In a message dated 5/21/01 9:49:17 AM Eastern Daylight Time, OROBOYZ@aol.com writes:
> odd that they mention that specialty bikes use
> bronze and silver to allow a lower temperature.. apparently unaware that
> bronze and brass are the same
I think bronze is usually an alloy primarily of copper and tin, while brass is copper and zinc. So, I looked it up in Encarta and see things are a little less clear than I had thought. Is the "brass" in brass brazing rod really bronze (copper/zinc) as Dale implies ? Would make sense, as the copper/zinc brass is said to get pretty brittle before it melts. Quote from Encarta below:
Brass (alloy), alloy of copper and zinc. Harder than copper, it is ductile and can be hammered into thin leaves. Formerly any alloy of copper, especially one with tin, was called brass, and it is probable that the "brass" of ancient times was of copper and tin (see <A HREF="http://encarta.msn.com/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&tiv1558530">Bronze</A>). The modern alloy came into use about the 16th century.
Glenn Jordan - Durham, NC