Copper Glossary

Helpful comments are very welcome.

	COPPER GLOSSARY Terms used to help describe copper and brass items. © Vin Callcut 2004-12

	This includes many terms relevant throughout the book covering antique and collectible copper and brass. Other terms will be covered in relevant chapters of the book when published. Many terms are current but others are obsolescent or obsolete terms that occur in some of the useful literature. Some of them have been used very loosely in the past and many of the older names for alloys have many variations in composition quoted in different sources. The use of most of the terms has been discontinued since materials in current demand are now covered by relevant national and international standards. Trade names and most industrial terms are generally not included. Brass is conventionally described as ‘% copper/ % zinc’ but also has many other industrial designations and specifications mentioned. Sources are mainly various metallurgical dictionaries, catalogues and other references. Some sources do not agree on a few of these terms!
	(If ordering copper alloys in serious quantities for production, always ensure that a current standard is specified. This will cover composition, form, condition and properties.)

		Alphabetical Listing of Terms
	Abbreviations for element names	Aluminium - Al, Copper - Cu, Iron - Fe, Gold - Au, Lead - Pb, Manganese - Mn Nickel - Ni, Silver - Ag, Tin - Sn Zinc - Zn.
	Admiralty brass	70/30 brass with 1% tin added for extra corrosion resistance.
	Adnic	70 Copper, 29 nickel, 1% tin alloy for resistance to corrosion and heat.
	Afénide	A French term for a nickel silver
	Ageing	Loose term covering some surface treatment techniques used to make objects look old. Also a metallurgical term to describe hardening an alloy by heating it to a temperature where a precipitate forms from a super-saturated solid solution.
	Aich's Metal	A hardened brass sheet metal developed for sheathing of ships. Average composition Copper 60-66%, zinc 36.6%, tin 1%, iron 1.75%.
	Albata Metal	A nickel silver, possibly Cu60Zn30Ni10)
	Alcumite	Copper 90%, aluminium 6%, iron 3%, manganese 1% corrosion resistant alloy for pickling tanks made by Durion Co, Dayton, Ohio.
	Aldurba	76% copper, 22% zinc, 2% aluminium brass made by Charles Clifford & Son., Birmingham under BNFMRA patent..
	Alphenide	Nickel silver, generic term (or another source suggests - Cu60%Zn30% Ni10)
	Alpakka, Alpacca	Nickel silver, 65% copper, 22% zinc, 13% nickel. Name used in Germany and Scandinavia.
	Alpha brass	Brass containing up to 36% of zinc is usually the single alpha phase with good cold working properties.
	Alpha-beta brass	Brass containing over 36% of zinc or with other additions usually has two phases present in the crystal structure, alpha and beta. They are used for castings, extrusions and for hot stampings.
	Alumbro	ICI metals name for 76% copper, 22% zinc 2% aluminium brass patented by BNFMRA.
	Aluminium brass	High copper brass with aluminium added for improved corrosion resistance. This is often used for condenser tubes.
	Aluminium bronze	Copper-aluminium alloys with up to 13% of aluminium, usually also with other additions such as iron, manganese, nickel and/or silicon. These alloys are strong, hard and have excellent resistance to marine corrosion. They are therefore commonly used for making propellers, bearings, gears, valves, and pipefittings for seawater use.
	Amberoid	Trade name used by Barker and Allen of Birmingham for 15% nickel silver.
	Ambrac	Nickel silver, Grade A has 20% nickel, Grade B has 30% nickel.
	American Nickel-Silver	Described by one source as an old description covering a composition such as Cu58,Zn22,Ni14,Mn2,Sn1,Ag1,Co,Fe
	Ankh	Ancient Egyptian symbol for life adopted by Greek philosophers as the sign for copper. Also called ‘Key of Life’ and ‘Crux Ansata’.
	Annealing	Heating a metal in order to soften it after hardening by cold work or heat treatment. After annealing, quenching is not necessary but may be of advantage in helping to remove scale.
	Anode copper	Cast slabs of copper from the fire refining processes used as starters for electrolytic refining.
	Antique Copper	(also Ant.Cop, A/C, Oxidised Copper and Ox Cop.) A general term used to describe an applied dull matt copper finish with areas of darker relief which give emphasis to parts of the product. The base metal is often brass.
	Antlerite	A copper sulphide ore.
