Historically, the term "latten" referred loosely to the
copper alloys such as
brass
or
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
that appeared in the
Middle Ages and through to the late-18th and early-19th centuries. Such alloys were used for
monumental brass
A monumental brass is a type of engraved sepulchral memorial, which in the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood. Made of hard latten or sheet brass, let into the paveme ...
es, in decorative effects on borders, rivets or other details of metalwork (particularly
armour
Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...
), in
livery
A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...
and
pilgrim badges or funerary effigies.
Latten commonly contained varying amounts of copper, tin, zinc and lead, giving it characteristics of both brass and bronze.
Metalworkers commonly formed latten in thin sheets and used it to make church utensils. Brass of this period is made through the
calamine brass process, from copper and
zinc ore
Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic t ...
. (Later brass was made with zinc metal from
Champion's smelting process and is not generally referred to as "latten".) This calamine brass was generally manufactured as hammered sheet or "
battery brass
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
" (hammered by a "battery" of water-powered
trip hammers), and cast brass was rare.
"Latten" also refers to a type of tin plating on iron (or possibly some other base metal), which is known as ''white latten''; and ''black latten'' refers to ''laten-brass'', which is brass milled into thin plates or sheets.
The term "latten" has also been used, rarely, to refer to lead alloys.
In general, metal in thin sheets is characterised as "latten" - such as ''gold latten''; and ''lattens'' (plural) refers to metal sheets between 1/64" and 1/32" in thickness.
Footnotes
References
* ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary'' (1998, 2nd edition)
* ''The Oxford English Dictionary'' (1989, 2nd edition)
* ''Webster's Third New International Dictionary'' (1986)
{{alloy-stub
Copper alloys
Brass