A favorite of sculptors, bronze plays a role in many types of metal fabrication. Artisans have begun using this metal to create attractive accents on many custom-designed products.
A Historic Alloy
By adding the shiny orange metal copper to grayish-white tin, early metal workers discovered a way to produce the alloy bronze. It possesses greater strength and hardness than either copper or tin alone. Bronze sheet metal and bars had begun taking over the world of metals, so much so that it named an entire era.
For well over 5,000 years, artifacts and statuary in gardens and homes around the world have reflected the distinctive beauty of bronze. Naturally shiny, bronze played a prominent role in the creation of masterpieces, such as the Statue of Liberty and Rodin’s The Thinker.
A Creative Outlet
Probably one of the most popular uses of bronze in public displays will continue to occur in statues. The metal retains is shape well even after years of exposure to vigorous outdoor conditions.
For centuries, creative metal fabrication techniques involved the use of molten bronze in carefully crafted molds. Bronze figurines possess a dynamic, life-like quality, making bronze a preferred media for some sculptors. When placed outdoors, the vibrant surface of the metal develops its characteristic soft greenish-blue patina. This phenomenon allows bronze to express maritime and nautical themes especially well.
Mold, Weld or Cut
Part of the allure of bronze bars as a fabrication material relates to their incredible versatility. Today, this metal plays an important role in many architectural and artistic designs, contributing to products as diverse as bathroom fixtures, exterior signs, maritime vessels and treasured home furnishings.
Although extensively used in in molds in the past, modern technology permits the welding and precision cutting of bronze sheet metal for a myriad of purposes. For example, one popular fashion trend involves using bronze to create attractive accents on customized pieces of furniture. Its distinctive surface remains shiny and vivid under indoor conditions.
Enduring Quality
Today bronze supplies a very distinctive border and accent metal for a variety of aluminum and steel products and accessories. Welding this alloy securely remains a highly specialized skill. Suppliers of bronze bars and sheets predict that the multitude of uses for bronze accents will likely contribute to this alloy’s popularity into the foreseeable future.
Sources:
Creativity and the Sea, HuffingtonPost.com
Snohomish firm brings metal edge to design, TheHeraldBusinessJournal.com
