Aluminum Bronze for guards?

Smallshop

KNIFE MAKER
Years ago I made parts out of Aluminum Bronze. As I recall it was miserable to cut/machine...but polished up good. Was more silvery colored than brass...was MUCH stronger than brass. And, had no lead in it like most of the free machining brasses out there. Should be a step up over brass in almost all ways 'cept machining? Anyone tried it...and loved it? Lol!

Brass just looks...well....too brassy....but I want something different than 416 SS. color wise...


Material Composition of Aluminum Bronze (954 bearing bronze) Data from McMaster-Carr
Aluminum10-11.5%
Copper83% Min.
Iron3-5%
Manganese0-0.5%
Nickel0-1.5%
 
My personal favorite, and most used guard material is Nickel Silver. Jantz is the only outfit that carries the grade I prefer. I buy 3/8" x 3/4" barstock. Not long ago I stumbled upon a killer deal on a 6 ft bar of bronze (can't recall the grade off the top of my head), that was 1 1/2" X 5/8". I've forged most of it down to 3/8" x 3/4".....to the tune of nearly triple the length!

Brass: Not sure of the current environment, but for many years, there was a saying among custom knife collectors.... "Brass has no class!". I don't know who or where it started from, all I know is that IF I built any knife, with any kind of brass fittings....that thing would rot on the shelf before anybody bought it.
So, I stopped using it, and haven't put brass on a knife in over a decade. The thing I don't get is... Bronze is perfectly acceptable. Who knows? Based on what my clients tell me, When it comes to non-ferric materials, Nickel Silver is 1st choice, 416SS 2nd, Bronze 3rd, followed by "mild steel". Of course on higher end pieces with Damascus blades.... Damascus is preferred for fittings.

This might sound squirrely, but I like the grade of Nickel Silver I use, because I press fit guards on hidden tangs....and even after press fitting it on, then knocking it off to finish the face, it still must be "forced" back in place for final fit up/placement. Almost like it has some "spring" to the material. I don't get that in any other of the non-ferric guard materials.
I'd be curious to see how the Aluminum Bronze works. Might just look into getting some to try out.

Always good to try new things stuff....and learn new things! :)
 
Last edited:
Thanks Ed! I'm going to give it a whirl.

I wonder if the "brass has no class" comes from decades of cheap brass/rose wood items from Pakistan and India? If I see a knife with brass that's immediately where my mind goes...which is a shame. Brass is a good metal.
 
Ummm...got my alumimum Bronze in today....lol. Yeah...it's tough. Not super hard but resists cutting....I'm using the speeds and feeds that seems to work well for A-2 tool steel and it seems in the zone. Sands nice, polishes nice.

The color is FABULOUS....a pale gold/copper look.No yellow tint....I'm sold!
 
Thanks Ed! I'm going to give it a whirl.

I wonder if the "brass has no class" comes from decades of cheap brass/rose wood items from Pakistan and India? If I see a knife with brass that's immediately where my mind goes...which is a shame. Brass is a good metal.
I think you’re spot on on this one. It’s a shame because brass can look killer on the right knife.
The color is FABULOUS....a pale gold/copper look.No yellow tint....I'm sold!
I would be very interested to see a picture of this sometime when you have a second.
 
Thanks Daniel. Look how close this matches my gold wedding ring. I absolutely love the color! I had to put fresh carbide cutters in the machine as the material kept cutting undersize on the setup piece. It sounds like I'm cutting steel....hope the tool wear is not costly....141019290_128506832434679_1252118452589975190_n.jpg
 
McMaster-Carr...I bought the "oversize" material in 3/8...It came in at .475 thick....that's a lot o' free material...lol.
 
I actually get quite a few customers that ask for brass bolsters. I offer stainless, nickel/silver, and brass.

The last one that asked for brass (was for a pretty big order) and you won't guess what he said: "The brass just looks classier"

I kid you not!
 
I actually get quite a few customers that ask for brass bolsters. I offer stainless, nickel/silver, and brass.

The last one that asked for brass (was for a pretty big order) and you won't guess what he said: "The brass just looks classier"

I kid you not!

Knife people are a fickle bunch...lol
 
I actually get quite a few customers that ask for brass bolsters. I offer stainless, nickel/silver, and brass.

The last one that asked for brass (was for a pretty big order) and you won't guess what he said: "The brass just looks classier"

I kid you not!
It'd be interesting if you offered bronze and noted if brass requests declined ot stayed steady.
 
It'd be interesting if you offered bronze and noted if brass requests declined ot stayed steady.

yeah I could. The color difference would likely be the deciding factor for the client. My guess would be the brass would still win. Seems my recommendations often lose out over the "bling" factor.
 
Interested in more Ted! Please, once you get it polished up.... I'd like to see if fingerprints, etc. cause fast tarnish (I am suspecting that it will, due to the copper content). That same copper content brings into question how well it would do in press fit scenario. Nickel Silver has, for lack of a better way to say it, some "spring", so that once it's press fit into place, it has to be "knocked" off, and then after finishing the face, driven back into place. Copper, brass, and some others don't display that quality.
 
Here is a finished guard. I am rethinking everything I do as my right side no longer functions well...so the fluted guard surfaces is much easier on me than a bunch of hand polishing i can no longer achieve. I think it still provides some nice eye candy. For the same reason I left my fullers as heat treated and the gun metal gray has grown on me...lol.

I do think the Aluminum bronze is very fine material and is almost exactly the color of gold. Too early to tell how drills and files and endmills will last. my instinct is it will be fine.

the guard is a nice slip fit on the tang. The gap disappears if you slide it up to the blade.
guard on knife.jpgguard on knife 2.jpgguard on knife 3.jpg
 
Back
Top