Just looking at several posts below and thinking of the countless little helpful things there are to learn when it comes to machining, fabrication, welding/soldering, casting, heat treating, material properties, woodworking, mechanics etc. for the tinkerer in his garage.
I consider myself only an average shade-tree craftsman, even though the first time I cranked a handle on a lathe was about 35 years ago. I've been making a living in manufacturing work for about 25 years now, and I know I've only scratched the surface when it comes to knowledge of the trade.
So If you've learned something, edjumucate others by sharing it!
I'll start - What material has zinc as a major alloying element, brass or bronze?
Answer - Brass. Easy way to remember this is that bronze has the letters "NZ" - No Zinc.
(Disclaimer - The above is only a rule of thumb for modern materials - Many copper alloys that have historically been called bronze did/do in fact have a significant percentage of zinc in them. For example, "Naval Brass" (464) is often referred to as "Tobin Bronze", but is actually in the brass class)
Typically, Bronze is copper alloyed mostly with tin, Brass is copper alloyed with with Zinc.
Bronze is much more resistant to corrosion and fatigue then brass, or even iron and most steels, making it (except for weight) a good candidate for air reserviors.
