Alloys questions

The traditional metal for church bells is a bronze of about 23% tin. Steel was tried during the busy church-building period of mid-19th-century England, for its economy over bronze, but was found not to be durable.

Though bronze is generally harder than wrought iron, the Bronze Age gave way to the Iron Age. This happened because iron was easier to find and easier to process.

Copper and tin ores are rarely found together, so serious bronze work during Bronze Age has always involved trade. In Europe, the major source for tin was Great Britain's deposits of ore in Cornwall, which were traded as far as Phoenicia in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Brass is us used for musical instruments such as horns and bells for its acoustic properties and high malleability. One type of brass, called Prince's metal (75% copper, 25% zinc), is used as an imitation of gold due to its beautiful yellow color.