some advice is needed

[carolina silva-]

I have some trouble trying to get started with brassing. I do want to do this out of my home since I do not have money to rent a studio. I guess I'm afraid that I could set my house on fire!!.
Maybe some of you can offer ideas on the type of things I will need to have handy in order to start ASAP.

[fritchie]

Caroline - Welcome to the Sculpture Community! I think the term you are using is "brazing", a form of welding with a brass - based or similar alloy, so the temperature of joining two pieces of metal will be lower than with a steel alloy.

Brazed joints in an iron or steel sculpture will be weaker than ones made with the same alloy, or a recommended welding rod.

I don't do this sort of work myself, so I can't help with technical details, but probably others will reply.

By the way, what types of subject matter do you hope to use? This is the Figurative section, so I assume human forms of some type, but made with sheet metal or rod. Is that correct? And, approximately what scale will you use? Small pieces, up to a meter or so, probably would help as a start.

[carolina silva-]

thanks for replying so quikly. I do plan to work in a small scale , like you said using rods and metal sheets. I been able to find those materials. But for the brazing it self I wonder if a plumber's torch will be enough to work from my house. What do you think?

[clifton]

Hi Caorlina,

You may need to buy low temperature brazing rods, in order to use a plumbers torch. It would allow you to join the rods and sheets, and they are available in copper and bronze colour, I believe. They are more expensive than normal brazing rods, but it should allow you to do what you want.

Even with the lower temperature rod, you may have trouble joining some pieces.
If so, you can replace the propane canister with a "brazing gas" canister, which burns at higher tmeperature.

Clifton
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[JAZ]

I've used a hand-held propane torch to braze wire into 3D drawings and sometimes for copper sheets to make maquettes. It's the same torch that I used to make some silver jewelry back in the old days. Set up a space where you have a fire proof surface around you. You should be fine for starters.
Good luck.
JAZ