The colour of copper alloys
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Published
Nov 9, 2021
Abstract
A series of copper alloys containing varying amounts of different alloying elements were cast in the laboratory. Their colour properties were measured by a spectrophotometer with an integrating sphere. The results show that alloying and heat treatment do change the colour of copper alloys; the colour of bronzes containing 18%-33% tin changed from gold-like to silver-like as the tin content increased. This research provides the quantitative basis for the influence of alloying on the colour of copper alloys, which suggests that the aesthetic consideration of colour properties may be of equal or perhaps greater importance than the practical consideration of physical and mechanical properties for the selection of alloys in the past.
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References
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Chase W T 1994, ‘Chinese bronzes: casting, finishing, patination, and corrosion’, in D A Scott, J Podany and B B Considine (eds), Ancient and Historic Metals (Marina del Rey, CA), 85–117.
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Sydney.
Goodway M 1988, ‘High-tin bronze gong making’, Journal of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society 40(3), 36–7.
Hanson D and Pell-Walpole W T 1951, Chill-Cast Tin Bronzes (London).
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Ingo G M, Angeline E, Bultrini G, Calliari I, Dabala M and De Caro T 2002, ‘Study of long-term corrosion layers grown on high-tin leaded bronzes by means of the combined use of GDOES and SEM+EDA’, Surface and Interface Analysis 34, 337–342.
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Meeks N D 1986, ‘Tin-rich surfaces on bronze—some experimental and archaeological considerations’, Archaeometry 28(2), 133–162.
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Milikian-Chirvani A S 1974, ‘The white bronzes of Early Islamic Iran’, Metropolitan Museum Journal 9, 123–151.
Naruse M 1989, ‘Copperware in the Shoso-in, Nara’, Bulletin of the Metals Museum 14, 4–50.
Rajpitak W and Seeley N J 1979, ‘The bronze bowls from Ban Don Ta Phet, Thailand: an enigma of prehistoric metallurgy’, World Archaeology 11(1), 26–31.
Saeger K E and Rodies J 1971, ‘The colour of gold and its alloys— the mechanism of variation in optical properties’, Gold Bulletin 10(1), 10–14.
Shah H S and Gandhi R S 1990, Instrumental Colour Measurements and Computer Aided Colour Matching for Textiles (Ahmedabad).
Schilling M 1993, ‘The color measurement program in the tomb of Nefertari’, in M A Corzo and M Afshar (eds), Art and Eternity (Santa Monica, CA), 83–94.
Seeley N and Rajpitak W 1984, ’The bronze technology’, in C Higham and A Kijngam (eds), Prehistoric Investigations in nNortheast Thailand (Oxford: BAR Int Ser 231), 102–112.
Smith C S 1973, ‘Bronze technology in the East’, in M Teich and R Young (eds), Changing Perspectives in the History of Science: Essay in Honour of Joseph Needham (London), 21–32.
Srinivasan S 1994, ‘High-tin bronze bowl making in Kerala, south India, and its archaeological implications’, in A Parpola and P Koskikallio (eds), South Asian Archaeology 1993 (Helsinki), 695–706.
Stech T and Maddin R 1988, ‘Reflections on early metallurgy in Southeast Asia’, in R Maddin and Y Q Weng (eds), The Beginning of the Use of Metals and Alloys (Cambridge, MA), 163–174.
Vlachou C, McDonnell G and Janaway R C 2002, ‘The experimental investigation of silvering in late Roman coinage’, Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology VI (Pitsburgh, PA: Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings 712), II 9.2.1–II 9.2.9.
Vorobyev A Y and Guo C 2008, ‘Colorizing metals with femtosecond laser pulses’, Applied Physics Letters 92, (041914).
Wheeler T S and Maddin R 1976, ‘The techniques of the early Thai metalsmith’, Expedition 18(4), 38–47.
Zollinger H 1999, Color: A Multidisciplinary Approach (Zürich)
Bennett A and Glover I 1992, ‘Decorated high-tin bronze bowls from Thailand’s prehistory’, in I Glover (ed), Southeast Asian Archaeology 1990 (Hull), 187–208.
Brownsword R 2004, ‘Medieval metalwork: an analytical study of copper-alloy objects’, Historical Metallurgy 38(2), 84–105.
Chase W T 1994, ‘Chinese bronzes: casting, finishing, patination, and corrosion’, in D A Scott, J Podany and B B Considine (eds), Ancient and Historic Metals (Marina del Rey, CA), 85–117.