	Argent Anglais	A French term for nickel silver
	Argent-Ruolz	Ruolz's silver - Copper-nickel-silver alloys patented in 1853 with a silvery colour.
	Argentan	Another early name for nickel silver
	Argentine Plate	Electro-plated nickel silver, term used in Sheffield c1860.
	Argyrolith	Another early name for nickel silver, also alfenide and others.
	Arko Metal	An 80/20 brass
	Arsenical copper	Copper with phosphorus and arsenic additions that give good strength and resistance to fire cracking. It is used primarily for the manufacture of boiler fireboxes.
	Arsenical brass	Brass with improved corrosion resistance containing arsenic, and frequently aluminium.
	Avialite	American Brass Co. term for 90/10 copper/aluminium alloy.
	Azurite	A copper carbonate ore.
	Barberite	Barber Asphalt Co., Philadelphia term for 85/5/5/5 gunmetal.
	Bath Metal	A brass with very high (45%) zinc content and a silvery colour used for the manufacture of tableware such as teapots, sugar basins and similar hollow ware.
	Batterium Alloy	Batterium Metal Co, Market Harborough term for 90/10 copper/aluminium alloy with 1% nickel.
	Bazar	Barker and Allen, Birmingham, term for 8% and 10% nickel silvers.
	Bell metal	Copper tin alloy with much higher tin content than conventional bronze in order to make it hard and sonorous. It is too brittle to be used for many other applications. (The term was also sometimes confusingly used in the nineteenth century to describe a much cheaper 60/40 cast brass that does not contain the tin needed to make sonorous bells.)
	Bemal	Yorkshire Copper Works term for 70/30 brass for tubes.
	Benares Ware	Benares, now called Varenisi, is the Hindu Holy City and is sited in the River Ganges in India. It is in Utah Pradesh which has a long history of copper mining. The brassware is intricately decorated with Sanskrit inscriptions and Hindu icons.
	Benin Bronze	Cast copper alloy products of great artistry and craftsmanship produced in Benin, Nigeria from the 13^th to 19^th centuries. Composition ranged from high-copper to brasses.
	Beryllium Bronze	see beryllium copper.
	Beryllium copper	Heat treatable copper-beryllium alloys of high strength and hardness. There is a selection of alloys that may contain up to 3% beryllium and have addition such as cobalt and nickel. They are used for making springs, non-sparking tools and many other special applications.
	Beta brass	A brass with very high zinc content may be mostly of beta structure. This is brittle and used only as a brazing filler alloy.
	Billet	A cylindrical shape cast in a refinery and intended for subsequent extrusion. (Copper industry definition)
	Birmingham- Platinum	Obsolete term for a white brass used for button-making, typically Cu43%, Zn57%, also known as 'Platinum Lead'.
	Blue verditer	Basic copper carbonate
	Blue vitriol and
	Blue stone	Copper sulphate crystals.
	B. M. A.	Bronze Metal Antique - A greeny fawn colour obtained by baking solid bronze metal in a damp atmosphere. The same colour can also be obtained by oxidising brass.
	BNF, BNFMRA	British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association.
	Bobbiere Metal	66/34 brass introduced in France for ship sheathing.
	Bordeaux mixture	Copper sulphate-lime mixture used as an adherent fungicide, especially for grapevines.
	Bornite	Copper-iron sulphide ore.
	Brass	Copper-zinc alloy, also a term used to describe a memorial plate in a church, coinage or bearing block. Originally the term also covered copper-tin alloys now called bronzes. It is sometimes also used to describe a tin-zinc spelter made for the manufacture of organ pipes.
	Brass lump	Miners term for massive iron pyrites (fools’ gold).
	Brazing	Joining metals by filling clean joints with a suitable filler metal. Temperatures are higher than for soldering and a good flux is usually needed.
	Bremen blue	A basic copper carbonate.
	Bristol Metal	Brass, 75.5/24.5. Said to be similar to Prince's Metal. (Bristol was the main centre for brass production in England before the growth of Birmingham.)
	Britannia metal	A type of pewter having the tin hardened with antimony and copper. Sometimes marked EPBM when plated. It is used mainly in sheet form but can be cast.
	Britannia Silver	Silver containing 4.16% of copper compared with 7.5% in Sterling Silver.
