Our wide range of alloys is used in a variety of applications throughout the engineering industry. Within our range we stock proprietary alloys – available only from Columbia Metals – which are widely specified in safety-critical and high performance applications demanding exceptional mechanical properties.
Our product mix is complemented with outstanding levels of customer service and technical support. This combination has led to hundreds of precision engineering companies relying on Columbia Metals as a valued and trusted supplier.
In this section, explore some recent applications of our products and understand why engineering companies choose to partner with Columbia Metals.
Timekeeping Balance Wheel
As an independent watchmaker, David Cottrell maintains a keen eye on metallurgical advances in order to ensure that optimal materials are used in his timepieces. In his search for specialist metallurgical materials, he approached Columbia Metals to obtain some beryllium copper for the production of his balance wheels, a centrally important timekeeping mechanism that functions similarly to […]
Read moreShakespeare's New Place
‘I say ‘tis copper’ – Henry IV, Part I [III, 3] On 20 August 2016 a ‘grand bronze-studded oak door,’ as the Guardian newspaper called it, swung open onto Stratford-upon-Avon’s Chapel Street inviting people into the new gardens of what was once William Shakespeare’s family home and final residence. New Place, as it was called, was a medieval house […]
Read moreThe supply of bespoke motorsport components is the main activity of Loughborough-based O D Engineering. With a proud reputation in motorsport engineering, the company uses only the highest quality materials to ensure maximum reliability for the components it manufactures. “One of our key customers commissioned us to make valve guides using Colsibro®,” outlines Dinesh Parmar, Director […]
Read moreMotorcycle racing engines
The restoration of original MV Agusta racing motorcycles is a passionate interest of Mark Kay, the director of MV Meccanica Verghera. His company has elected to use Colsibro®, a trademark alloy of Columbia Metals, to replace the motorcycles’ original cast iron valve guides. “Having produced replicas of the 1972 3- and 4-cylinder engines we are always […]
Read moreTonypandy Cup winner 2014
Contemporary blacksmith Andy Hopper AWCB used Coldur-A®, a proprietary alloy from Columbia Metals, to design a staircase handrail that was awarded the prestigious Tonypandy Cup by the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths. Andy was initially approached in 2009 to design a staircase handrail for a property with an original Georgian exterior and a modern interior. The property […]
Read moreChandelier candle holders
The use of Coldur-A® for chandelier candle holders at a world famous theatre is one of the more creative applications for this versatile alloy. The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, the candlelit indoor theatre at Shakespeare’s Globe in London, approached Columbia Metals when searching for a suitable material for exactly this purpose. “Coldur-A® silicon bronze forges well, has a lovely […]
Read moreHigh strength copper nickel silicon
Guy Croft Racing Engines have specialised material requirements for the build and maintenance of Fiat and Lancia competition engines. For the manufacture of valve guides and seat inserts for a cylinder head, Guy Croft uses Trojan, an extra high strength copper nickel silicon alloy available only from Columbia Metals. Trojan is based on a similar […]
Read moreSilicon bronze alloy
In his search for a suitable material for making mirror frames and tables, blacksmith Oliver Dakers relied on the support of Columbia Metals. He required a material that could be both hot and cold forged and was pointed in the direction of Coldur-A®, a trademark alloy of Columbia Metals. “The technical help provided by Columbia’s […]
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