# Why no brass blades? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 6, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209 "2013-09-06T21:58:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/1 "2013-09-06T21:58:28Z")
This question has stuck in my head for days, so I thought I’d finally ask the Teeming Millions. It stands to reason that bronze blades dominated the upper tier of weaponry during the Bronze Age. I also know that copper weapons weren’t uncommon. But what about brass, another alloy of copper? Is it too brittle, or difficult to forge, or what? I mean, it makes good letter openers… ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/2 "2013-09-06T22:11:20Z")
Brass is more decorative and easier to cast. By the time Brass was discovered/invented, though, iron was the metal of choice for weapons. > **[Difference between Brass and Bronze | Brass vs Bronze](http://www.differencebetween.info/difference-between-brass-and-bronze)** > > Difference between Brass and Bronze ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/3 "2013-09-07T04:29:35Z")
Can brass keep an edge? Somewhere I picked up the idea that brass was considered a soft metal. ---
**Author:** ![Miltonyz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Miltonyz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miltonyz)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/4 "2013-09-07T04:52:24Z")
Brass is very soft. I work in an injection molding facility, and all of our technician and tool repair guys carry brass tools. If they accidently hit a critical surface with the brass tool it will deform before it scratches the steel mold. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Niply\_Elder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@The\_Niply\_Elder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Niply_Elder)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/5 "2013-09-07T06:02:35Z")
The “bronze age” should really be called the “copper alloy age”, though not as catchy. both copper- tin and copper-zinc were used in ancient times and are all now incorrectly called “bronzes”. ---
**Author:** ![Tacit\_Knowledge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@Tacit\_Knowledge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tacit_Knowledge)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/6 "2013-09-07T09:06:16Z")
Brass just isn’t hard or durable enough to compete with steel. Any sharp edge would be dented or rolled over too easily. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/7 "2013-09-07T12:20:06Z")
> [@The\_Niply\_Elder](#): > > The “bronze age” should really be called the “copper alloy age”, though not as catchy. both copper- tin and copper-zinc were used in ancient times and are all now incorrectly called “bronzes”. yeah, but we know that the bronze age means crappy really soft, corrosion prone metal… While copper alloys would be an entry in the dictionary and people assume it could include brass, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/8 "2013-09-07T16:50:08Z")
Thanks, everyone! My knowledge of metallurgy stops pretty much at the definition of the word, but I couldn’t find the answer on Google. I appreciate it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/9 "2013-09-07T22:38:37Z")
If I had to choose between a blade made of brass or lead, brass would win, but only because it’s prettier. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/10 "2013-09-08T00:11:09Z")
> [@Miltonyz](#): > > Brass is very soft. I work in an injection molding facility, and all of our technician and tool repair guys carry brass tools. If they accidently hit a critical surface with the brass tool it will deform before it scratches the steel mold. They are also non-sparking, and therefore considered “intrinsically safe” for use in ATEX (explosive) environments. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/11 "2013-09-08T04:03:39Z")
> [@Mr.Goob](#): > > If I had to choose between a blade made of brass or lead, brass would win, but only because it’s prettier. But lead could poison him even if you didn’t manage to kill him. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/12 "2013-09-08T05:29:40Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > But lead could poison him even if you didn’t manage to kill him. Only if you dissolve the lead blade in acid and make your victim eat it. Much faster to roll the blade into tube and use it as a blunt instrument, (in the Library). ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2013, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-no-brass-blades/668209/13 "2013-09-08T11:51:49Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > Only if you dissolve the lead blade in acid and make your victim eat it. Much faster to roll the blade into tube and use it as a blunt instrument, (in the Library). Come to think of it, in Clue they really should have been able to narrow it down to either “blunt object” or “any specific one of the non-bludgeoning weapons” pretty easily. Especially the rope.