	British Plate	Alternative to Sheffield plate having a core of nickel silver instead of copper. Patented 1836.
	Bronze	Copper-tin alloy, the term also loosely used for some other copper alloys. Oldest copper alloy, still ideal for statuary. The addition of tin to copper makes it easier to cast, strengthens and hardens the metal.
	Brunswick Green	Copper oxychloride.
	Burgundy mixture	Solution of copper sulphate and sodium carbonate developed in 1885 for the prevention of mildew and other diseases on grape vines.
	Busbars	Copper bar or section used for carrying heavy electrical currents. Busbars are generally rigid when compared to cables.
	Cake	A rectangular block of metal cast in a refinery and intended for subsequent rolling. Also called a slab.
	Calamine	Zinc ore that was originally used for the manufacture of brass by cementation in a crucible with copper granules. The name comes from La Calamine in Belgium. Similar to smithsonite.
	Cap copper	A 95/5 brass produced as strip, originally for the manufacture of percussion caps.
	Carobronze	German trade name for 8.5% tin phosphor bronze as drawn tube for bearings.
	Cathode copper	Pure copper, the product of electrolytic refining supplied for melting for the manufacture of products.
	Cartridge brass	70/30 brass with very good cold working properties, especially for deep drawing. The name arose with its use for cartridge cases with good strength and elasticity.
	CDA	Copper Development Association. This title is used by both the British and American organisations. Other countries have similar copper centres under other names.
	Chalcocite	A cuprous Sulphide ore also known as copper glance.
	Chalcopyrite	A copper sulphide ore.
	Chalkos	Early Greek term for brass and bronze.
	Chasing	The use of punches on a metal surface for decoration, not removing metal as when engraving.
	Chatter	Machining marks made by a lathe tool that vibrates more than it should.
	Chevreul salt	A cupro-cupric sulphate.
	Chinese art metal	Copper-lead-zinc tin alloy containing about 15% lead, 10% zinc and 1% tin.
	Chinese Bronze	High tin bronze containing about 22% tin.
	Chrysokalk	Leaded gilding metal 90.5% copper, 8% zinc, 1.5% lead.
	Chrysocolla	Copper silicate ore.
	Chrysorin	Loose term covering cold working brass with 72-66% copper and 28-34% zinc
	Ciré Perdue	Lost wax casting (Precision casting), a process that produces very fine detail.
	Clock brass	Brass containing about 35% zinc and 1% lead that can be rolled to sheet for the manufacture of plates and gears for clocks.

	Cold working	Deforming a metal at a temperature below that of recrystallisation so that the metal hardens.
	Continuous casting	Production method for castings where the molten metal is continuously poured into an open mould while the solidified metal is slowly withdrawn and coiled or cut to length by flying saw. May be a vertical, sidecasting or upcasting process.
	Common brass	Originally a 63/37 brass, standard cheap brass for cold working. It is now usually a 64/36 alloy to give improved corrosion resistance.
	Copper	A metal with a distinctive red colour used from the late stone age onwards. The Greeks and Romans both used the metal and its alloys, known as xaAer and aes. Since, according to Pliny, the Roman supply was chiefly drawn from Cyprus, it came to be termed aes cyprium, which was gradually shortened to cypriurn, and corrupted into cuprum, whence comes the English word copper, the French cuivre, and the German Kupfer. (Symbol - Cu.)
	Copperas (blue)	Copper sulphate crystals.
	Copper plate	Good quality flat copper used to make printing plates by selective etching or engraving. The term is also applied to the immaculate type of flowing handwriting typical of that used on copper.
	Copper plating	Thin layer of copper electroplated on to other metals to improve appearance, corrosion resistance or provide a good bonding substrate for nickel and chromium plating.
	Copper bottom	To sheath the bottom of ships with copper to prevent attack by the Toredo worm and prevent the attachment of biofouling including molluscs that slow the ship, first applied to British ships in 1761. Now used as a term of assurance of quality.
	C. B & R.	Copper Bronzed and Relieved (C.B & R.) A bright copper finish, usually on brass producrts, with dark or black shading.
	Copper glance	A cuprous Sulphide ore also known as chalcocite.
	Copper head	A venomous snake, common in the United States of America.
	Copper-nickel	Covers copper alloys with less than 50% of nickel. The most common alloys for industrial use are based on 90/10 or 70/30 compositions. Previously known as cupro-nickels.
