Brass saw plate

[william sympson]

I will post a picture later. I found a 26" 8pt. Hand saw that has a plate made of brass. It is stamped " AMPCO 8-1" and "ALER" on the line below. It has a small triangle stamped left of "ALER". Judging from the tote and screws I'd guess it to be made in the 80's. Any ideas what a brass handsaw would be used for? Is it for show or any actual use?

William

[bridger berdel]

Do a little research on beryllium copper tools. If that turns out to be what you have, do not sharpen it.

[Jim Koepke]

Some metals do not spark in contact with steel or other metals.

This is important if you work with active gas lines.

Little known that most fire departments have brass wedges on their trucks. This is incase someone breaks a gas service line or runs a car into their gas meter. The brass plug can be driven into the line to plug it without causing a spark that would have dire consequences.

jtk

[george wilson]

You'd better be VERY careful before you go grinding on beryllium tools. It can be exceedingly poisonous. Perhaps your saw has an alloy in it that might render the beryllium harmless,but you need to be certain. I have a beryllium crow bar that was sawn in half before I got it. I've decided to not machine it.

[Ron Bontz]

Some metals do not spark in contact with steel or other metals.

This is important if you work with active gas lines.

Little known that most fire departments have brass wedges on their trucks. This is incase someone breaks a gas service line or runs a car into their gas meter. The brass plug can be driven into the line to plug it without causing a spark that would have dire consequences.

jtk
In my neck of the woods, we evacuate, shut down the area, and call the gas company. They have all the nifty toys for dealing with gas leaks. They usually shut down a nearby main.

[Trevor Goodwin]

Ampco is a manufacturer of copper alloys so fair chance that's what your stamp refers to. Here is a link to their product range: http://www.ampcometal.com/documents/datasheets/en/AMPCO%20full%20product%20range.pdf

I'm with the others on it being beryllium copper, although no tools are made of pure beryllium as George seems to suggest - the beryllium is a small fraction of the alloy. The saw is safe to use and handle as is but the dust can cause "chronic beryllium disease" and cancer so you would need to be extremely careful if you decide to sharpen it.