Drawing On Copper Sheet

Although the drawings show the components in detail some items such as nails may not be shown for the sake of clarity.

Drawing on copper sheet.

In using the term mil however the larger the number the thicker the copper sheet will be and so 16 mil copper sheets are thicker than 8 mil copper sheets. I purchase my copper plates from a printmaker s supply company online. Place a piece of copper on a flat surface. Press the design into the metal with the capped end of a pen as if you were drawing on paper.

The thicknesses that basic copper carries are 1 mil copper foil 1 4 mil copper foil 3 mil 5 mil 36 gauge 8 mil 32 gauge 10 mil 30 gauge. Consider starting with a smaller piece first such as a 5 x6. To create your designs set the copper shiny side down atop a sheet of shipping foam or craft foam. Metal embossing tools or a stylus may be used as well for similar effect even a craft stick presses the metal down enough to create a design.

Drawing can also be used to cold form a shaped cross section. The drawings are intended to show the relationships of the materials. The drawings are presented in two colors. Depth drawn is a metal forming technology.

Most punching and blanking technology through drawn or press let the material deformation to get what we wanted dimensions. Steels copper alloys and aluminium alloys are common materials that are drawn. I usually use 050 inch 16 gauge thickness but a thinner plate is perfectly fine for painting on copper. Copper materials are shown in copper color all other building materials are shown in black.

Cold drawn cross sections are more precise and have a better surface finish than hot extruded parts. Use a pencil to draw a design on your copper.