Matching Brass

[silky]

Evening,

Any experience with different sheet brass sources providing different color matching to cast brass parts? In other words, have you found reliable, consistent "colors" from different manufacturers?  I have always bought mine from TOW and it matches some cast brass pieces, but not others.

I ask because I'm modifying trigger guards and such so a color match is important. Maybe you guys can save me the time and money of ordering brass from a bunch of different sources to see what matches what!

- Tom

[rich pierce]

I’ve found sheet brass to be consistent. It’s the guards and buttplates that vary, unfortunately. I don’t know a cure for this.

[Hungry Horse]

 The major differences usually occur between investment and sand castings. The investment castings  are more likely to be a bronze alloy, while the sand castings are more likely to be brass. Not only is there a color difference, but a maluability one as well. Some bronze is almost impossible to make slight adjustments to without breaking the part.

Hungry Horse

[Jim Kibler]

The first question is where your castings are coming from.  Knowing this will help give some guidance.

[silky]

So in this case, I’m working with an English dragoon trigger guard from Muzzleloader Builder’s Supply. It’s no match to sheet brass, but very close to a scrap trigger guard; I may anneal and beat the snot out of it to flatten it and make it what I want.

Yes, I’m quickly seeing the difference in malleability among different sources/methods….

[Eric Kettenburg]

Alloy 260 is 'cartridge brass.'  This is very soft and malleable and very yellow, no weird red or oranges.  You can get 260 alloy sheets from McMaster in any size or thickness you might want.  This will match all of the old Goehring castings and will match Mike Brooks castings although (correct me if I'm wrong Mike) I don't think he's using straight 260 alloy, but it's close and the color matches.  IT will match all of Dru Hedgecock's old castings. Few foundries now seem willing to run straight 260 alloy.  Also, *most* sand castings sold by most of the current suppliers also will match in color as while I don't believe they're 260, the color is right and they're mostly fairly soft - *mostly!*

It's when you get into the investment cast stuff that things go sideways.  A lot of Track's investment castings will polish out not as yellow but with bit of an orange shade involved and it won't match 260 or any of the sand cast stuff.

[silky]

Alloy 260 is 'cartridge brass.'  This is very soft and malleable and very yellow, no weird red or oranges.  You can get 260 alloy sheets from McMaster in any size or thickness you might want.  This will match all of the old Goehring castings and will match Mike Brooks castings although (correct me if I'm wrong Mike) I don't think he's using straight 260 alloy, but it's close and the color matches.  IT will match all of Dru Hedgecock's old castings. Few foundries now seem willing to run straight 260 alloy.  Also, *most* sand castings sold by most of the current suppliers also will match in color as while I don't believe they're 260, the color is right and they're mostly fairly soft - *mostly!*

It's when you get into the investment cast stuff that things go sideways.  A lot of Track's investment castings will polish out not as yellow but with bit of an orange shade involved and it won't match 260 or any of the sand cast stuff.

Thanks so much, Eric.  Now that you guys point it out, it does seem the investment-cast pieces are the toughest ones to match. I'm going to order some sheets from McMaster. Much appreciated!

- Tom

[Lone Wolf]

Just recently I made a wrist piece from some sheet brass I acquired from TOTW.  After it was sanded and polished, it definitely had a different hue than the cast butt plate.  However, before this it was hard to tell the difference.  I am expecting that over time as the two pieces age and patina they will end up very close to the same appearance.

[Jim Kibler]

Your two basic choices are 260 and 360 brass.  If an investment casting, 360 is likely to match better.  If sand casting, it very much depends on the source.