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Thread: Casting bronze

  1. #1
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    Default Casting bronze

    Quick question folks,

    Anyone got any ideas for a source of tin?

    I’ve got a small job to do for a pal, and it needs to be produced in bronze.

    I’ve loads of copper but where on earth do you get tin from?

    Thanks,

    Nick

  2. #2
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    Theb web is surprisingly uninformative on specialist needs, but I did find these inexpensive bronze ingots: https://www.artisanfoundry.co.uk/pro...roducts_id=318

  3. #3
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    I used this mob a couple of years ago http://copperbullion.co.uk/product/1...-999-pure-tin/
    Could not find a supplier in AUS

  4. #4
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    http://www.carnmetals.co.uk do tin.
    http://www.hewitt-impex.co.uk/produc...-grains-alloys seem to do bronze grain.
    Exmoor casting supplies used to do grain, but it seems unavailable on their site. http://www.exmoorcastingsupplies.co.uk

  5. #5
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    Jun 2015
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    You can buy casting grain online

    http://leinajoya.es/bronce-granalla-1kg

    Bronze is difficult to cast and work with. Too hard.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nick martin View Post
    Quick question folks,

    Anyone got any ideas for a source of tin?

    I’ve got a small job to do for a pal, and it needs to be produced in bronze.

    I’ve loads of copper but where on earth do you get tin from?

    Thanks,

    Nick
    Unless I am mistaken, your best source for bronze would be pre 1992 UK Pennies and they only cost pennies.

    http://www.royalmint.com/discover/uk...one-penny-coin

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by handmadeblanks View Post
    Unless I am mistaken, your best source for bronze would be pre 1992 UK Pennies and they only cost pennies.

    http://www.royalmint.com/discover/uk...one-penny-coin
    Certainly one route. Is there more bronze in them than the face value now?

    One other thought - lead free plumbing solder is either tin/antimony or tin/silver.

  8. #8
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    @ps_bond: If I've done my maths right: According to the specifications on the Royal Mint Website: 1 penny weighs 3.56g and is comprised of 97% copper. So if you wanted 1kg of copper you would need approx. 290 pre 1992 pennies. On eBay, a 1kg bullion bar of copper costs about £21 or 2100 pennies.

    It is for this reason I believe it would actually be illegal to melt down pennies for another purpose... which is a valuable lesson on inflation and how Governments destroy the value of our money. They need to make laws to stop people from doing what should be common sense!

    @Nick: I think the best thing to do would be to look under your sofa cushions. You might get lucky and find some bronze that nobody knows about and probably won't miss when it's gone.

    A tip: Bronze isn't attracted by a magnet. That's how I sort my coins. Which I don't melt down BTW! I just like to keep something with an intrinsic value that's higher than its face value.

  9. #9
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    The maths looks sound. The only thing I'd quibble (for want of a better word) is the composition - Royal Mint lists its "bronze" as 97% Cu, 2.5% Zn & 0.5% Sn, which is extremely low in tin for any self-respecting bronze.

    FWIW, I've made coin mokume with bronze (OK, should have used inverted commas again) 2p pieces & cupronickel 10p coins. Worked adequately for a demo, but I don't really follow why people use coins for mokume gane when sheet metals are readily available - far more trouble than they're worth due to the surface.

  10. #10
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    There’s a whole host of useful options to contemplate here then so many thanks everyone.

    I only need a small amount of bronze to complete a small restoration job I’ve got on, so I’ll experiment a little with the coins perhaps to begin with.

    Cheers,

    Nick

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