	Copper nose	Slang term for inflamed nose, acne rosaaca, a bacterial infection frequently treatable by antibiotics.
	Copper plate	A polished plate of rolled copper on which a design is engraved for printing. Also describes plating of copper on to other metals.
	Copper wall	Term used in sugar making to describe a double row of copper pans served by a common fire.
	Corinthian brass,
	Corinthian bronze	Alloy produced at Corinth, much prized for ornaments, said to be of gold, silver, and copper.
	Covellite	A copper sulphide ore.
	Cramping	Jointing technique giving a ‘dovetail’ appearance, see text.
	Crotorite	Manganese Bronze and Brass Co Ltd., Ipswich, term for high strength copper alloys.
	Crystalisation	Metals solidify with a crystalline structure that may be subsequently be revealed at breaks or by etching a polished surface.
	Cuivre Poli	70/30 brass.
	Cullen plate	Plates for monumental brasses made in Cologne, Germany during the middles ages.
	Cuprite	Copper oxide ore.
	Cupronickel	Obsolete term for copper-nickel alloy.
	Cymbal metal	Brass, 78% Copper, 22% zinc that can be rolled to give a brass of good acoustic resonance.
	Dairy bronze	A nickel silver containing 20% nickel, 8% zinc, 4% tin and 4% lead used for some ornamental castings.
	Davis Metal	Chapman Valve Manufacturing Co. term for a complex 70/30 copper/nickel alloy.
	Dawson's Bronze	85% copper 15% tin bearing alloy.
	Deep drawing	Forming deep, hollow components from sheet or strip by using a punch to push metal into a die.
	Delta Bronze	Free machining brasses made by Delta Metal Co. Ltd., West Bromwich.
	Delta Metal	As competition to Muntz's metal, this was developed by Alexander Dick for ship hull sheathing in 1883 with Cu55%,Zn43%, Fe1,Pb0.4%,phosphorus1%. He later developed the extrusion press that squeezed out sections directly from hot round billets.
	Deoxidised copper	Copper that has had deoxidiser added to reduce oxygen. Phosphorus is commonly added but other elements such as boron or magnesium may be used.
	Dezincification	Selective corrosion of the beta phase of duplex brass that leaves a copper residue under a ‘meringue’ of zinc oxide.
	Disko Metal	An alloy of lead and antimony used by Danish designer Just Anderson (1884-1943) for many of his items. It was easy to cast, fettle and surface finish to a bronze or other colour. It was named after Disko Bay in Greenland where he spent his early life.
	Dragons Blood	A resin compound used by etchers to prevent undercutting of designs on copper plate.
	Drawing	The process of pulling a metal through a die to produce wire. (Not to be confused with Deep Drawing).
	Ductility	Ease with which material can be formed, for example by drawing, bending or rolling.
	Duplex brass	Brass containing over 36% of zinc or with other additions usually has two phases present in the crystal structure. They are used for castings, extrusions and for hot stampings.
	Durana Metal	65% copper, 30% zinc, 2.2% tin, 1.5% aluminium high tensile brass.
	Dutch metal, Dutch Gold, Dutch Brass	Early terms for 80/20 brass gilding metal. Wikipedia now quotes Dutch Metal specifically as 84% copper, 16% zinc brass which is very easily cold worked down to thin gauge strips and sheets for use as imitation gold leaf. The 'Gold-Vault' website mentions that it is available in a range of colours and hence different compositions including 90/10, 88/12, 85/15 and 82/18. In Germany it is known as Schlagmetal.
	Electro-plate	Term applied to process for coating copper with silver. Not to be confused with Sheffield Plate.
	Electrum	In antiquarian times, a pale yellow alloy of gold containing about 15-45% of silver but also used in the mid 19^th century to cover a copper-26% nickel-23% zinc (high nickel-silver type) alloy. Electum is from the Greek word for amber.
	Embossing	Raising or beating out metal from the back in sheet meatl work.
	Emerald Brass	A hard aluminium brass with high zinc content, approx: Cu50% Zn49% Al 1%.
	Emerald copper	Basic copper aceto-arsenate.
	Engravers’ brass	Good quality brass sheet containing about 63% copper, 36% zinc and 2% lead. This is a free-machining version of cold working common brass.
