C87850 Eco Brass

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FLtenwheeler
Posts: 1594
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2003 8:47 am
Location: Florida, on the Lake Wales Ridge

C87850 Eco Brass

Post by FLtenwheeler »

Has any one cast with C87850 Eco Brass? This is a lead free brass designed for water fittings.

Tim
He who dies with the most unfinished projects: Should of put more time into their hobby.
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steamin10
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Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: C87850 Eco Brass

Post by steamin10 »

This is the newer plumbing fitting compound coming into wider use for household plumbing fixtures.

Basically an unremarkable plumbing brass with low lead and tin levels, and reasonable zinc levels. It is harder to machine than some other brasses due to low lead content. It will have the same corrosion reactivity to ph imbalances as other zinc loaded brasses. for weathering and exposure, will be inferior to bronze and gunmetal castings because of its zinc component, against tin and lead loaded alloys. Any alloy with a lead component will have good maintainability, but may not hold a polish, and dull quickly with exposure. Silicon loss will also affect hardness and machine finishes, and should be maintained in the 2-2.5 range.

In casting this and any zinc alloyed material, they will cast a smoke from the zinc, that may ignite on the surface while liquid. Protection to prevent airborne contamination is needed, and holding a heat will result in alloy shift due to these loss. If using as a base scrap in reverted plumbing it will mix well with other (yellow) brasses, and allow a nondescript mix of working metal. It can give good casts if the rules for casting any brass material are followed, the zinc being the most unstable part of the alloy, and the potential for copper to gas up.
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