5- Almost Alchemy. What are the most common living metal alloys?

An alloy is a metal made by melting two or more elements together to take advantage of their specific properties and create a new material with desirable attributes from each.

There are three popular architectural alloys that are sometimes referred to as “living metals” because of their ability to patinate or oxidize over time.  These are: Brass, Bronze, and Copper.

Brass is typically an alloy of Copper and Zinc, and while there are many, many alloys, there are 3 alloys that remain most popular, and each alloy is referenced with a 3-digit number.

When more than 39% of brass alloy is zinc, it is called Muntz metal (Brass 280)

Another popular alloy is free-machining Brass, which contains less than 39% Zinc (Brass 360)

An alloy of Copper, Zinc, and Tin is commonly referred to as Naval Brass (Brass 485).

Each of these has their own specific best uses, but they can vary greatly in machinability and cost.

Now Bronze is typically an alloy of Copper and Tin, sometimes with small amounts of other elements.  Bronze is the hardest of these living metals, and can be the most difficult to work and finish because of this.

Pewter is an alloy primarily made of tin with lesser amounts of copper or antimony, and trace amounts of bismuth or silver.  While the descriptors “pewter” and “zinc” are commonly used interchangeably in the countertop industry, be aware that they are very different. 

Zinc is not pewter, and pewter is not zinc, and this can easily be tested.

Even though Zinc and Copper are also pure elements, each is usually alloyed with other metals in order to make sheets or draw these metals into wire, for example- Titanium.

Modern Zinc, Pewter, Brass, Bronze, and Copper alloys are devoid of significant amounts of lead, which used to be used in many cases with pewter and zinc, so all are safe for food service.

Choosing the correct metal or alloy can make all the difference in the final success of your project.