blacksmith forging copper
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 เม.ย. 2018
- In this video, I try forging copper for the first time and eventually make a simple bowl.
website: www.gstongs.com
email: glen03@earthlink.net
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I'm sure this was mentioned: The square sheet was in a hardened state when you cut. Anneal then cut, or heat then cut with old tin snips while dull red. Takes 30 seconds.
I make alot of copper holloware and I have to say: you have more tooling than I do, don't over think it. The tools for working with copper are far more simple than working with steel. A dished stump and a steel ball peen hammer/ raw hide hammer will get you a long way in making anything with a domed shape. For cups and mugs with a more cylindrical shape, learn cramped and slip seams.
Love the bowl, have fun!
Soak your copper work in white vinegar over 3-4 hours after you finish forging it and it will remove most of the tarnish from heating and make cleaning up anything leftover with plain steel wool in your hand very easy while also polishing the copper some but not obliterating the hammer marks which show the handmade nature of the item
What a great comment.
I think the strategy is to have a divet-like rounded hole in a tree trunk, and you put the sheet of copper over that and hammer it while it is cold in a circular patter. Hammering copper while cold makes it hard, but more brittle as well. So you have to anneal it. Then when it gets really hot under a torch or something and you then quench it in water it is soft again and you can hit it a few more times.
I've never done any of this, but I've been watching a lot of youtube videos and I watched a guy turn a pipe into a bracelet and he explained it. Maybe look into copper/brass jewelry making. By now, you probably already have.
I'm interested in it because I want to make a basket hilt for a cutlass.
Love the videos and your style. Please never stop.
Thanks for your support. I'll do my best...
I pour a lot of copper ingots and I also work the ingots into random things and I find that a sandblaster does amazing work at taking all oxides off the surface very quickly and very efficiently and then I hit it with a wire wheel that is not very coarse that way it doesn't leave a bunch of scratches in it and it has given me the best results doing it that way hope that helps
If you have any tips for forming stuff from copper ingots, I'm all ears. I finally finished my electric furnace and just poured an ingot myself.
@@gamemeister27 if you are trying to form something directly from a poured ingot your best choice is going to be heat it up and pound it into the shape you want with hammers or anything else like a hydraulic press however when you first pour it it is going to have a massive green structure with air bubbles throughout the ingot however applying pressure from forging at will allow that grain structure to become very tightly compacted however you have to anneal it every so often or you will get cracks in it and you Anil it by heating it up until you reach a certain temperature throughout the part and then quench it because it is non-ferrous and has its own annealing process once you are done quenching it you can continue to apply pressure and or forging until you reach your desired shape copper is fairly soft compared to steel so you will not have to work it as much to get it into the shape you want and it tends to be more elastic as long as it is annealed just be advised it will work Harden and must be annealed every so often. Any other questions please let me know
@@andrewvogel5344 Thank you! I appreciate the knowledge
@@gamemeister27 you're welcome I have always been told the greatest gift you can give is knowledge and I have happily given anything I have learned away free to others if they are wanting to learn something that I have knowledge of I hope that information helped you out and if there is anything else that I can answer for you I'd be more than happy to.
Personally, I think this is a pretty cool looking bowl and I can see why your wife wanted it! Thanks for sharing this video!
Really interesting video, looking forward to your next copper creations!
In my next video, I give copper inlaying a go. I'll continue to experiment with copper and maybe also brass and some tin smithing. Thanks for your support.
Right on! Turned out great!!
That looks beautiful! Great job!
Great project Glen. Love watching you work. Keep the videos coming.
I'm glad you like this. I'll continue to do what I can. Thanks for watching.
Fun video Glen. I just made a bowl for my niece the other day for her birthday. It was a humbling experience as we found out. Good job.
i love working with copper, and love seeing other people try it out!
Very nice for your first attempt at working with copper. Looks like you had some fun with it
Craig, I did have fun with this. I will revisit working with copper and see if I can improve my technique. Thanks for watching.
Very nice. Well done!
Nice work Glen really like the patina of it 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
It looked much better before I started to wire wheel it. I'm very new to working copper and will continue to experiment. It's a nice break from working steel... Thanks.
