Forging Brass

[Oldbow]

  Just reading the article in the CLA s jan. 2012 issue  on iron mounted rifles. Guy Montfort

He states that on rare brass mounted piece, "brass guards were formed from sheet stock in the manner similar to the construction of iron mounts."

Anyone try this method?

[jerrywh]

 Brass can only be forged cold. It cannot be forge welded but must be brazed or soldered.

[Acer Saccharum]

I have seen some original gun hardware brazed/soldered together. Mostly European stuff. Example: Where the buttplate extension meets the shoulder plate on highly ornate pieces. Why? I suspect the molds were easier to make flat because of the high relief and undercuts, then braze the two pieces together.

I have seen nice Euro trigger guards with the bow brazed to the front extension. I don't know why they did this, maybe to have flexibility in design changes?

But most American hardware I've seen in brass have been cast in one piece.

[E.vonAschwege]

Our Norwegian member has shared how he makes triggerguards by brazing together brass sheet and then removing everything that doesn't look like a triggerguard - It seemed to work very well, even if it's not the way original pistol guards went together.  I've seen one original buttplate on an early PA gun that had the comb extension riveted onto the plate and then brazed. 
-Eric

[Rolf]

You'll find three examples I did here.

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=704.0

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=27793.0

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=32410.0

Best regards
Rolf

[Oldbow]

The article was referring to southern mountain guns. Looks like an interesting project.

[JCKelly]

Do not heat brass to form it, or forge it.

Any work must be done around room temperature.

Hot brass, say ~600F or higher, will crumble when bent. This is because most flat rolled, or round, brass has some lead in it for ease of machining or engraving. When one heats the brass the lead melts, and the molten, even the nearly molten, lead will crack the brass when bent.

Form it cold and braze various pieces together as described in earlier posts.

Your P.I.T.A. metallurgist, Jim Kelly

[rick landes]

Do not heat brass to form it, or forge it.

Any work must be done around room temperature.

Hot brass, say ~600F or higher, will crumble when bent. This is because most flat rolled, or round, brass has some lead in it for ease of machining or engraving. When one heats the brass the lead melts, and the molten, even the nearly molten, lead will crack the brass when bent.

Form it cold and braze various pieces together as described in earlier posts.

Your P.I.T.A. metallurgist, Jim Kelly

I would think one must anneal, work a small amount and then anneal again, repeat when working brass to avoid cracking and facilitate ease of workability.