german brass

1 definition found

german brass - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Tombac \Tom"bac\, n. [Pg. tambaca,tambaque, fr. Malay tamb[=a]ga
     copper; cf. Skr. t[=a]mraka; cf. F. tombac.] (Metal.)
     An alloy of copper and zinc, resembling brass, and containing
     about 84 per cent of copper; -- called also German brass or
     Dutch brass. It is very malleable and ductile, and when
     beaten into thin leaves is sometimes called Dutch metal.
     The addition of arsenic makes white tombac. [Written also
     tombak, and tambac.]
     [1913 Webster]