Love those polishing trials
good stuff interesting to watch and see the work you did, looking forward to more.
I'm going to continue to experiment with copper and other non-ferrous metals. Thanks for watching.
Congratulations for exploring out of your comfort zone. ! And you did it like the pro you are.
Your'e being very kind. I need a lot more practice... Thanks.
@@gstongs Being kind was unintentional. Being truthful was
intentional.
Should have kept all the hammer marks , they looked cool.
Jon, I agree completely. I should have used another means to polish the inside. Live and learn... Thanks.
Maybe using the horn on the inside hammering the outside? I'm gonna try. Great video Glen. Thanks again
Awesome work sir!!!
Tyson, I'll continue to so some videos working with copper and other non-ferrous metals. I try my hand at inlaying copper to steel in my next video. Thanks.
Glen, nice work with the bowl. I have converted a few of my blacksmith buddies into working with copper too. It gives you some flexibility in your work and designs.
Great video, thank you for sharing !
Thanks for watching.
Good video, I learned something new. Thanks!
Me too. I learned that I need to upgrade my copper working skills. Thanks for watching.
The Ancient Mayans use to polish the out side first and then re forge it and flip it inside out to polish it and get the same look you got but they had nothin but time haha
Ive raised things very successfully just over the horn of my anvil. Not copper yet, but it might be something worth trying?
Nice job Glen. When you had the copper hot from the forge it looked like you were working with salt water taffy.
It also felt like hitting on salt water taffy! Thanks.
Cool video. good job.
Ron, Thank for watching. Glen
Thank you Glenn.
For another great video.
I saw Hammered copper pot making in Portugal 30 years ago.
1.5mm.thin.
I have some copper cooking pots, 2mm. I love to Clean them with the special copper/acid powders.
One can also melt Zinc/ tin to liquid and paint with brush. But I don't know how that is done.
Also copper is very antiseptic. ...kills the germs.
good for pet water bowls!
You are Wonderful!
Thanks again.
Very good information. Thanks for sharing and take care.
Glen GS Tongs
Hello Glenn.
Loved your next video too.
That idea of it turning green is from a reaction to Acid.
So all copper/ bronze/ will turn green when exposed to acid materials.
So never cook tomatoes sauce in raw copper pot. That is why it is coated with zinc or tin.
Check out Bronze sculptures, if left outdoors it turns green, via acid rain from burning coal...
Ideally the copper/ or bronze works are protected by being coated with lacquer and wax twice a year.
Yes Borax is a great flux.
Tin and zinc will also need fluxes.
I love your videos.
You give me so many ideas.
On NHKtv. There was a guy making bonsai watering cans.
Out of copper, and joined using what looked like your wedge tool you sold me! Melting the tin, and simple soldering.
i am happy that you trie copper good video as always glen thank you from canada
Michael, I will continue to experiment with copper, etc. Thanks.
Beautiful
A ball trailer hitch would help you with your cupping. Cut off the threaded portion at the bottom, then weld on a piece that fits your hardie hole. I like the way you mounted the cup brush to your drill. I'm going to borrow that bit of engineering. Thanks.
Bradley, Thanks for watching and for your good suggestion. I will eventually try working wth copper again and see what I can do.
Bit of a change, as is said, variety is the spice of life! Copper is ancient, goes back to the beginning of metal working and is as good as anything else to to muck around with! Just enjoy experimenting, keep challenging yourself and having time to do it!
I am really interested in what you think about working with copper.
I want to work with it a little more than steel. And would be interested about your thoughts.
I need to try this again, that is, I need to work with copper more to give you a fair opinion. The potential is there to make some wonderful pieces and it's nice to work on a material other than steel for a change. And I'd like to make some pieces that make use of both copper and steel... Keep an eye out for more copper/non-ferrous videos that I do. Thanks for watching.
We are working with cooper at school with kids. After heating and cooling is copper very soft, after hammering it's hard. Wenn the material (copper) is too hard, we're heating it (with gas) and cooling. Etc... I am not sure, if it's possible, to quench copper.