	Engraving copper	Excellent quality copper sheet with good surface finish suitable for engraving. For printing plates it may contain a little silver.
	EPNS	Mark for Electroplated Nickel Silver.
	Everdur	95% copper silicon bronze made by American Brass Co., New York and ICI Metals, Birmingham.
	Extrusion	A hot working process in which a heated billet is forced to shape by being pushed through a die to produce a long product of uniform cross-section. Squeezing toothpaste from a tube is analogous.
	Ferrule Brass, Bob Brass	From the days when brasses were tailor-made for their applications, this one was easy to cast and kept a good finish. Approx: Cu54%, Zn40%, Pb5%, Al 1%.
	Fire-refined copper	Copper refined by melting and processing in an open hearth or rotary furnace.
	Florentine	(also Flor., Florentine Bronzed) .A uniform chocolate colour on brass products.
	French Gold	A gilding metal approx: Cu83%, Zn 17%, Sn 0.5%, Fe 0.3% also known as Oreide or Oroide.
	French verdigris	Basic copper acetate.
	Galvanic corrosion	When dissimilar metals are exposed to dampness, one will corrode in preference to the other. The one that does not corrode is described as ‘more noble’ and the one that does corrode ‘sacrificial’.
	German Brass	Early term for 80/20 brass.
	German silver	Obsolete term for nickel silver.
	Ghalamzani	Term used to describe the hand hammered and incised working of Islamic coppersmiths such as Nader of Tehran.
	Gilding	Applying a very thin coat of gold to a metal for appearance and corrosion protection.
	Gilding metal	Brass with high copper, usually 90/10 but sometimes 85/15 or 80/20. These alloys have excellent cold ductility, strength and corrosion resistance. Colour varies with copper content. Used for manufacture of jewellery, springs and bellows.
	Gilt metal	Very loose term used to describe whitemetal or brass that may be gilded.
	Guinea gold	An early term for a gilding metal containing 12-15% zinc used for cheap jewellery. Similar to Pinchbeck.
	Gunmetal	Hard, strong copper-tin-zinc alloy that is easily cast. The alloys now usually contain lead to improve machining characteristics and bearing properties.
	Hamilton's Metal	Dating from 1826 this high zinc brass was used as an imitation gold. Approx: Cu50%, Zn50%.
	Heruloy	An American trade name for a 3% silicon bronze.
	High conductivity copper	Standard form of copper for electrical purposes with a purity giving a conductivity of 100% IACS (International Annealed Copper Standard) or more.
	High tensile brass	Brass with additions, typically iron, nickel, manganese and/or aluminium to give better strength and, usually, better corrosion resistance.
	Holfos Bronze	Trade Name of John Holroyd & Co., Rochdale, Yorkshire for a 12% tin phosphor bronze bearing alloy.
	Hot working	Forming a metal at a temperature high enough to promote recrystallisation, thereby keeping it soft by preventing cold working.
	Hy-ten-si	American Manganese Bronze Co, Philadelphia term for a complex high tensile brass for bearings.
	Immadium	Manganese Bronze and Brass Co. Ltd., Ipswich, terms covering a range of high tensile brasses.
	Ingot	A refinery product intended only for re-melting. (Copper industry)
	Japanese Brass, Siachu	A high zinc brass approx 56% copper, 44% zinc.
	Jappanning	A durable glossy finish formed by the application of black enamel or resin paint in layers that are heat-dried and polished. The process originated in Asia and was later centred in Bilston, Wolverhampton near Birmingham amongst other places in Europe.
	Jeweller’s bronze	Brass containing 9% zinc and 2% tin with very good malleability and ductility.
	Keir’s Metal	Brass containing 40% zinc and 5% iron developed in 1779 and used for the manufacture of window frames.
	Kuprodur	A copper- 0.75% nickel - 0.5% silicon alloy developed for locomotive firebox construction.
	Laiton	French word for brass.
	Latten	Elizabethan term for brass, probably of Dutch origin.
	Leaded brass	Very common type of brass used for casting, extrusion or hot stamping. Lead is added to give excellent machinability.
	Macht's Red Metal	A gilding metal listed as 82% copper, 18% zinc.
	Macht's Yellow Metal	A casting/hot working brass, approx 58% copper, 42% zinc.
