If you want to use cast bronze or brass products, you must be aware of the metal casting process and the factors that affect the composition of cast bronze or brass products.

If you wish to enter the business of brass castings or bronze castings, you need to gain adequate knowledge about the process of casting brass or bronze. If you are a brass or bronze casting services provider, updating your knowledge is very important in order to stay ahead of your competitors.

You can educate yourself and your employees on brass and bronze casting techniques by:

1. Reading basic brass and bronze casting information
2. Subscribing to magazines that provide information on brass and bronze castings
3. Joining associations of metal casting companies
4. Searching for courses that cover brass and bronze casting processes as a part of their syllabi

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find online resources for brass and bronze casting education and training

If you are a beginner in the field of metal casting, you can educate yourself and/or your employees by referring to brass and bronze casting information available on various websites.

I recommend: The Non-Ferrous Founders' Society (NFFS) offers a detailed metal casting guide that includes useful information about brass and bronze casting processes. You can read detailed information about brass and bronze casting processes in the collection of notes on metal casting at theworkshop.ca. In addition, you can log on to MetalCastingZone.com, a free metal casting community site that gives useful information about the brass and bronze casting method.

Subscribe to magazines that provide information about brass and bronze casting processes

You can subscribe to metal casting magazines that provide insights about various aspects of brass and bronze casting industry such as brass and bronze producers, brass and bronze casting prices and new developments in the industry.

I recommend: Foundry Management & Technology, a reputable magazine by Penton Media, provides updates about the foundry industry including the brass and bronze casting industry. You can also subscribe to MODERN CASTING, a metal casting magazine that provides updates about the brass and bronze casting industry.

Find certification courses that provide education about brass and bronze casting processes

Various institutions offer certification courses about metal casting science that cover brass and bronze casting processes as a part of their syllabi.

I recommend: The North American Die Casting Association (NADCA) offers a certification course in die-casting that covers brass casting and bronze casting. Cast Metals Institute offers a course in practical metallurgy for copper-base casting alloys. In addition, California State University, Northridge offers a certification course in industrial bronze casting.

Bronze castings originated centuries ago in areas as diverse as Greece, Africa and Asia. Americans didn't have the technology to cast bronze until the mid-nineteenth century. Bronze is a copper alloy that contains smaller amounts of metals like tin and lead. Brass castings are used in the widest variety of applications including high-speed bearings and bushings, electrical contact parts, low pressure valves and even propeller hubs.

Brass and bronze castings are also used in hardware production and fine arts like bronze sculpture. Whatever the application, consider the following when shopping for brass or bronze products:

1. Companies with large selections

2. A cheap bronze or brass casting from a company with on-site manufacturing facilities

3. Custom-made castings for hard-to-fit applications

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Know which brass castings you'll need regularly for fast service and shipping

If you already know what you need from a company that works in casting brass or bronze, look for companies that offer a large selection of dies for brass castings in stock. And, in-stock products also mean faster shipping. Make sure you know which type of bronze alloy you need -- leaded, tin or aluminum -- as they are not all the same.

I recommend: Johnson Centrifugal Technology specializes in casting brass in a variety of sizes and for several applications. Metal Tek International, Inc., offers fast shipping on all in-stock castings.

Find brass casting at its cheapest through companies with casting machines and facilities

Some brass casting companies might have machines, like trim presses, that can reduce labor costs. Companies that have onsite facilities and equipment could also save you money that would normally be spent for outsourcing.

I recommend: Both Franklin Bronze & Alloy Co. and American Bronze Corporation have special tools and technology in-house which allow the companies to offer significant savings on bronze castings.

Turn to a custom bronze casting service for specific applications

Custom bronze casting information can be found online in just a few clicks. If you need a custom alloy casting for an application for which you cannot find a ready-made cast, look for companies that offer high-quality castings as well as help in design implementation. These custom design companies can also make copper parts, like drawer pulls or other decorative items, that are for non-industrial use.

I recommend: The Bronze Craft Corporation features design implementation as well as custom cast productions for a variety of applications. Milwaukee Precision Casting offers bronze casting services for casts up to 25 pounds.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you're interested in starting a brass or bronze casting business, be sure to join metal casting forums and groups. They can prove to be a wealth of information on techniques, machinery and setting bronze casting prices.