The wonderful world of Brass.

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Brass is a fantastic metal that can be used to practical and decorative purposes. It’s not uncommon to see it used for statues, jewellery and an instrument one moment and then as a Brass Ball Valve the next. Although most of us would probably appreciate the decorative stuff over the Brass Ball Valves they still have a very important job to do in our working life and society.

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Where does brass come from? Brass does not occur in nature as such. It is a human created material made from the fusing of two others. This makes it an alloy and the two other materials are copper and zinc. This is not just a fifty-fifty split. The combination of the copper and zinc change the makeup of the brass depending on what you are going to use it for. This process has much similarity to that of bronze. As with that material lead and arsenic can also be added to achieve different effects and uses.

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Brass is popular as it bears some resemblance to gold but is much more in the way of being hard wearing, easy to clean and above all, cheaper. One of the most important uses for brass is in areas where the causing of spark can be dangerous such due its smooth surface. This is true in areas where flammability is not wanted.