how might i melt copper wire into a groove that i carved from sandstone!? or is there a better or easier metal to use!?!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
| Question Home |
Position:Home>Visual Arts> Meltng copper wire?Question: Meltng copper wire!? how might i melt copper wire into a groove that i carved from sandstone!? or is there a better or easier metal to use!?!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: a normal plumbers torch may get hot enough, but I know for sure that an oxy-acetylene welding torch will melt copper wire!. Which means a MAPP gas torch should do so as well!. Copper has actually a rather high melting point!. Even bronze/brass has a lower one (Brazing rod may be good to use and I think you can do brazing with a small plumbers propane torch which is about $20)!. Aluminum has a fairly low one and tin is even lower!. Lead also has a low melting point, but is particularly toxic and you should avoid it (no fumes from melting metal are good for you by the way)!. Generally you should be aware that your sandstone has to be completely dry!. If it is not completely dry water in the stone can expand from the heat you apply and crack the stone - or send rock splinters into your eye, so you must wear at least safety glasses, better a face shield!. It's also unlikely that you will be able to cleanly fill your groove in the sandstone, splashed metal will freeze outside the groove!. The surface of already deposited metal will be oxidized and quickly cool off and not bond with further drips, so melting it down in bits and pieces is probably not going to be satisfactory!. You may have to melt down sufficient metal to fill all at once!. What tools do you have available!? And what metal working experience!? If you just want the effect you would be a lot better off in either using metal paint or resin with metal powder!. Do a search for cold casting and you will find plenty of info on it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Tigris has some great advice, but it would help to know what your desired result is!. Copper and bronze are relatively soft metals!. You could bend copper rod into the shapes you desire!. Welding rods are a good width for this!. After bending the rods into the desired shape, you could heat them with a torch for a melted look!. It would take some (lots of) practice to get an even result!. Another alternative is hammering the metal into shape!. Sandstone might not hold up to hammering, though Lead is a very soft metal that is pliable!. You can get lead cames where stained glass materials are sold!. Another method that might work is dripping soldering wire into the grooves with a soldering iron!. This would be cheap and easy, but the results would probably be very drippy looking!. Whatever you decide, try it out on some scrap first to see if it's going to work like you want!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I don’t think it would be practical for you to attempt this unless you are experienced in working with torches!. You could easily get burned or cause a fire!. I have experience and I think it probably could be done!. But the sandstone would char and get burned from any high heat applied!. It will actually melt into a glass like substance!. I’ve combined copper, glass and sandstone together by fusing them with my welding torch!. But I am a trained combination welder with 35 years experience!. Good luck! Jeff (weseye) WesleyWww@QuestionHome@Com Bronze melts at a lower temperature!. If you heat and then chill your copper wire (red heat and cold water quench) it gets soft enough that you can hammer it into the groove with a small blunt cold chisel!. It helps if the grooves are undercut slightly!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |