Is Solid Brass Better?

[AllanD]

I want to make products with quality hardware that will be strong and nice looking. I have seen ads where solid brass was touted as being of superior quality. Is a solid brass snap hook or ring stronger than a similar one made of steel and having a brass or nickel plate. Brass does look nice, but strength of the items is more important. Has anyone done any trials on different metals or have metallurgy experience that might give me some insight? I will be using these on pet collars. Thanks!

[electrathon]

Steel is stronger than brass.

[coreysyms]

I've used both steel and brass rivets when making jeans, Steel is definitely "stronger" than brass. However, I used both for both strength and appearance, steel rusts, brass patinas, so if you are making something for outdoor use, I would go with brass because it will not rust out, but then again, I've not tested a 150 lbs dog on the other end of my connection.

Perhaps you should look at marine, as in ocean, not military, grade rings? Might get the best of both worlds. Sailrite has some marine grade hardware for sails, give them a look. Good luck

[Sonydaze]

In like brass for long term appearance, but brass plated steel is stronger and less expensive.

[bkm]

The thing you have to watch out for is die-cast zinc. Zinc is easy to cast but it is pretty weak and makes for cheap-quality fasteners. I think it's fair to say the cheapest and most shoddy metal fasteners and hardware are made of zinc.

The idea of "solid brass" comes from the propensity of cheap zinc hardware to simply be brass-plated to give it the yellow color. "Solid brass" is in contrast to brass-plated zinc, or brass-plated steel.

Steel is the strongest metal commonly found in hardware. It is strongest when it is forged and heat-treated, but that can make a small piece of hardware an order of magnitude more expensive. Mild steel rusts, but "stainless steel" alloys that incorporate a lot of nickel are very resistant to corrosion. Nickel can cause allergies on some people and animal's skin, and it can discolor light-colored fur.

Another white metal alternative to stainless steel is "German" silver or nickel silver. It is an alloy of copper, nickel, and zinc. In essence, this is "white" brass. It is non-ferrous so it doesn't "rust," and it has a white appearance similar to silver.

Silver is a wonderful metal for fasteners and hardware but it is most often excluded from consideration due to the cost. Leathercrafters whose products might be fitted with silver hardware could consider allowing for the buyer to add their own. For example, I bought a ranger belt from a leathercrafter once, and fitted it with a silver buckle I acquired from a smith. The buckle could have been anywhere from 2x to 10x the price of the belt. So it wouldn't always behoove the leathercrafter to force the buyer into a 10x option when they may not be willing.

Brass is copper and zinc. It is mostly copper, but the alloy has the characteristic of being stronger than either pure copper or zinc alone. It is also very malleable. It is non-ferrous so it doesn't "rust" but it does corrode. Chiefly, the zinc erodes due to a chemical reaction (dezincification), and the copper corrodes (by itself the surface turns the familiar green, but in alloy it usually develops a "patina").

Bronze is a copper and tin alloy that is often has higher tensile strength than brass but is less malleable.

Iron is often not as strong or as durable as bronze, but ductile iron can be tough and would be much stronger than brass or zinc and is more affordable than bronze for larger items.

Edited April 30, 2015 by bkm

[bkm]

One of the main reasons brass and bronze are attractive is because they can be alloyed to a color that when polished is most similar to gold. By itself, the copper is reddish (and fairly soft), but when alloyed with a white metal like zinc or tin, the result is a yellow to white color depending on how much of each element is used.

There are a few other metals that can make brass or bronze very strong. Aluminum has been used very successfully in brass, and in bronze we have very useful alloys with aluminum, silicon, and manganese.

One thing to watch out for is the lead content. In modern alloys, lead is usually added for machineability. Brass keys contain too much of it, and practically all the big lock and key manufacturers are under lawsuit. For a lot of leather goods that are personal items, leaded hardware is really not acceptable.

[bkm]

Now you asked about pet collars in particular. Again the main options there for standard/traditional hardware like buckles and snap-hooks are zinc, plated-steel or iron, stainless steel, brass, and bronze.

You have to consider whether the product is cast or made of wire. A snap-hook is cast, and a ring or buckle is typically made of wire and welded or brazed.

I can tell you that if you use zinc or plated-steel for pet products, you will be competing with the imported stuff at Petco and Petsmart and you'll have to plan on prices around the $10 range.

For premium and traditional items (meaning traditional hardware designs), the desired color is going to make the biggest difference. For white metal, it needs to be stainless steel or German silver (white brass). Stainless steel is widely available but it is usually significantly more costly than brass/bronze because the manufacturing process is costlier (the raw metal is not). German silver is just harder to find because it is mostly replaced by stainless steel. One problem for stainless steel, besides the premium price, is it is hard to polish to the highest luster. It tends to go dull gray. It does not compare to nickel and chrome plated steel in shine, but it is more durable as those plated steels will eventually rust. Stainless steel is also usually lighter and/or stronger than mild plated steels that are not heat-treated. One of the best sources for stainless hardware for horses and dogs is Herm Sprenger. www.sprenger.de

For yellow metal, it will be brass or bronze. These terms get used interchangeably a lot, and it can be hard to tell what is what. For most hardware, either is a good choice, but bronze (copper and tin) has an advantage in strength and resistance to abrasion. For example, the links of a brass chain tend to wear each other away, whereas bronze will last longer. I think bronze resists corrosion better, which is why it is used for bearings and propellers in saltwater.

With stainless steel, it is not practical to make your own hardware. You might be able to bend wire and weld, but castings would be a major undertaking. With brass and bronze you could quite practically cast your own either with sand casting or the lost-wax (investment) method. You can also bend brass or bronze rod and braze it with a torch.

Another option for premium products is to go to non-traditional hardware. The two most popular sources for this is the technical climbing equipment market, and the tactical/military market. For example, instead of using a traditional cast snap-hook, use a forged aluminum carabiner. Instead of using a traditional style roller buckle, use a AustriAlpin D-ring Cobra quick release buckle. http://www.austrialpin.net/

Edited May 1, 2015 by bkm

[Thor]

Just 2 cents here as everything else has been said already. We're using brass hardware on horse halters and lead snaps. Never had one break and that's an awful large pet with up to 18 hands and up to 1,700 lbs for a draft horse. Don't think you'll run into strength issues with a smaller animal, just don't buy the Chinese crap.

[AllanD]

Thank you all very much for the help you have offered. Some of the information was helpful to confirm what I suspected, being a graduate of the school of hard knocks and learning most things the harder way. Other parts were new to me and very interesting. All of it was excellent information that I appreciate you sharing. I also appreciate your time and suggestions. I want to be proud of my finished product and you folks are helping me get there. Thank you again.