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Relative ease of production and valuable properties of brass made it one of the mostly widely used alloys. While making a complete list of all applications of brass would be very hard, we can get an idea of the types of products and the breadth of industries in which brass is found by naming some of the most common uses of brass.
Brass has a number of uses, from tools and hammers to musical instruments. This element has been used for thousands of years to make sculptures, weapons and even armor for warriors. Many manufacturing areas that contain explosive liquids, materials or fumes, commonly use brass in order to make fasteners that won’t spark and eventually create an explosion. Without further ado, here are some of the common uses of this soft metal.
Common uses
In order to allow hammering without leaving a damaging mark on a delicate steel machining, a number of machinists use a brass hammer. The softer material won’t damage the harder surface of the steel and for that reason it allows the machinist to pound without fear on the delicate steel component. The use of a brass hammer is intended to avoid making a spark in some other applications, too. The softer metal won’t spark when struck against a steel object, unlike a steel hammer which can send a spark into explosive materials or gas and cause an explosion.
Many mining companies, oil fields and refineries use the softer hammers when needed. There are a few reasons why musical instruments are made from the shiny metal. The tonal quality of the metal makes an instrument made from brass pleasing to the ear. In addition, since this metal is soft (compared to most other metals), it allows the tubing to be twisted into complex windings, such as those of French horn and the trumpet. Brass is lighter than steel and for this reason it is possible for instruments to be carried for long periods by marching band.
The instruments are also visually appealing to the eye, thanks to the high luster of the metal. Brass is a good choice for electronic devices, because it is the ability of the soft metal to conduct electricity. The metal is used as contacts for speaker wires. Thereby, it is great at conducting a number of signals, which are transferred into a rich sound by the speaker. This metal is also a good medium for sculptors and trophy makers alike, because it is easily manipulated and fashioned.
Brass can be molded and shaped into an artist’s impression of a number of different types of objects. For many centuries, rivets of the metal have been used in boots, blue jeans and other types of clothes and garments. A few famous makers of denim products use the rivets as a trademark sign on product lines. Tools, bolts and nuts are manufactured from this soft metal in high-corrosion areas, due to the anti-corrosive tendencies of the material. In addition, it’s also common to use a wrench made of brass as the fasteners when working in a explosive environment.
