Brass-Spear Point

I maintain records on my trackables. They have the goal to circulate more than five years and to be moved by at least 25 cachers. That is a target rate of five drops per year for five years, or a drop every 73 days. The average drop rate of my trackables in the US is 124 days, in Europe it is 71 days. As of 19-May-24 this trackable had survived for 3.3 years and had been moved by 10 cachers, for an average drop every 121 days, or 3.0 drops per year. Please keep it moving, then drop it in a safe place!

No permission is needed to leave the U.S. While in the U.S., please drop it at an event, in a Premium Member only OR a rural cache near a busy trail or road. Do not place it in an urban, non-premium cache. Transport the bug in the original plastic bag for as long as the bag lasts; the bag keeps the trackable clean and dry, protects the number and prevents tangling with other items. Otherwise, take the trackable anywhere you wish.

Brass is an alloy which means that it is made up of varying mixtures of metals. To make brass manufacturers use a combination of copper and zinc and the proportions can be varied to achieve particular physical, chemical and electrical properties.  It is non-magnetic, it doesn’t spark and is corrosion-resistant, which makes brass very useful in marine and industrial environments.

Its color is very similar to gold so it is desirable to use as an alternative to more expensive metals for aesthetic purposes.  It is highly malleable and has a relatively low melting point so it can be easily formed into shapes that many other metals cannot. The bactericidal properties of brass and copper have been observed for centuries. Depending upon the type and concentration of pathogens and the medium they are in, brass kills these microorganisms within a few minutes to hours of contact.

This stylized flower is fashioned from beading components and a brass backplate for a drawer pull.  It is named for one of the many other common things made of brass.