Brass type

[Eyes_Only]

What type or class or whatever the terminology may be is the brass used in producing your typical key blank? I'm trying to find a source for sheets of brass thats the same strength and make up of a key, like a KW1 or SC1 for example. Anyone know?

[Jaakko]

Brass type 480 or 464 is probably the one you are looking for. 360 is the usual "free machining" brass, which is softer, but 480 and 464 are usually used in locks, although I have seen 360 used also.

Other brass-like stuff is nickelsilver which is used in keys quite much (Abloy keys are all nickelsilver for strength).

I advice to look at http://www.onlinemetals.com, they seems to have a good selection of brasses

[Eyes_Only]

Thanks, I'll dig through there and see what I can find.

[WOT]

If I recall correctly, all genuine OEM Schlage blanks are nickel silver. I'm not sure about the exact composition though.

[raimundo]

One other thing about the brass is its temper, it may be work hardened from being rolled to sheet form before being stamped and machined into a key blank.
I once knew a locksmith who put some brass key blanks into a selfcleaning oven and cycled the cleaning. what he got out was brass so annealed that it was too soft for impressioning.
it tended to tear off quickly at the shoulder, and it was just really soft.
brass is copper and zinc, copper is a red metal and zinc is a white one, so it comes out yellow. high brass is up to 60 percent copper, and low brass is 40 percent copper.
other metals are sometimes in the alloy, such as lead which makes it easy to machine. sort of self lubricating.
brass is very different from the ancient bronze, the first manmade alloy to have its own historical age. the bronze age.
Bronze is capable of being very hard in some of its alloys, such as phosphor bronze etc.
bronze is mostly copper with a small part tin, and of course some other things in some of the alloys.
dont know the relevant metalurgy though, ductile, malleable, conductive, what are the other properties?

[WOT]

other metals are sometimes in the alloy, such as lead which makes it easy to machine. sort of self lubricating.
brass is very different from the ancient bronze, the first manmade alloy to have its own historical age. the bronze age.
Bronze is capable of being very hard in some of its alloys, such as phosphor bronze etc.
bronze is mostly copper with a small part tin, and of course some other things in some of the alloys.
dont know the relevant metalurgy though, ductile, malleable, conductive, what are the other properties?

Speaking of lead, a decade ago, a San Francisco Attorney General sued some 13 companies over health hazards from lead from handling keys

http://ag.ca.gov/newsalerts/print_release.php?id=529