{"id":170,"date":"2008-02-10T05:04:17","date_gmt":"2008-02-10T13:04:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cheldodge.net\/blog\/2008\/02\/10\/metal-series-brass\/"},"modified":"2008-02-10T05:04:17","modified_gmt":"2008-02-10T13:04:17","slug":"metal-series-brass","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/userblogs.ganoksin.com\/lavajewelry\/2008\/02\/10\/metal-series-brass\/","title":{"rendered":"Metal Series: Brass"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are so many alloys of brass<\/a> that I couldn’t begin to even guess how many, so I’m going to focus on talking about the brass alloy I use in my work; it’s an alloy called C23000. (Also called 230.)<\/p>\n

Brass 230 is also known as red brass<\/a>, though to me it appears very yellow in color. It is an alloy commonly used in jewelry-making, and it contains 85% copper and 15% zinc. Many brass alloys used in industry (not typically used in jewelry-making) do contain lead, usually in a very small amount. Brass used for making hardware (such as locks and doorknobs) is likely to contain lead – the lead acts as lubrication in the machining process – something handcrafters tend to find unnecessary.<\/p>\n

Brass<\/a> is a relatively inexpensive metal (although of course its cost is rising along with the costs of other metals), and it is used in jewelry for its attractive yellow color. Brass does tarnish with time, but to a much lesser degree than copper. Brass is a little bit more difficult to work with than copper, gold, or silver, because it is harder, and it is more difficult to anneal (soften). These same properties make it very durable. Brass, like copper, can turn a wearer’s skin green over time, although not as efficiently as copper does.<\/p>\n

Question of the Day: What is it about brass<\/a> that you are just dying to know?<\/p>\n

Oh, and by the way, the crab feed was a success. Come see the photos<\/a> I took at the event!<\/p>\n

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