Glossary

Image: Introduction to Patent and Harcourt’s Specification, Castors for Furniture. Patent AD1839 No 8240. An example the front page of this patent for brass castors for furniture.

[Image from: Birmingham Central Library, Local Studies and History]

Brass	An alloy of copper and zinc, usually in the ratio of 60-80% copper and 40-20% zinc.
Calamine	Zinc carbonate (ZnCO₃), an ore of zinc found in carboniferous limestone regions, such as Derbyshire and Cornwall.
Calamine Brass	Produced by smelting calcined calamine with broken or granulated copper, it has a maximum of 28% zinc content.
Cementation Process	The heating together of zinc ore and copper to produce brass.
Crock-brass	The term used for the copper lead alloy which is used mainly for the casting of domestic pots.
Gun-metal	An alloy made up of 80% copper, 9% yellow brass, 10% tin and 1% lead, although the mixture can vary.
Latten	An old name for brass encompassing that used for medieval church brasses
Paktong	Originating in China, this alloy of zinc, copper and nickel was used as a cheap alternative to silver (which it resembled) in eighteenth century England.
Patent	An official document giving inventors the right to an income for a term of years from those who may wish to use their invention.
Pot-metal	An alloy of copper and lead
Spelter	An old name for zinc
Yellow Brass	Old name for foundry brass, often containing up to 3% lead to aid casting and machining.

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