Brass covered steel

Brass covered steel

This topic has 6 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 3 July 2026 at 22:04 by Ian P.

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3 July 2026 at 19:42 #854614
Dougie Swan
Participant
@dougieswan43463
Hi

I had what I thought was a brass flat bar, 1/16 x 1/12″

I I cut a couple of pieces and tried to drill them, my drill went through the brass no problem then stopped, the steel? inside is hard as glass

Anybody any idea what is or for?

Dougie
Advert

3 July 2026 at 20:24 #854624
John Haine
Participant
@johnhaine32865
If the steel is so hard how did you cut it?
3 July 2026 at 20:50 #854631
not done it yet
Participant
@notdoneityet
Cheaper form of busbar?
3 July 2026 at 21:00 #854635
martin haysom
Participant
@martinhaysom48469
i have a piece of round bar made the same way. don’t know its original use, i used part it to made a toilet lid hinge
3 July 2026 at 21:04 #854638
Robert Atkinson 2
Participant
@robertatkinson2
Not an electrical bus bar. Brass and steel have poor conductivity.
Likely something decorative or architectural.

Robert.
3 July 2026 at 21:35 #854642
Bazyle
Participant
@bazyle
Round, flat and triangular common as ‘stair rails’. Before they invented the spiked strips you put under carpets at the inside edge of the stair tread there would be a bracket each side of the carpet and a rod between the two to hold the carpet into the corner. Wood for poor men if they actually had carpet, brass covered steel for the more affluent.
I remember we had the clips but no bars when a child. At school the main staircase (teachers only) had big triangular bars about 1″ section with fancy ends and hinged brass clips to hold them, probably already 100 years old. Almost certainly still there 60 years later.
3 July 2026 at 22:04 #854650
Ian P
Participant
@ianp
Ah! it’s a question I can answer at last.

I think you will find that the inner is spring steel so it is fairly hard to drill. I bought the steel and the brass as separate items in 3 foot lengths and the selling feature was the fairly close fit making the pair telescopic.

My purchase was from a model shop, I think the intended usage was in short pieces as mortice and tenon joints to hold and align detachable wings on model aircraft.

I bought them on a ‘that will come in useful’ basis. The ‘will’ still applies (in my dreams!)

Ian P
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