Copper burnishing and beating techniques

Published on June 27 2011 by www.coppertech.biz

Helen Greenfield
Hi, Im trying to make an art project and would like to burnish small squares of copper sheeting using a blowtorch, same with beaten pieces. Can you tell me if you can do them this size without them warping etc?

Answer: In most cases any metal will warp when you hammer it or heat it to much. When I hammer copper sheets that are 36" x 120" in size I have to fasten it down otherewise it will warp into a complete tube. After I finish hammering it I run it through a slip roller to flatten it back out making it much easier to work with on smaller pieces you could actually use a rubber mallet or a dead blow mallet to take some of the warping out. There are places that sale hammered and burnished pieces. If you are only trying to darken the copper in a burnished manner you could look at your local craft store and see if they carry "Liver of Sulfer" or Google it there are plenty of options for it.

If you have further question feel free to contact me at 801-979-4404 or 801-319-4404 greg.coppertech@gmail.com

These are the sites you can purchase prepatined and hammered copper sheets. www.vandykes.com/ www.stormcopper.com/