	Maillechort	French term for nickel silver
	Malachite	A copper carbonate ore frequently used as a semi-precious stone for jewellery.
	Malloydium	A copper- 23% nickel - 14% zinc - 1% iron alloy, white in colour and with good corrosion resistance.
	Manganese bronze	Obsolete term for the high tensile brass that is sometimes used to make propellers.
	Manganin	Alloy with 84%copper, 12% manganese and 4% nickel used in wire form for making heating elements.
	Manila gold	Gilding metal with 12% zinc and 2% lead used for jewellery.
	Mannheim gold	Gilding metal with 9.5-10%zinc and 0.5-1% tin used for jewellery, harder than most brasses.
	Market brass	Obsolete term for 65/35 brass.
	Medal Metal	A gilding metal used for medal stampings, commonly 86% copper, 14% zinc.
	Messing	German word for brass.
	Mirror alloys	A group of copper-tin alloys with high reflectivity when polished. 60-70% copper, 10-30% tin and various additions of other elements such as antimony, arsenic, nickel and zinc.
	Monel	A 70/30 nickel-copper alloy, originally produced directly from a copper-nickel ore in Sudbury, Ontario. It is strong and has good resistance to corrosion.
	Mosaic Gold	65/35 brass strip used for inlays.
	Mungoose	Barker and Allen, Birmingham, term for 12% and 15% nickel silvers.
	Musiv Gold	Another old term for cold working brass with 66-70% copper and 34-30% zinc.
	Muntz metal	A 60/40 brass developed in 1832 with good castability and hot working properties and used initially for sheathing of ships' hulls.. Muntz's Metal Co. Birmingham and P. H. Muntz & Co. Ltd, West Bromwich.
	Native copper	Metallic copper found as deposits filling cracks in sandstones and conglomerates, usually as thin films but can occasionally be massive. Many globular lost wax cast reproductions are now about, ‘made from native copper’. Some may be made with copper powder suspended in plastic.
	Naval brass	60/40 brass with 1% tin added for extra corrosion resistance.
	Neogen	Another copper based metal used for jewellery, typically Cu58%, Zn27%, Ni12%, Sn2%, Al 0.5%.
	Nergandin	Muntz's Metal Co., Birmingham term for leaded 70/30 brass. This was used for the manufacture of cold drawn tubes for condensers, fitted in tubeplates made of their 60/40 brass (Muntz metal) hot rolled plate. After taking over the Muntz Metal Co, the term was also used by IMI plc.
	Neu-Silver, Neusilber	Another term for nickel silver.
	Nevada Silver	Another term for nickel silver.
	Nickel Brass	Copper-zinc-nickel alloy with a higher zinc content than nickel silver so that it can easily be cast or hot worked.
	Nickel silver	Copper-nickel-zinc alloy with a silvery colour that is dependant largely on the nickel content which may be between 12 and 25%. Many other terms have been used to describe these alloys such as Argent Anglais, Argentan, German Silver and Maillechort.
	Niello	A black copper/silver/lead/sulphide alloy used for filling recesses in engraved designs on silver and gold. It does not bond to copper, brass or nickel silver. http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/nillo-work-10-1.htm
	Nikalium	A copper-aluminium-nickel alloy (nickel aluminium bronze) being used to provide the skin of the Maitreyer Buddha statue with a design life of 1,000 years.
	Noil	80% copper 20% tin bronze made by Baker Perkins & Co. Ltd., Peterborough, specifically for piston rings.
	Non-sparking tools	Hammers, chisels and other tools made from beryllium copper or aluminium bronze for use in flammable hazard areas such as coal mines.
	Nu-gold	A gilding metal containing 12% zinc used for decorative purposes.
	Nuremberg gold	Copper alloy for jewellery containing 7.5% aluminium and 2.5% gold.
	Old Copper Culture	Earliest metalworking period in America using native copper found near Lake Superior as early as 4,000 years BC.
	Oreide or Oroide	A gilding metal approx: Cu83%, Zn 17%, Sn 0.5%, Fe 0.3% also known as French Gold.
	Ormolu	A gilding process introduced in mid 17^th century using powdered gold in a mercury amalgam applied to metal and then heated to evaporate the mercury as a very toxic vapour.
	Ormulu	A variety of copper-tin-zinc alloys with colours ranging from yellow to gold.
