Annealing Copper Sheet Metal

Copper silver and brass can be either cooled slowly in air or quickly by quenching in water.

Annealing copper sheet metal.

To define the annealing process in simple terms means to remove any stresses and return material to a soft and workable state ie. If all you want to do is color the copper a small torch will likely do the job but you are not likely to be able to actualy anneal any signifiacnt size piece. Making it more malleable. Copper is one of the metals that hardens when it is worked bent stretched.

Annealing is a method of softening metal that has been hardened by one method or another. This is especially so in metals that become work hardened like copper and brass although brass can become very brittle and fracture easily especially if it has been heated. Annealing copper makes it softer and less brittle which allows you to bend it without breaking it. You can anneal any grade and thickness of copper as long as you have a flame that can transmit enough heat to the metal.

Darlene armstrong director and co owner of the denver school of metal arts shows you how to anneal a sheet of copper using an acetylene torch. Annealing is a technique that all metalsmiths will. How to anneal and firescale copper sheet metal.