Brass or Bronze for Sundials.
Hi all, For a sundial that will be out in the weather. What is the advantage/disadvantage of using brass or bronze? Regards, Roderick Wall. --- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
Re: Brass or Bronze for Sundials.
Not all brass/bronze is the same. I prefer silicon bronze. It is typical for large outdoor sculptures, and also marine hardware and propellers. It turns dark, not green, and is very durable. -Bill On Sun, Jun 4, 2017 at 9:58 PM, rodwall1...@gmail.com wrote: > Hi all, > > For a sundial that will be out in the weather. What is the > advantage/disadvantage of using brass or bronze? > > Regards, > > Roderick Wall. > > > --- > https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial > > > --- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
Re: Brass or Bronze for Sundials.
Thanks all for your response. Is there a particular grade of bronze that is suitable for sundials. And why are they suitable. I like the idea of stainless steel but think that bronze or brass is more suitable. Thanks in advance, Regards, Roderick Wall. - Reply message - From: "tonylindi...@talktalk.net" To: , Subject: Brass or Bronze for Sundials. Date: Mon, Jun 5, 2017 7:34 PM Hi Rod, The advantages for me is that they look good and take a handsome patination if regularly cleaned and waxed with a conservators' product. (Details on request). Corrosion is a main problem, perhaps summed up by "I am a sundial...ordinary words Cannot convey my thoughts on birds!" Hilaire Belloc .. and their corrosive droppings. :-( I sometimes suspect that my local feathered friends feed on acidic epoxy glue! ;-) Stainless steel (S316 grade) makes an excellent weatherproof dial if the surface is lightly textured to reveal a shadow and if you can find an etcher/engraver who will 'cut' it deeply enough. My preferred surface treatment was a Random Orbital sander with a worn medium paper which MUST be in contact before switching ON then lifted away before switching OFF to avoid start/stop 'swirls'. This tool is widely used on car body finishing. Tony M. P.S. Now that I know that others can view my messages I have no need to read them myself. Original Message From: rodwall1...@gmail.com Date: 05/06/2017 1:58 To: Subj: Brass or Bronze for Sundials. Hi all, For a sundial that will be out in the weather. What is the advantage/disadvantage of using brass or bronze? Regards, Roderick Wall. --- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial--- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
RE: Brass or Bronze for Sundials.
Brass is used when you need a metal that can be easily tooled and manipulated (bent, drilled, hammered, cut, engraved and soldered) and is available in many shapes and specialized pieces (rods, strips, tubes, angles, wire, cable, screws, nuts, washers, finials, knobs, etc.). Your hardware store has a wide selection of brass pieces and very little in bronze. Use brass if you want to construct a sundial that needs these pieces and requires assembly, and if you want to make it yourself. Bronze is used when a casting is required without much assembly. It requires an expert to cast it, and it’s expensive. (Like Chris Daniel’s cast bronze dolphin sundial statue in Greenwich) There are other arguments for and against each metal, but I think these are the most important ones. In my own view, The color of the patina is not nearly as important as the other considerations I mentioned, since they both weather well and aren’t damaged by rust. Best wishes From: sundial [mailto:sundial-boun...@uni-koeln.de] On Behalf Of rodwall1...@gmail.com Sent: Sunday, June 4, 2017 6:58 PM To: sundial@uni-koeln.de Subject: Brass or Bronze for Sundials. Hi all, For a sundial that will be out in the weather. What is the advantage/disadvantage of using brass or bronze? Regards, Roderick Wall. --- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
Re: Brass or Bronze for Sundials.
Hi Roderick Contrary to John's advice, you do NOT need to cast bronze. You can buy bronze sheet in many thicknesses. You will need to go to a specialist metal supplier and it is quite expensive. The supplier that I have used for four sundials lists 12 different varieties of bronze. I cannot remember which variety I used, but I could probably dig it out for you from my files. Bronze can be easily and accurately cut by water jet. (Don't try to cut with a hand saw - it is very hard). It can then be photo-etched, which gives beautiful results. The only significant issue with the material (like brass) is protecting the material from birds until the metal gets naturally patinated. This can be done by occasional application of micro-crystalline wax (e.g. Renaissance Wax). You can also chemically patinate the surface, but personally, I have not found a patinating colour that I like. I am presently thinking of CNC engraving a bronze dial, but - as yet - have not risked the expense of a botched job! Bronze or Brass bronze is harder to obtain and work but very durable. Brass (obtainable in 12 different varieties) is generally a more friendly material to work but less durable. Good luck Kevin Sent from my iPad > On 6 Jun 2017, at 22:35, John Carmichael wrote: > > Brass is used when you need a metal that can be easily tooled and manipulated > (bent, drilled, hammered, cut, engraved and soldered) and is available in > many shapes and specialized pieces (rods, strips, tubes, angles, wire, cable, > screws, nuts, washers, finials, knobs, etc.). Your hardware store has a wide > selection of brass pieces and very little in bronze. Use brass if you want > to construct a sundial that needs these pieces and requires assembly, and if > you want to make it yourself. Bronze is used when a casting is required > without much assembly. It requires an expert to cast it, and it’s > expensive. (Like Chris Daniel’s cast bronze dolphin sundial statue in > Greenwich) > > There are other arguments for and against each metal, but I think these are > the most important ones. In my own view, The color of the patina is not > nearly as important as the other considerations I mentioned, since they both > weather well and aren’t damaged by rust. > > Best wishes > > > From: sundial [mailto:sundial-boun...@uni-koeln.de] On Behalf Of > rodwall1...@gmail.com > Sent: Sunday, June 4, 2017 6:58 PM > To: sundial@uni-koeln.de > Subject: Brass or Bronze for Sundials. > > Hi all, > > For a sundial that will be out in the weather. What is the > advantage/disadvantage of using brass or bronze? > > Regards, > > Roderick Wall. > > --- > https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial > --- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
