Brass tone chamber?

[Elizabeth]

Elizabeth,
Believe me, there is still no such thing as a stupid question.
Re: "I have come to expect wit!" Some would say you're only half right.

Who remembers what my original question was now.
Everyone is having so much fun outbrassing the other one.

 

[Ffingers]

This is true, though I WAS impressed that my 1930s Settimio contains aluminium, as that must have been the equivalent of carbon fibre or kevlar for the time - industrial production of aluminium only being a recent thing back then.

From Wikipedia:
"During the first half of the 20th century, the real price for aluminium fell continuously from $14,000 per metric ton in 1900 to $2,340 in 1948 (in 1998 United States dollars). There were some exceptions such as the sharp price rise during World War I.[104] Aluminium was plentiful, and in 1919 Germany began to replace its silver coins with aluminium ones; more and more denominations were switched to aluminium coins as hyperinflation progressed in the country.[108] By the mid-20th century, aluminium had become a part of everyday lives, becoming an essential component of housewares.[109] Aluminium freight cars first appeared in 1931. Their lower mass allowed them to carry more cargo.[106] During the 1930s, aluminium emerged as a civil engineering material used in both basic construction and building interiors.[110] Its use in military engineering for both airplanes and tank engines advanced.[111]"

Like you, I had imagined that aluminium's general use was restricted to post WWII, but it is not so.

 

[Rosie C]

Like you, I had imagined that aluminium's general use was restricted to post WWII, but it is not so.

Fascinating, I'd assumed it was a WWII thing - fighter planes first, then civilian use after the war.