BRONZE (Brass) wire

Is there any member who has used the above kind of wire on bonsai?
I am interested to know about plant toxicity -if any-
Thank you in advance.

Alexandra,

check out the Zinc component, and how reactive it is also the traces of Lead that may be present. [ the lead part is more for you touching the brass wire.]

Copper is used because it can annealed and will fix itself into the wired position [ apologies if you knew that already.]
Later.
Khaimraj

* Remember the copper wire is never lost, ask a jeweller if he/she can melt and redraw the wire for another use.

Alexandra,

bronze is copper and tin, but today, words are as playthings. May be too hard to be manageable.
Not sure how tin behaves near soil.
Khaimraj

Khaimraj, thank you.
Isn't tin the zinc? I think it's the same... but I may be wrong.
I have been given some quantity of bronze wire and I wonder if I should use it.

Alexandria,
more fun to read.
Enjoy
Khaimraj  - chuckle

Zinc [ Zn ]

http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/zn.htm

scroll down to -

Effects of zinc on the Environment

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Tin [ Sn]

http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/sn.htm

scroll down to -

Effects of tin on the environment

As Khaimraj said, bronze is copper and tin, brass is copper and zinc. I think either one would be too hard to be useful for bonsai.

Hi Alexandra

Only bronze wire I've seen is brazing rods, wouldn't think you could anneal those and they are much stiffer than normal copper wire.

I don't think toxicity is an issue at all.

Thanks everyone!
Enjoy bonsai!

If its wire its likely brass (not much bronze around even less in wires), the kind with high zinc content isn't used for thin wires because it would make it too brittle, you can anneal it without too many problems, the zinc right at the surface will be "burned" by annealing so you can have even less to worry but there isn't much zinc to pass in the ground or the tree by contact anyways. Just make the roll of wire "red" with a flame, even on the gas stove if you have nothing else, let cool and it will be soft...

Ps: brazing rods are another kind of alloy altogether

Snoo, thank you too!
In fact you are answering another question of mine, that of the possibility of annealing the wire  

just be careful not to melt it, with thin wire it doesnt take much if you have a strong flame... just treat it like your normal copper wire for annealing etc, the alloy its mostly copper anyways, if you reuse it a lot you will just have to anneal it a bit more frequently thats all, anything 4mm and up could be an high zinc alloy, but we dont call that wire anymore, thats brittle and you will see it by yourself if you try on a small piece (just to clarify: i dont use it for the trees, im a modelmaker for work)