	Parson's No 1 Manganese Bronze	High tensile brass made by Manganese Bronze and Brass Co. Ltd., for spindles.
	P M G Metal	High tensile brass made by Vickers-Armstrong, Barrow.
	Paktong, Packfong, Pai-t’ung.	Also Packfong and Pai-t’ung. Chinese terms for copper-nickel-zinc alloys. The alloy was imported into England from about 1680 to 1820 mainly in ingot form for casting candlesticks and similar articles. Superseded in Europe by German silver (nickel silver).
	Patina	A protective film that develops on copper on exposure to the atmosphere. In most non-polluted environments it is basic copper carbonate but in industrial and urban areas it is mainly basic copper sulphate. There are many chemicals available for the production of artificial patinas.
	Parisian Alloy	Also known as Parisian Metal, approx: Cu69%, Ni20%, Zn6%, Cadmium 5%
	Paris Bronze	Loose term for a leaded gilding metal containing 88% copper, 10% zinc and 2% lead used to produce trinkets and artistic souvenirs.
	Paris Green	Copper aceto-arsenite, used as a fungicide. It was also used as a pigment in some Victorian wallpaper, giving a significant health hazard.
	Pen metal	An 85/13 brass with 2% tin.
	Phosphor bronze	A copper-tin phosphorous alloy, hard and strong. With up to 7% tin the alloy can be rolled to make excellent spring strip. Around 10% tin is used for castings.
	Potin	An alloy of copper, tin, lead, and zinc, used by the ancient Celts and Gauls to make coins.
	Pinchbeck	Gilding metal containing, variously, 6-15% zinc in early use for cheap jewellery.
	Poling	Part of the old fire refining process that involves reducing the oxidised charge by submerging green wood in the liquid copper.
	Pot Metal	Copper-lead casting alloys, typically Cu88%, Pb 12%.
	Pre-Columbian	Applied to metalwork in the Americas from around 1,000 BC. Sited in Central Andean area, Ecuador, Columbia and Northwards towards Costa Rica.
	Prince Metal	83/17 Gilding metal, see also Prince Rupert’s alloy.
	Prince Rupert’s alloy	Gilding metal produced at Temple Mills near London, with original support from Prince Rupert of Bavaria. It was originally intended for manufacture of cannon. Records of the original composition are not available. It has also been described as 75/25 copper/arsenic or copper/bismuth alloys, both of which would be brittle and metallurgically useless.
	Recycling	Essential economic part of the use and re-use of copper alloys for centuries.
	Red Brass	Term for copper-tin-zinc alloys (gunmetals) now only used in America. Previously used to describe gilding metals with 11-20% zinc.
	Refining	Process for removing unwanted impurities from metal.
	Rein Kupfer	German term confirming that the item is made from genuine copper.
	Repousée	A design raised from the base in sheet metalwork, see embossing.
	Reproduction	Articles made as replicas of original designs. May range from similar to seriously inferior specification.
	Rich gold metal	90/10 gilding metal.
	Rigidised Metal	Sheet or strip that has been passed through specially cut rolls to leave a regular raised pattern. ‘Hand hammering’ may be one of the effects reproduced.
	Rivet brass	American term for common brass (64/36).
	Rolling marks	Parallel lines impressed on cold rolled metal by rolls that have been left with grinding marks rather than polished for finishing work.
	Rolled gold	Composite metal with thin gold cladding on brass or nickel-silver, rolled to thin strip for jewellery.
	Scrap	Unusable metal components or offcuts, generally recyclable.
	Scheele’s Green	Copper hydrogen arsenate, previously used for colouring wallpaper. Poisonous, see remarks for Paris Green.
	Schlagmetal	see 'Dutch Metal'
	Season cracking	Cracks appearing in cold worked metal some time after manufacture. Actually stress corrosion caused by a combination of mild corrosion and retained internal stresses.
	Secondary metal	Metal for production made mainly from recycled scrap.
	Semi-red brass	American term for brass similar to gilding metals containing 8 to 17% of zinc.
	Sheffield Plate	Used for the manufacture of many attractive items of tableware. Silver is bonded on to one or both sides of a copper sheet before fabrication. Decorative perforations may show the copper but good craftsmen avoid this problem at the finishing stage. The process was invented by Thomas Bolsover of Sheffield in 1743.
