BRASILETTO WOOD, Caisalpinia sappan. BRASS.
Hwang t'ung, . . CHIN. Orichalcum, Aurichal Missing, Messing; Gil- cum, LAY. koper, Geelkoper, DUP. Kuningan, Loyang, Tam Cuivre jaune, Laiton, Fa. bap:Inning, . MALAY.
Messing, . . . GE& Selenoi-mjed, . . Rue.
behest, . . . . HEB. Laton, Azofar, . . Sr.
Pital, HIND. Pittalei, . • . . TAM.
Ottonc, . . . IT. Itadi, TEL.
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, generally the yellow alloy, with about an equal weight of zinc and copper, called yellow brass ; copper alloyed with about one ninth its weight of tin is the metal of brass ordnance or gun-metal. Similar alloys used for the brasses or bearings of machinery are called hard brass, and when employed for statues or medals they are called bronze. Brass is extensively used in India for domestic utensils, and is in greater request than .copper among the natives. Generally, Mahomedans use copper, and Hindus brass utensils. In the Panjab, for smaller work, they prepare the alloy in their own kuthali, or crucibles ; for making the larger sizes, however, the gagara, shamadan, etc., they prefer the fine sheet metals imported from Europe. A metal giving a beautiful sonorous ring when struck, and called Phul or Khani, is made in the Panjab ; Roin, a genuine bell-metal, is also manufactured ; also an alloy called Barth, and an inferioi one called Kuth. A good brass may be made by fusing two parts of copper and one of zinc ; but various proportions should be used according to the purpose required. The substances used in
_alloying are in various proportions by native braziers to form brass, gun-metal (lokam), pewter (satki), bell-metal (kansu), and bedery ware. Occasionally silver is added to form -gongs and bells. In general, however, the proportions used are regulated by reducing the quantities of the and increasing those of the cheaper metal, as far as may be practicable. Repeated melting; by drawing off the excess of zinc, leave a good malleable brass ; and for this reason old brass is much sought after by smiths when they desire it for any work requiring it to be particu larly malleable. Guns taken at Kurnool were little better than spelter. Ordinary yellow brass is rendered very sensibly harder by a small addition of tiu, say a fifth or half ounce to the pound ; on the other hand, by the addition of a like quantity of lead, it becomes more malleable and cats sharply. Brass becomes a little whiter for the tin and redder for the lead ; the addition of nickel to brass constitutes German silver. Gun-metal (copper and tin), by the addition of a small proportion of zinc, mixes better, and the malleability is increased without materially reducing the hardness. Lead in small quantities improves the ductility of the metal, but at the expense of its hardness and colour ; it is seldom added.—Tonzlinson, M. E. ; Ill•. Rohde. See Bells.