Hi there, I am looking to start a new project working with sheet copper to make a copper water bottle and it is my first time working with copper. Does anyone have any experience or tips that might help with this process?
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Neat! Tagging in some of our copper experts: @Heather @Vic_Reynaud @Arialia
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Hello! I love working in copper…it’s such a lovely & forgiving metal to work with. My experience is in the process of hand fabricating & forging smaller & medium sized pieces + larger flowers in the 5/6” ish range. I’ll be speaking from what I use & what I do, as a metalsmithing artist, when working w/ copper.
I use jewelry torches to solder + anneal* the copper. You’ll want to anneal the copper 1st, then clean it in a pickle solution.** My preference is to even anneal copper purchased in a “soft” state so, it’s exactly how I like my copper to “feel” before forging & shaping it. You’ll need to anneal multiple times, during the forging process. This is an important step that helps mitigate any cracking that can happen if you push the copper too far in a work~hardened state. The more you work w/ it, the more you’ll get a feel for just how far you can push the copper w/out adding any breakage or cracks…tiny (hard to see) or larger. Copper gets “dirty” quickly when introduced to fire, creating a blackened scale, referred to as firescale. It’s important to keep the copper clean when forging it & when soldering or joining seams. For me, that’s working quickly w/ a hot torch to solder the parts I’m wanting to join. And using pickle* to remove the firescale every time fire touches my piece.
Enjoy exploring copper! ~ Heather
*Annealing softens the crystalline structure of the copper, making it easier to work, form & shape it. As you’re working the copper, it will become work~hardened. This compresses the crystalline structure of the copper, making it hard, strong & more durable.
**Pickle is an acid bath that removes & cleans firescale. In the Metalsmithing area we use Sodium Bisulfate & distilled water in a crockpot that is kept warm while being used. We neutralize it in baking soda & water, then dry thoroughly before working it w/ any tools.
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