Awesome Brass

Looking for a pen holder to go with your cobra phone stand? The artisans at Coppertist.wu also make a pen holder that looks like a rattlesnake. The brass snake is incredibly detailed tactile scales along its entire body, inlaid black zircon eyes, and a .925 sterling silver tail tip. Its mouth doubles as an incense holder.

The king cobra is the world’s longest venomous snake – and one of the most intimidating. This small, but imposing brass cobra from Coppertist.wu will hold your phone and keep watch over your desk. Every detail is present in the casting, and hand-set zircon eyes bring it to life. It measures 3.76″ high and weighs 8 oz.

Kick off the holidays with this jolly brass arrangement of Joy to the World, performed on two trumpets, solo horn, flugelhorn, and soprano trombone by musician Seb Skelly. His brass cover of Elton John’s Step Into Christmas belongs on your holiday party playlist too.

Musician Seb Skelly is known for his original brass arrangements of popular songs. In all the years we’ve been following him, this is the first time we’ve heard him take on a David Bowie track. So put on your red shoes and dance the blues to his excellent cover of Bowie’s 1983 hit track Let’s Dance.

For the 2022 Great Guitar Build Off, artist Uri Tuchman set out to create a unique musical instrument that looks like the iconic Les Paul electric guitar, but it’s emerging from a solid rectangle of wood. In keeping with the motif, he made custom square brass knobs for the dials. We love the engraved details on the pick guard too.

This brass mini hammer from Barnett Prototyping is designed for tapping in nails in tight places where an ordinary hammer and handle won’t fit. It’s especially useful for things like pushing in cable staples along a baseboard, and also works as a nutcracker. Comes in 1.5″ long x 3/4″ diameter and 2″ long x 1″ diameter sizes.

Here’s a silly video that reminds us of the simpler days of the internet. A couple of University of Wisconsin sousaphone players realized their brass instruments make a sound that’s a whole lot like the lightsabers from Star Wars, so they staged a duel. We loved the guy who chimed in with, “why are you filming vertically?”

Eyeglass wearers know it’s important to carry a cleaning cloth to keep lenses clear and scratch-free. This handsome brass capsule from Banton Frameworks is perfectly-sized to hold a microfiber lens cloth, and includes a custom printed cloth with a giant eyeball on it. It’s also available in stainless steel.

A regular fidget spinner is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. BigWR made a super-size spinner that needs two hands to lift. He started by cutting a foam template which he used to make a sand cast, then filled it with molten brass. After removing the casting, he cut and finished it before adding those big ball bearings.

Handmade in Japan’s Nagao Kanekoma factory, these pocket folders have a Wharncliffe blade made from Warikomi steel, wrapped in a satin brass handle, and comes in three sizes. The simple design and antique style have been passed down through five generations over 125 years. It also comes in satin black.

A traditional brass whistle seems like a very simple device, but as Pask Makes shows us, it takes time, skill, and precision to build one from scratch. He built the body of the whistle by cutting and bending a sheet of brass, then soldering on its top shell to eliminate air gaps. It took some trial and error to get it to make a sound.

If you’re like us, we need to take our glasses off to work on the computer screen. You could leave your eyeglasses on the desk to get scratched up, or you could place them on one of Craighill’s handsome metal eyewear stands. They hold any kind of glasses and come in cast brass or stainless steel.

Some songs lend themselves particularly well to being played on brass instruments. Musician Seb Skelly shows us just that with his wonderful arrangement and performance of the Tears for Fears track Everybody Wants to Rule the World, another track which reminds us just how great a decade the 1980s were for music.

This high-end metric ruler features a caliper design with a sliding pointer and a lock wheel. Its center is decorated with a tactile brass grille which provides grip when sliding. Thanks to its durable titanium construction, its caliper can also be used as an open-ended wrench.

This substantial machined brass flashlight features a high-CRI Nichia LED that outputs a natural white 4000K beam. Its tail cap has cutouts that can hold up to 16 tritium vials (not included) for a glow effect. With a standard AA battery, the light outputs 130 lumens, while a 14500 battery cranks that up to 470 lumens.

The 30° Ruler now comes in solid brass. Like its aluminum brother, it offers a sloped shape for easy reading and laser-accurate tick marks. Each one comes with inch and centimeter marks on opposite sides. Available in three sizes: 6 in/15 cm, 8 in/20 cm, and 12 in/30 cm.

GambleMade’s keychain accessory serves one purpose only – to glow in the dark. Oh, and it looks cool too. The handmade metal key fob packs a phosphorescent center that charges up in the sun or a light bulb. It comes in titanium or a copper/brass combo with a green or aqua blue glow.

Makers Cabinet makes the fanciest pencil sharpener we’ve laid eyes on, and we want one. Made from solid brass with a carbon steel blade, the Høvel planes the tip of pencils to a precision point. Instead of twisting pencils, its flat blade action reduces broken leads. Upgrades include a walnut base and an Italian leather sheath.

This elegant drawing tool deserves a place on your desktop, not hidden away in a drawer. The brass and steel tool adjusts to create and measure circles from 3 to 70 mm in diameter and includes a walnut insert for centering. We also love their brass Stria folding ruler. (Thanks Richard!)

Cake already proved that the Gloria Gaynor track I Will Survive could do quite well with the addition of a trumpet. NYC bands Too Many Zooz, Lucky Chops, and the High & Mighty Brass Band teamed up to perform the disco classic primarily on brass instruments, and it sounds pretty stellar.

A while back, My Mechanics machined a sweet stainless steel 8-Ball. In this video, he makes a unique display stand for it, using a lathe and a rod of brass which he turned into a helical shape by gradually offsetting the piece before cutting. We wonder if he could create a double helix with a similar technique.

This keychain-friendly version of the Mezmocoin lets you carry the metal spinner toy anywhere you go. It clips onto a quick-release connector and offers smooth and satisfying spins for up to six minutes on any smooth surface. It comes in wavy, swirl, and helix patterns, in either stainless steel or brass.

This machined metal pen from Big Idea Designs features a telescoping case design that allows it to accommodate more than 80 types of refills without modifications. It features a modern and minimal design and comes in brass, copper, or titanium, each with a titanium pocket clip.