	Shrinkage crack	Crack caused as castings solidify without being fed by adequate supplies of liquid metal to compensate for the shrinkage.
	Silmet	Range of nickel silvers made by Barker and Allen Ltd., Birmingham.
	Silver bronze	Copper-manganese-zinc alloy of whitish appearance.
	Silver solder	High strength copper-based soldering alloy containing silver to give good wetability and fluidity.
	Sinchu	Japanese term for 67/33 brass.
	Slush casting	Term used when metal skin of a casting is allowed to start to solidify and the remaining liquid then poured back out to give a thin-walled hollow casting without the use of a core.
	Soldering	Using a low melting point alloy to join metals. Tin-lead alloys used to be universal with compositions ranging from the 60% tin/40% lead version used for electrical joints to a 40% tin/60% lead alloy with a long freezing range used for ‘wiped’ plumbing joints. There are now lead-free alloys available for joining water supply tubes.
	Speculum	Copper tin alloy of high reflectivity when polished. Tin content may be between 33 and 45%.
	Spedex	Nickel silver made by Barker and Allen Ltd., Birmingham.
	Spelter	Original term applied to zinc and/or bismuth. Loose term applied to high zinc alloys. Also used to describe high zinc brass rods used as brazing filler metals.
	Spill	Term used to describe surface defects in rolled metal that originated in the cast cake or hot-worked slab. Includes 'rokes' and 'laps', see book section on cold working. Does not include roll marks.
	Spirits of salts	Hydrochloric acid.
	Stainless iron	A steel containing chromium with good deep-drawing properties used for the manufacture of domestic sinks. It is magnetic, unlike true stainless steel.
	Stainless steel	Non-rusting steel containing nickel and chromium originally invented by Brearly in Sheffield. There are now many variations of these alloys, the best of which frequently contain some copper. The cheaper varieties are certainly not stainless under all conditions.
	Statuary bronze	A series of casting alloys that can contain 75-94% copper, 3-10% tin, 1-19% zinc with some phosphorus and lead.
	Sterling silver	Silver with 7.5% copper.
	Stress Corrosion	Corrosion of a metal caused by a combination of a corrosive environment and internal stresses. It occurs in environments that are much less aggressive than usually those that usually cause corrosion. The internal stress may be caused by strains arising in service or by retained stress left after fabrication. Sometimes called 'Season Cracking', especially in products made from some sheet brasses high in zinc.
	Taurus Bronze	Range of phosphor bronzes and other bearing alloys made by David Brown & Sons, Huddersfield.
	Tempaloy	95% copper, 4% nickel, 1% silicon bronze.
	Tissers Metal	Copper with 2.5% zinc and 0.5% tin.
	Tobin Bronze	60% copper 38% zinc 2% tin brass.
	Tombac	French term covering several types of composition, generally a gilding metal containing 11-20% zinc.
	Tornay’s Metal	A gilding metal with 82.5% copper and 17.5% zinc.
	Tough pitch copper	Obsolete term for copper containing oxygen at about 0.03-0.07% which gave a level surface free of shrinkage cracks to the top of a casting.
	Tungum	Alloyed brass made by Tungum Alloy Co.
	Tutanag	Also tutenague or even ‘tooth and egg’. Chinese term for zinc but also used to describe paktong, the nickel silver type alloys.
	Verdigris	A strikingly green corrosion product that forms on copper in some circumstances, a complex basic copper acetate with a composition similar to malachite.
	Virgin metal	Primary metal obtained directly from ores rather than recycled scrap.
	Welding	Joining components involving fusion of the parent metal and usually the addition of a fillet of molten metal at the joint.
	White Brass	Aluminium alloy.
	Whitemetal	Can apply to any metal except gold and copper but usually restricted to metals with a relatively low melting temperature.
	Wrought product	Component made by hot or cold deformation of a cast product, removing the original cast structure.
	Y Phophor bronze	70% copper 29% zinc 1% phosphorus brass.
	Yellow brass	American term for 67/33 or 65/35 brass.
	Yellow Metal	Casting and hot working brass with 60-62 % copper, 40-38% zinc.
	Yorcalbro	70% copper, 28% zinc, 2% aluminium brass made by Yorkshire Copper Works Ltd. Leeds.


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COPPER GLOSSARY

Terms used to help describe copper and brass items.

© Vin Callcut 2004-12