Cold molding wood veneers over steel stringers.

Hi Par, yeah i remember Larry saying that, he's very traditional.

I have access to bronze-silicone used in commercial aircraft maintenance, but if i remember marine applications call for bronze-nickel, or is it bronze-zinc, i forget.

 

Larry has many good qualities and a blessed saint for a wife. Traditional he is, but he's just taken to extremism with epoxy, which considering his intellect is counter intuitive and not especially enlightened. Considering his industry presence, he should know better, particularly in light of his discussions with Mead, Joel and Jan Gougeon, Jim Brown, James Wharram, Dick Newick, etc.

Bronze is really a difficult word, how about copper alloy. Bronze comes in many different mixtures, but most typical will be 87% copper 13% tin. Other copper alloys will include brass (the redheaded, weak knee, step child to bronze), which is a copper/zinc alloy. Phosphor bronze is a great material though today silicon bronze is the usual choice.

 

Silicon bronce is a well proven alloy in marine use.
If the copper alloy contains zinc it is not bronce (apart from some very special brews), but brass, as PAR already mentioned.

Bronce and nickel are known as Nibral for example. NI ckel, BR once, AL uminium.
Rare and expensive.

Regards
Richard

 

It (zinc) often is used in bronze, but in very small amounts. The predominate alloy materials are copper and tin, with possibly as much as 2% of other stuff added to improve physical properties. For example gun metal bronze is 88% copper, 10% tin and 2% zinc. This is a very good bronze and the zinc helps machinability and fusibility. Bell bronze, used to cast statues and of course bells has more zinc (as much as 10%, but usually about 6%), but doesn't machine well. Most every foundry will have their own special mixtures to suit the needs of a customer.

 

I thought I get away with just calling them "special brews" and making it simple.
Tin = bronce, zinc = brass, the former good in marine applications, the latter not so good.

 

As I mentioned there are lots of copper alloys. Bronze is a copper/tin alloy, while brass is a copper/zinc alloy. I have my own special brews and I surely hope they have neither tin or zinc in them.

 

Alloy list for boatbuilders

Thought this may help some of us.