Quenching copper will not harden it, the only methods to harden copper apart from work hardening would be to alloy and harden via precipitation hardening or age hardening as is with 2xxx series copper aka Duralumin. Plenty of metal working information on blacksmithing/knifemaking forums on all kinds of metals out there. Good forging.
Very, very cool. Wonder if working with brass is similar?
HE Peteresen I wouldn't put brass in a fire. I believe it has zinc in it. Zinc fumes are harmful. Can make you nauseous and have killer headaches.
I wonder about the too and will probably give it a go - being sure to be outside and not breathe in any fumes as Matthew Steele says. Thanks.
Ya need a leather shot bag for forming the beginning of the bowl. Best of luck with that
This is an area of high interest for me as well. I can’t wait for your further experiments. Did you have any close calls with tearing due to work hardening? How many times did you anneal! You don’t have to respond now (or ever..it’s a free world!)...but it would be great if you mention stuff like that in the next project. Thanks!
Lou, It never seemed like it was going to tear. But I did mostly work it hot and did anneal it twice after hammering it cold. I experiment with inlaying copper in my next video. The more I learn about this (from trying and from guys like yourself sharing info.), the more I'll pass that info. on in videos. Thanks.
Very nicely done I like it, I thought about doing that but in brass maybe. Good video sir great content as always
Richard, I'm also thinking about doing some things with brass and maybe also trying to do some simple tin smithing. Thanks.
Glen GS Tongs yeah I’m gathering supplies to make Armour helmet, just for fun
Glen the little work I've done with copper i use wooden forms i.e. the end of a baseball bat various shapes cut into fire wood logs, i hope this helps.
Chuck, Yes, a few others have said the same thing. As I continue to work with copper, I'll definitely give wooden forms a try. Thanks for sharing this good information.
baseball bat is a good suggestion...
Congratulations on 20K subscribers!
It's been a long, slow climb. Thanks for your support.
interesting as a lot of videos show working the copper cold after annealing, still very nice work as always
Well done sir. I mean this in a complimentary way when I say "Congrats for making an ugly bowl." :-) Sometimes we have a plan, and we have to adapt it to whatever the metal later tells us what it wants to be. The final product, while not a gorgeous, sellable bowl....still looks pretty. Skills learned, bowl made.... well done sir!
I really wasn't too sure where this would go. I like to experiment in videos and learn as I go on projects like this. Thanks.
@@gstongs No, thank you!
I think Glen that it great you want to extend out to other metals. Copper is a whole other discipline. It raises a smiths value to be able to work in more than steel.
And after this first try with copper, it shows me how little I know of working with this and other non-ferrous metals. Very interesting for sure. Thanks.
To polish the bowl. Do not use mechanical means. Simply soak the peace in a white vinegar and salt solution. This will make the copper shine like a new "Penny". Look on TH-cam for instructions on how to clean copper coins
This is great information. I liked the hammer marks on the inside of this bowl but grinding mostly took them away. Thanks for sharing.
Nice
I like it!
Thanks for your support.
To make that without first making a wooden swage is brilliant. i remember as an apprentice i had to make a bowl in sterling silver and it took me like 2 weeks on and off to make something reasonably bowl shaped. but its like you said, more time practicing with new matrials will get you where you want ;)
Bernard, I never even thought of using a wooden swage. But then again, I never worked with copper before. Thanks for sharing.
Glen GS Tongs to make metal curve with a hammer alone takes an incredible amount of skill, understanding how it lengthens one way and contracts the other when you hit it etc. using a doming block is just one method (as a jeweller I've got all sorts of round punches and hammers etc for exactly that purpose of making curved surfaces) one easy way is taking a hardwood stump or block you can drill and carve out a basic dish template, then with either a highfaced rounding hammer or punch force the soft metal into it. want it more angular? take it to a deepr narrower block and repeate ;)
A cup or similar from a flat disk will require a lot of shrinking of the metal to bring the sides up and in. Pretty tricky I understand. You might do better with a smaller disk, of about the final diameter you want the top of the cup to be and stretching the hollow in to it to make the cup? (I don't know if that makes sense!)
