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Thread: My first try hammering copper

  1. #1
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    My first try hammering copper

    Out of curiosity I picked up a small sheet of copper. Wanted to try covering something with it but the wife couldn't think of anything she wanted done.
    So, I grabbed an old wooden bowl I never finished and just started hammering.
    Ain't much but I enjoyed making this sort of square bowl. ~5".

    Not sure this qualifies as metal working so I put it here.
    (EDIT: moved to metalworking, as per Bill's note. JKJ)
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    Last edited by John K Jordan; 02-08-2019 at 12:39 PM.

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    My son does a lot of repoussé. The technique can go nicely with woodworking. This is a weekend project my son and I made a couple of years back:

    Last edited by Steve Demuth; 02-07-2019 at 3:37 PM.

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    Always fun to try something new, especially if it doesn’t take a whole lot of start up cost. I think it turned out really well. Nice job!

  4. #4
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    Nice look. I tried that with soft zinc and then some mild steel, hammering into a depression formed on the end of a log.

    I think it is metalworking. Do you want it moved? Some people who follow the metals might be interested. Or it could be in Turning since you turned the "form".

    A round disk hammered like this can fit nicely into a turned recess as a lid or as an accent in a lid.

    JKJ

  5. #5
    I tried it years ago with a canvas bag of sand as my form. Worked ok. Frankly I don't even remember what I made other than a small spoon and an ashtray.

  6. #6
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    I love the look of hammered copper. It does work-harden quickly though & needs to have the torch put to it regularly to soften it.

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    That would be nice, JKJ.
    If you consider it metalworking then I would like it moved, thank you.
    Yes, it does harden quickly, so I torched it many times as I was forming it.
    Today I cut a 9" round sheet and still pushing it up.
    Steve, incredible looking piece. Do I understand correctly that it is copper clad wood or is it a hollow made with soldered pieces?
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    Is the bottom flat?

    For some reason running the bottom over a belt sander keeps popping into my head.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

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    Hard to see with flash.
    I struck the bottom from the top with about a 2" turned piece of wood with beveled edges.
    It's not working well for me.
    I need to create an obvious flat bottom.
    That is, if you are talking about the round piece.
    The smaller piece I sanded with 220 on my orbital sander.
    Once I get the bottom to my liking I think I will spray it with flat or satin. lacquer.
    Am I doing anything that others obtain from doing?
    Am I doing anything right?
    Not being smart. Just trying to get am idea whether or not this is something that I show any promise.
    In short....should I abandon this craft after looking at my first 2 pieces.
    I appreciate honest opinions regardless of how much my mind has fooled me into false expectations.

  10. #10
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    It's a bandsawn box made from hard maple. The lid is also maple with a hammered copper top sheet. The knobbly surface of the wood was done with a gouge. Finished, I think, with boiled linseed oil and carnauba.

  11. #11
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    Bill,

    Most metal working like that I've seen and done has been with metal tools against a steel or wooden form. There are hammers and other tools made just for that but I don't have any myself.

    Are you annealing the copper as you go? Copper and brass get work-hardened and must be annealed to keep soft and pliable. They are annealed differently from steel. (lots of google help). I once watched a metal-spinning demonstration and the guy took the piece off the lathe and annealed a copper disk several times. (You might look into metal spinning. If not familiar with it the process involves forming a disk of metal around a turned wooden or other form. It can be done easily on the wood lathe with the right tools.)

    The time-honored method of forming metal by hand has a lot of promise! I've dabbled but have always been interested. I'm signed up for a course this summer and if I don't know more by then I'll have wasted my money.

    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Jobe View Post
    Hard to see with flash.
    I struck the bottom from the top with about a 2" turned piece of wood with beveled edges.
    It's not working well for me.
    I need to create an obvious flat bottom.
    That is, if you are talking about the round piece.
    The smaller piece I sanded with 220 on my orbital sander.
    Once I get the bottom to my liking I think I will spray it with flat or satin. lacquer.
    Am I doing anything that others obtain from doing?
    Am I doing anything right?
    Not being smart. Just trying to get am idea whether or not this is something that I show any promise.
    In short....should I abandon this craft after looking at my first 2 pieces.
    I appreciate honest opinions regardless of how much my mind has fooled me into false expectations.
    JKJ

  12. #12
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    I dabbled in silversmithing as a hobby for a time. The art of making a 3 deminsioned item from flat sheet is called "raising". It has a steep learning curve. I once visited a shop in a small English town and they had hundreds of different hammers and stakes for shaping. All highly polished. It was amazing to watch them work.
    My three favorite things are the Oxford comma, irony and missed opportunities

    The problem with humanity is: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and God-like technology. Edward O. Wilson

  13. #13
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    Yes, John, I heat it up as soon as I can hear it getting hard.
    Been using a MAP torch and that gets it to about 600F.
    Is it necessary to quickly cool it with water or does letting it cool (>2 or 3 minutes).

    Steve, just how big is that piece?
    I'm not understanding exactly what I'm looking at. I don't see any wood.
    What is a bandsaw box?
    It's beautiful.

  14. #14
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    I didn't explain my question about letting it cool by itselt. Does it require being squelched to stay soft.

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    Thanks for moving my thread, John
    Hopefully I'll get more feedback here.

    A couple of members have mentioned using a sandbag .
    Didn't have one on hand so I am using a bag of lead shot from back when my oldest Granddaughter and I used to bench shoot.
    It took just one trip to the range to realize she was a far better shot than me so I reloaded and she shot the gun.
    Sadly she can no longer participate in target shooting.
    Since it's lead, I wrapped it in an old pillowcase. Don't want to kick up and lead dust.

    Members of metalworking, am I doing anything dumb?

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