Quote from: The Sheriff on Jan 26, 2009, 11:23PMBellend, I never said Earl used some kind of 'magic' metal.
I don't see brass instruments in your list of typical uses for cartridge brass.
It does actually say tubing for instruments and machines if you look again.
Here's another alloy list:
Brass types
Admiralty brass contains 30% zinc and 1% tin which inhibits dezincification in most environments.
Alpha brasses (Prince's metal), with less than 35% zinc, are malleable, can be worked cold, and are used in pressing, forging, or similar applications. They contain only one phase, with face-centered cubic crystal structure.
Alpha-beta brass (Muntz metal), also called duplex brass, is 35-45% zinc and is suited for hot working. It contains both α and β' phase; the β'-phase is body-centered cubic and is harder and stronger than α. Alpha-beta brasses are usually worked hot.
Aluminium brass contains aluminium, which improves its corrosion resistance. It is used in Euro coins (Nordic gold).
Arsenical brass contains an addition of arsenic and frequently aluminium and is used for boiler fireboxes.
Beta brasses, with 45-50% zinc content, can only be worked hot, and are harder, stronger, and suitable for casting.
Cartridge brass is a 30% zinc brass with good cold working properties.
Common brass, or rivet brass, is a 37% zinc brass, cheap and standard for cold working.
DZR brass is dezincification resistant brass with a small percentage of arsenic.
Gilding metal is the softest type of brass commonly available. An alloy of 95% copper and 5% zinc, gilding metal is typically used for ammunition components.
High brass contains 65% copper and 35% zinc, has a high tensile strength and is used for springs, screws, and rivets.
Leaded brass is an alpha-beta brass with an addition of lead. It has excellent machinability.
Low brass is a copper-zinc alloy containing 20% zinc with a light golden color and excellent ductility; it is used for flexible metal hoses and metal bellows.
Naval brass, similar to admiralty brass, is 40% zinc and 1% tin.
Red brass is an American term for the copper-zinc-tin alloy known as gunmetal, which is technically not brass,.
Rich low brass (Tombac) is 15% zinc. It is often used in jewelry applications.
White brass contains more than 50% zinc and is too brittle for general use.
Yellow brass is an American term for 33% zinc brass.
As you can see there are a myriad of brass alloys of which cartridge brass is just one.
Quote from: The Sheriff on Jan 26, 2009, 11:23PMBellend,
Interesting that two very well known horn builders that I know have told me that cartridge brass is different than 70/30 brass.
Well, they are mistaken, and or just continuing the myth, or possibly just full of s**t
I have in the past worked in the manufacture of brass instruments and spent a considerable amount of time researching brass alloys.
I became friendly with the guy who owned the rolling mill that supplied us brass and gilding metal
( see above list ) and he was kind enough to analise various samples of vintage alloys in there quality control lab, and certainly post WW2 cartridge brass is just 70/30 copper zinc alloy.
FWIW
BellEnd
at a local gig, and I didn't like how it played. It was really tight in the upper registers and I felt like I had to push too hard to get some sound out of it. Air was coming out of my nose from pushing too hard.
. 
. Not a China brand at all. Fixed it though! Burbank CA