Jack, I'm learning all this the hard way. I appreciate the good information and I'll continue to experiment with copper and other non-ferrous metals. In my next video, I try my hand at inlaying coper... Thanks.
To clean your copper I would recommend Penny Bright. It works great. An enameling class I took used it before enameling.
Robert, Thanks for that suggestion. Another person recommended white vinegar and salt...
Awesome
Nice!
Thanks for watching.
Not nearly as crumbly as I was expecting. 👍
Those are some hefty hands
Hey bud just an idea take that round piece of Steel you had turn it upside down or I mean just set it in your Vice heat the copper up then take the copper and set it on it and try to beat the copper to the shape of the round piece of Steel maybe that will work just an idea cuz I really don't know
Billy, That's a good idea. I'm learning how to work with copper the hard way - by trial and error. Thanks for watching and for sharing.
you can get special discs for alu, I'd guess they work for copper too.
You're right - they definitely make different cutting discs for different metals. I find your username interesting and ironic. After working with copper, I researched a little about using copper for cooking implements and found that verdigris can be a potential problem. Thanks for watching.
Bravo!
Thanks for watching. Glen
I like copper as well and have been wanting to make a kinetic wind sculpture with it but the cost of copper is crazy. So maybe a tiny spinner :-) Regardless, great video my friend as always!!
Rick, For sure, copper is much more expensive when compared to steel. Thanks for watching this. My next video will explore using copper for inlaying...
Nice job man! But itsnt foodsafe right?
This is perfectly food safe. You just have to clean copper implements like this every so often so they don't oxidize. And you need to take some caution when cooking in a pure copper pot as some acids can cause a harmful substance to form when in contact with copper. Thanks for watching.
Gypsies are known to be excellent copper artisans. Perhaps you could ask one?
Gypsies? Just... Yeah. I'm sure he'll be sure to hail down some wandering gypsies when he comes across them.
Yeah we don't really have those in the US. I'm sure we have plenty of Romanians at least, but not the nomadic Romanis
Copper Is "hot short" and will crack badly if worked hot. anneal it often and work it cold..
Wow copper is interesting, the menorah and other ornaments in Solomon's temple in ancient Israel were made of copper too, it had some significance but that was a long, long time ago
Muhammed, I am really enjoying trying out copper and will also try things like brass and maybe even some tin smithing. In my next video, I attempt to inlay copper in steel and the possibilities with this seem endless. Thanks.
Glen I'm looking forward to that. In India and the Punjab which is now split between India and Pakistan they used to inlay gold and silver into swords a lot and ornaments - it's called koftagiri. It blows my mind when I think of how they managed it.
Muhammed, Ancient technologies also blow my mind. Like a lot of people, I'm especially fascinated by ancient Egypt, their crafts and technology. Thanks.
I like that you are willing to try different, and sometimes uncomfortable, methods and materials. You have the skills and disposition to even forge Jello. How about "The Copper Chalice"? Looing forward to more good stuff! Thanks. Jerry
Jerry, I'm actually fairly impatient. But I look at a lot of these projects as relaxing / learning time. Thanks.
Mmmmm.... You should find "cazo de cobre", there are a lot of videos about , and take a look how its made one hammered ;)
Pablo, I will do that for sure. I always like to first try before watching how an expert does things. Trial and error is also a good teacher. Thanks for watching.
Copper Glen? That stuff acts completely different...it hardens when you hammer it. Good luck
You're right. It's sort of the opposite of steel in some ways. Thanks.
Ever heard of a Moscow Mule? It's a mixed drink traditionally served in a copper mug.
Never heard of that. Thanks for sharing that information.
sweet bowl and you didnt even use a doughnut
are you in a different country?
Steve Redenbaugh - Glen lives in Taiwan. I own some of his tongs. Beautifully made!
Steve, As Chris rightly replied, I live in Taiwan (my wife's country). Thanks for watching. Glen
A rawhide or rubber hammer on a rounded form will help you a lot, even a rail spike would be enough to raise a small cup!
Out of curiosity, does she use the bowl to whip egg whites?