Downes C J P 1995, One Square Inch between the Eyes: Notions of Alchemy. Unpublished masters dissertation, Faculty of Performance, Fine Arts and Design, University of Western
Sydney.
Goodway M 1988, ‘High-tin bronze gong making’, Journal of the Minerals, Metals and Materials Society 40(3), 36–7.
Hanson D and Pell-Walpole W T 1951, Chill-Cast Tin Bronzes (London).
Hosler D 1995, ‘Sound, color and meaning in the metallurgy of ancient West Mexico’, World Archaeology 27(1), 100–115.
Hummel R E 2004, Understanding Materials Science 2nd edn (New York).
Hunter R S and Harold R W 1987, The Measurement of Appearance 2nd edn (New York).
Hunter Lab 2009, Reflectance measurements: specular included versus specular excluded Applications Note 13(4), 1–4. http://www.hunterlab.com/appnotes/an04_01r2.pdf.
Ingo G M, Angeline E, Bultrini G, Calliari I, Dabala M and De Caro T 2002, ‘Study of long-term corrosion layers grown on high-tin leaded bronzes by means of the combined use of GDOES and SEM+EDA’, Surface and Interface Analysis 34, 337–342.
Johnston-Feller R 2001, Colour Science in the Examination of Museum Objects (Los Angeles).
Lee H-C 2005, Introduction to Color Imaging Science (Cambridge).
Maddin R and Weng Y Q 1984, ‘The analysis of bronze wire’, in C Higham and A Kijngam (eds), Prehistoric Investigations in Northeast Thailand (Oxford: BAR Int Ser 231), 112–115.
Meeks N D 1986, ‘Tin-rich surfaces on bronze—some experimental and archaeological considerations’, Archaeometry 28(2), 133–162.
Mikropoulou E, Tsatsaroni E and Varella E A 2009, ‘Revival of traditional European dyeing techniques yellow and red colorants’, Journal of Cultural Heritage 10, 447–457.
Milikian-Chirvani A S 1974, ‘The white bronzes of Early Islamic Iran’, Metropolitan Museum Journal 9, 123–151.
Naruse M 1989, ‘Copperware in the Shoso-in, Nara’, Bulletin of the Metals Museum 14, 4–50.
Rajpitak W and Seeley N J 1979, ‘The bronze bowls from Ban Don Ta Phet, Thailand: an enigma of prehistoric metallurgy’, World Archaeology 11(1), 26–31.
Saeger K E and Rodies J 1971, ‘The colour of gold and its alloys— the mechanism of variation in optical properties’, Gold Bulletin 10(1), 10–14.
Shah H S and Gandhi R S 1990, Instrumental Colour Measurements and Computer Aided Colour Matching for Textiles (Ahmedabad).
Schilling M 1993, ‘The color measurement program in the tomb of Nefertari’, in M A Corzo and M Afshar (eds), Art and Eternity (Santa Monica, CA), 83–94.
Seeley N and Rajpitak W 1984, ’The bronze technology’, in C Higham and A Kijngam (eds), Prehistoric Investigations in nNortheast Thailand (Oxford: BAR Int Ser 231), 102–112.
Smith C S 1973, ‘Bronze technology in the East’, in M Teich and R Young (eds), Changing Perspectives in the History of Science: Essay in Honour of Joseph Needham (London), 21–32.
Srinivasan S 1994, ‘High-tin bronze bowl making in Kerala, south India, and its archaeological implications’, in A Parpola and P Koskikallio (eds), South Asian Archaeology 1993 (Helsinki), 695–706.
Stech T and Maddin R 1988, ‘Reflections on early metallurgy in Southeast Asia’, in R Maddin and Y Q Weng (eds), The Beginning of the Use of Metals and Alloys (Cambridge, MA), 163–174.
Vlachou C, McDonnell G and Janaway R C 2002, ‘The experimental investigation of silvering in late Roman coinage’, Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology VI (Pitsburgh, PA: Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings 712), II 9.2.1–II 9.2.9.
Vorobyev A Y and Guo C 2008, ‘Colorizing metals with femtosecond laser pulses’, Applied Physics Letters 92, (041914).
Wheeler T S and Maddin R 1976, ‘The techniques of the early Thai metalsmith’, Expedition 18(4), 38–47.
Zollinger H 1999, Color: A Multidisciplinary Approach (Zürich)
How to Cite
The colour of copper alloys. (2021). Historical Metallurgy, 45(1), 52-61. https://hmsjournal.org/index.php/home/article/view/141
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