

Melting Point

It would take 927 degrees Celsius of heat to melt brass, a little higher than bronze’s melting point of 913 degrees Celsius. It is important for metalworkers or suppliers to give out this information to the consumers as it helps in creating safety nets for their projects. This heat tolerance, however, is already higher than that of most metals, which is why bronze and brass are preferred for a lot of applications that involve heat.

Moh’s Hardness

Metal’s hardness is measured by its scratch resistance. Basically, a metal that is able to scratch another metal is the harder one. This easy yet effective qualitative ordinal scale was invented by German geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mohs, hence the name. Both brass and bronze have a Moh’s hardness of 3, exceeding those of their base metals, copper, zinc, and tin. Of course, there are other minerals that are much harder than them, but this hardness rate can already do a lot in many applications. 

Malleability

Both bronze and brass are malleable metals. They can easily deform with pressure. To better understand their malleability, try to look into their crystal structure. Copper in its pure form is very malleable because there isn’t another element that prevents the atomic planes of its crystal structure from slipping. Adding atoms of zinc or tin will inhibit slippage, thus making copper stronger and harder, except it’s no longer just copper, but a new material called bronze or brass.

Learning all of these properties will help you choose the right metal for your project. It takes guidance from a true metal expert from reputable suppliers like Rotax Metals to find the best copper alloys. Whether you need a brass channel to complete your furniture project or a bronze wire for your circuitry work, you should not hesitate to consult with an expert supplier.

About Rotax Metals: Rotax Metals has been providing high-grade copper, brass, and bronze supplies to designers, builders, artisans, and even other metal suppliers in North America. We’ve been around since 1947. Our commitment to excellence has put us right over the top of the list of metal suppliers the consumers trust. Get in touch with us today and let us find the best solutions for your projects.

Sources:

Material Density Data, repairengineering.com

The Mohs Scale of Hardness for Metals: Why It Is Important, jewelrynotes.com

Getting Rid of the Tarnish from Your Square Brass Tubing

Brass hardware is a perfect choice of home furniture and fixture, especially if you want additional elegance and flare to your interior design. Apart from having a gold-like appearance, brass is also prized for its durability and corrosion resistance. Unfortunately, unlike other metals, brass is highly susceptible to tarnishing. It can easily lose its luster when exposed to moisture.

Thankfully, the tarnish on brass is not permanent. It can be removed to bring its shiny, stylish appearance back to life. Here are some expert tips and tricks to polishing brass items and preserving their sheen.

Get Rid of the Lacquer

Most brass furniture have been lacquered. This finishing technique involves the application of a clear coat, which protects the surface of the metal from tarnishing. Ironically, it wouldn’t make sense to remove the lacquer to clean off the tarnish since the lacquer was applied to prevent the metal from tarnishing in the first place. However, it is likely that the tarnish developing on your brass item is caused by poor application of lacquer. In that case, you need to reseal it. Read more from this article: http://bit.ly/2HBi92r

Using Brass Square Tube and Other Metals to Improve Bathroom Design

The good thing about home improvements is that there really is no stopping the owner when they want it done. If they want a bathroom renovation in the dead of winter, they could probably do that too, should they be so inclined. After all, when it comes to refreshing or upgrading the look of a home, there’s no such thing as “not the right time.”

The bathroom happens to be one of the more important sections of the home that can use some upgrading now and then. Apart from the bedroom, this private sanctuary is where people spend a good deal of their time in. Because of the fixtures and other elements in it, however, it can get pretty costly to upgrade.

Designers or contractors looking to add some pop or zing to the aesthetics of a bathroom need not worry, though, because there are available metal materials that can easily get the job done, even without breaking the client’s bank. Read more from this article: http://bit.ly/2qxkzIo