👍👌
Thanks for taking your time to watch this. Glen
I'm no expert, but isn't there some no no about putting foods in copper? I love the bowl and it would be very decorative. But think that I'd read up on it before eating out of it. I could be wrong, just picking my own brain. Nice job Glen.
steve adams I do understand, fumes inhaled are toxic so ventilation outdoors might be fine, copper is fine for drinking water plumbing actually , even heard of lead pipes, I think I know I'm off into the same direction , xorry
Steve Adams is right, copper pipes are safe for UK drinking water in a house and we have copper cooking pots (though there inner lined with stainless for cleaning) I don't think there is an issue. Tin is also OK. But lead an obvious nono.
Steve, After doing this video, I researched a little about this - copper and food safety. To an extent, you're right. You have to mainly be careful of cooking in unlined copper pans/pots. And maybe more than that, copper oxidation can be poisonous. I touch on this a little in my next video. But David B and jetblackstar make very good points and I think the potential problems with copper is way overblown. Thanks.
The copper preventing the steel from forging? Dont seem right, I literally just watched a vid where a guy forge welded copper into steel damascus
Like
Glad you like this. Thanks for watching. Glen
I think it's too thick . If I hammered copper the last time it was 1-2mm max with a ball peen hammer or something like that was the name
Ye, this piece is definitely thick for this kind of work but not impossible. Thanks for watching.
Awesome!!! I may be "trying" to make mokume this spring. I've heard that you can use a propane torch but I'm a little worried about that! Plus, I'll need help with the hammering (dad doesn't know what I'm getting him into lol) since I'm not supposed to do that with my pain pump.
Have you thought about trying to make some mokume gane? Your wife would love it!
Phillip, I never thought about doing mokume gane and to be honest, I never knew what that really was until now. In my next video, I will attempt to fuse copper to steel, do a sort of small inlay... Thanks.
Glen GS Tongs Awesome! I’ve seen videos of people that use quarters(usually 4) and a blowtorch. I think most makers use copper, brass, and German nickel ( not sure what that is). The videos that I have watched of professional blacksmiths/ jewelers with a Forge is with a jig. Looked basically like two pieces of steel with the copper and brass in between the plates and something that they were able to tighten the steel plates.
I’m not sure how I’m going to be attempting it. I got paper thin squared pieces and thought about possibly just soldering a few spots and then try to Forge it with the blowtorch. Not sure if I will succeed or not but I want too make a mokume guard for a Damascus knife a friend made me.
Can’t wait to see you tackle this project!!! It’s going to look amazing as an inlay, especially if you do the “Golden” finish on the steel with your brush. Your finishing work is the best!
Could you tell me please square of copper length, width and thichness
He fully explains it
Just trivia, really, but coppersmithing can also be referred to as redsmithing. (Tinsmiths are whitesmiths.)
Very interesting. I've also heard that guys who did file work on steel were referred to as "whitesmiths". But your explanation seems more logical. Thanks.
Rather than a forge, couldn't you just heat the copper on top of a gas cook stove, such as a larger camp stove? No risk to forge and use same gas tank.
That may be possible but heating would take some time. Thanks for watching.
I've used a small charcoal forge to smith copper before, it was pretty effective, you can also use a camp fire if the copper is thin enough, just make sure to use eye protection and a mask as the fumes are not the best to breath in, and if you use any kind of grinder on copper it send copper dust shards everywhere
You just about killed me with that angle grinder. This is not iron, you need a different process here. Dude seriously, sand by hand with 400 grit, leave the patina because it adds character, then spray it with lacquer to seal it before putting any food in it or drinking from it. Nice first attempt, keep at it.
7:14 the background noise is absolutely terrifying
Christian, Yes, at some points the background noise is really awful. Thanks for watching all the same.
There is no noise at 7:14 you were probably hearing your brother getting off to porn again 😂😂😂😂
Oh Good God! 4 and a half minutes of preamble is a bit much don't you think. Get on with it already.
Glen, nice work with the bowl. I have converted a few of blacksmith buddies into working with copper too. It gives you some flexibility in your work and designs.
I can definitely see the potential of using copper, maybe brass, in conjunction with some steel projects. Thanks.
Awesome
Jose, Thanks for watching. Glen