Hello
Is cast brass stonger than cast aluminium? I have a gaurd and pommel of cast aluminium. Is it as functionaly strong a brass set?I know alot of aircraft parts are of aluminium.But there are probaby ,different tinsel strengths.Any ideas?

Thanks

It also depends a lot on the alloy. Aircraft aluminum is a lot stronger than, say, aluminum electric-fence wire.

Brass may be more brittle then aluminum....depends on how much copper is in it....QUESTION TO THE FORUM: Does brass work harden like bronze? That could eventually lead to brittle spots unless you periodically heat softened them(That works, doesnt it?)

I can tell you from experience that brass does work harden. Learned that the hard way reloading rifle brass. And yes it can be annealed. Just remember that it is annealed the opposite of steel. That is you get the brass hot and then quickly quench in water. well thats the trick that works with rifle brass larger pieces might need a slight variation to that technique. But as for being stronger than Aluminum I also think that it depends on the alloy but I need to look up the numbers before I give you a definite answer to that one.

Common castings in low quality wall hangers or fantasy knives are probably made from " Pot Metal " rather than aluminium and may be mistaken for it if one has no idea what metal one is looking at.

Maybe a side issue I'm mentioning just in comparison to aluminium that even in a poor alloy is certainly superior to pot metal:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pot_metal

I have never seen an instruction to work brass with woodworking tools.
I have seen - and myself worked - aluminum worked with woodworking tools.
As a kid, I made my first "knife" out of aluminum bar that I whittled with my penknife.

As Jean mentions, pot metal is more common... and has a funny, nickel-like smell/taste (like sucking on a nickel - US 5 cent piece).