Drawing On Copper Sheet

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.

Drawing on copper sheet.

Use a size appropriate to the size of wall hanging you want to make. Depth drawn is a metal forming technology. 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. Press the design into the metal with the capped end of a pen as if you were drawing on paper.

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. The drawings are intended to show the relationships of the materials. I usually use 050 inch 16 gauge thickness but a thinner plate is perfectly fine for painting on copper. Most punching and blanking technology through drawn or press let the material deformation to get what we wanted dimensions.

Consider starting with a smaller piece first such as a 5 x6. Deep drawing is put a metal sheet or stainless steel plate on the mold through place force it will deform the sheet metal material homogeneous. Place a piece of copper on a flat surface. To create your designs set the copper shiny side down atop a sheet of shipping foam or craft foam.

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. Steels copper alloys and aluminium alloys are common materials that are drawn. I purchase my copper plates from a printmaker s supply company online.

Copper plate if properly prepared is a smooth archival oil painting surface that s been used by artists for hundreds of years with stunning results. Drawing can also be used to cold form a shaped cross section.