ALL ABOUT ALLOYS

Every day, around the world, people use objects made of brass.  Perhaps you have several brass items in your own home such as bookends, candlesticks, doorknobs, curtain rods. Where did these exquisite objects come from? A brass mine perhaps? Let's find out!

Brass is a mixture of the two metals, copper and zinc and these form an alloy. When brass is made, the copper and zinc are heated to a melting point, as one metal dissolves in the other. After the mixture cools, it hardens and at this stage it really doesn’t look like a mixture.  The copper and zinc are now solid and cannot be differentiated.

Brass is just once example of the many other alloys we use.  Virtually everything metal that we use - is made of a single pure metal.  

By far, the most common alloy is steel, which is chiefly iron.  Iron alone will not lend the necessary strength for bridges, skyscrapers and automobiles. When iron is combined with carbon, a strong tough steel is the result.

Bronze is another common alloy and is a mixture of copper and tin.  Generally, a penny is referred to as copper but actually is crafted of bronze.

The alloy pewter is mostly tin and has been altered a bit due to the hazardous discoveries of lead. Therefore, other metals are now substituted for lead.

Both pure gold and silver are too soft to be very useful so they are transformed into alloys.  

So as we can see alloys are a useful and at times, a quite beautiful discovery. Next time you turn on your brass lamp, think alloy.