So while I am waiting in my office - how to bend / mold copper

Big Barn · Jul 8, 2015

Here Carl. I got the dumb ***** behind the camera to take the cover off the 12" slip roll. Piece of 20 gauge in the pic for example.

Terry

MinnesotaDaveChalmers · Jul 8, 2015

If it's thin enough, how about this?

Air hammer flow forming - it's pretty cool

http://youtu.be/9K6c3_DMXjQ

Big Barn · Jul 8, 2015

Dave that flow forming is just TOO cool!! On my list of things to try.

Terry

MossRoad · Jul 9, 2015

My folks made a lot of art and sculptures and such. Make a female form, lay the copper sheet over it, and hammer it into the form.

Pretty much like that video shows, but no air tools back then and a lot of C clamps. Sore thumbs, too!

Tractor Seabee · Jul 9, 2015

If you can find it; soft copper sheets work better. Most of what I have seen for sheet metal work lately is tempered/cold rolled sheets. Metal art suppliers probably have the soft temper stuff in small pieces. Heating copper and quenching it in water will soften it; reverse of steel. As you stretch the material it will work harden. The deeper the form the thinner the piece will become. The tension/fail point to work harden crack is at the top where the thinning starts. We learned all this in metal shop when I was in the 6th grade.

Ron

woodlandfarms · Jul 9, 2015

Yeah.... That video is brilliant MinnesotaDave. Thank you so very much. That is something within my skillset for sure.

Tractor Seabee, thanks for the info on copper. I have been pricing this stuff out and I guess I live in a fantasy land of what copper plate should cost. Stuffs like gold.

MinnesotaDaveChalmers · Jul 9, 2015

Yep, that air hammer flow forming is my speed too - I use air tools for everything possible

BHD · Jul 9, 2015

I have been thinking of buying this DVD from this place,
http://metalshapingzone.com/epages/...-b436b9abb456.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=Categories

I think they have a few sample videos

tcartwri · Jul 9, 2015

I've made simple shaping tools by welding shapes to an air chisel bit. Moves metal around pretty fast and you can back it up with a bodymans dolly.

dragoneggs · Jul 10, 2015

A slip roller and a break former maybe.. check this video out for some basic explanation and a few tricks. It starts out kinda slow but hang with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8aIGL8D3BA