Techniques for Sheet Brass
- Sheet metal can be made from many different materials, including aluminum, brass, bronze, copper, magnesium, nickel, tin, titanium, zinc, steel and stainless steel. The metal for steel sheets is created at a mill and rollers are necessary for flattening.
- Sheet brass is formed at the point in the metal-making process after the ore has been separated from the brass and the brass has been refined and combined with other metals to make alloys. The sheet brass made from this process is then shaped in ways that can be used by industries to produce products. To flatten it, the metal is rolled over many times with a heavy weight. It can be produced in hot-rolled strips or cold-rolled sheets.
- Even after rolling, another process is required to completely flatten sheet brass and smooth it's surface. This process happens after the brass is taken from the mill where it was produced and is called tempering. Temper refers to the amount of carbon in the metal and tempering, along with leveling, is done in a temper mill. These two processes improve the surface of the sheet, making it smoother and equalizing stresses.
- Once complete, sheet metal and sheet brass can be a variety of thicknesses. The degree of thickness is often referred to as gauge, which runs from 3 to 38, with the higher numbers assigned to thinner sheets. These sheets are generally between .006 and .25 inches thick. Thicker sheets are called plates, and thinner ones are referred to as foil. Sheet metal is often galvanized and coated in a zinc alloy, so that it can be used outside without suffering damage from the weather.