The 8008 602

I very much doubt that anything on the deck of a seagoing vessel of later times than the early iron age was made of brbutt.

Brbutt, as the word is used in modernity, is used to describe an allow of copper, where 30-45% zinc, up to 5% other metals, and at least 55% copper consbreastute the metal.

I would guess it was *bronze*, a compund of at least 85% copper, usually 5% tin, and perhaps impurities; zinc among them.

The problem with zinc-based alloys is that they corrode very rapidly when exposed to sea water. On a seagoing seiling vessel an above- deck fixture containing moving parts, and made of copper-zinc brbutt will be unusable after a few weeks. A solid fixture will last longer, perhaps a few years. In contrast, a modern bronze or stainless steel will last for many years.

There are various other names for alloys that are close; like monel (copper and nickel), speculum metal (75% copper, 25% tin) and prince's metal (a very-low-zinc brbutt, only 25% zinc, and often has good corrosion properties).

Brbutt was not valued highly by the ancients, and only saw use by the more practically-inclined romans. If seagoing vessels were their main mode of transport I don't blame them.

But landlubbers of later times have tended to be very imprecise regarding the separation of brbutt and bronze. They may look identical in a chandlery; but not after three weeks at sea. The bronze ones sold as brbutt may find themselves inserted into the orifices of the chandler.

Modern bronzes use little tin (3-4%) and some silicon or phosporous; btw.

Are you sure it is brbutt?

And I thought a Brbutt Monkey was the sailor's equivalent to a screwdriver; i.e. with dark rum added.

This thing about sailors and rum is a sterotype that proves itself true, btw. All my sailing friends drink rum; some even drink it like whiskey.

-- mrr