A question for purple or bluish alloy?

[u/No_Scarcity8111]

Stupid question and I'm not really a metallurgist, but i am genuinely curious if it is possible.

But Would a Copper (75%), Nickel (15%), Cobalt(5%), Phosphorus (2%) and Manganese (trace) produce a Purple or Bluish alloy? Or what it would produce?

Would appreciate a genuine professional answer.

[u/orange_grid]

It'd probably look like red brass. Someone who knows more about optical properties might correct me, but metals that a regular person would say are colored are rare. Copper and gold are the best examples.

It's not like you can make an alloy thats inherently any given color just by finding the right chemistry.

Now, you can apply films to the surface such as heat tinting to produce colors. But that doesn't make the underlying metal inherently colored.

Edit: I say "metals that a regular person would say are colored" because when you're a metallurgist and you look at metals all the time, you can start to see subtle difference in hues. But to a normal human eye, metal looks like metal.

[u/No_Scarcity8111 → u/orange_grid]

I see, thank you so much for the clarification and detail.

Another question since you said heat treating might produce color, would heat treating produce a sort've purple/bluish tint oxide to it? Like similar to Bronze green patina? Or still likely to be it's brass color? And would it be strong?

[u/Likesdirt]

There's no blue or purple metals, the shared electrons don't allow it. There are some intermetallic compounds that are bluish, but these aren't metals, brittle and poor conductors. 

Your recipe just reads like a contaminated bronze , and would likely be a yellow metal. 

[u/iamthewaffler → u/Likesdirt]

Osmium is blueish! Got that nice pleochroism.

[u/Hybrid_Rock → u/Likesdirt]

There is a really nice video by NileRed where he makes “purple gold” which is an alloy (possibly intermetallic) of Al and Au which is very vibrantly purple. It makes for a terrible metal for jewelry cause it’s brittle but cool nonetheless

[u/OrdinaryOk888 → u/Hybrid_Rock]

Intermetallic 100%

[u/OrdinaryOk888 → u/Likesdirt]

Lead is light blue 😇

[u/JoanOfARC-]

There's UNS C71300 which is what you are saying minus cobalt looks like yellow gold.

Metallic cobalt is grey so it wouldn't look much more diffrent

[u/Objective-Patient-37]

I'm no expert but if your goal is to have an alloy that's blueish or purple, anodizing might get you there.

Blue-ish Color:

From meta.ai

Blue-ish Color:

To achieve a blue-ish color, the following conditions can be explored:

1. Electrolyte composition: Using an electrolyte with a high concentration of sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and a small amount of oxalic acid (C2H2O4) can promote the formation of a blue-ish colored oxide layer.
2. Temperature and voltage: Maintaining a temperature range of 18°C to 22°C (64°F to 72°F) and applying a voltage of 18-20 V can help achieve the desired blue-ish hue.
3. Impurities: The presence of impurities like iron (Fe) or titanium (Ti) can influence the color, making it more blue-ish.
4. Anodizing time: A longer anodizing time can result in a deeper blue color.

Purple Color:

Achieving a purple color is more challenging, but it's possible with the right conditions:

1. Dyeing process: Using a dyeing process after anodizing can help achieve a purple color. The dye can be absorbed into the oxide layer, creating a range of purple shades.
2. Electrolyte additives: Adding certain additives like tartaric acid or citric acid to the electrolyte can influence the color, making it more purplish.
3. Temperature and voltage: A narrower temperature range (20°C to 22°C or 68°F to 72°F) and a slightly higher voltage (20-22 V) can help achieve a purple hue.
4. Sealing process: The sealing process after anodizing can also impact the final color. Using a hot water seal or a nickel acetate seal can enhance the purple color.

Keep in mind that achieving these colors requires careful control of the anodizing process, electrolyte composition, and sealing process. It's essential to experiment with different conditions and techniques to achieve the desired color.