Hi All! I missed you guys! Well, I am out of “lurkdom” for a minute
to, once again, call upon the ultimate wisdom of all you experts
here! (I’m SO grateful for this resource!!!)
I make a few things out of copper wire & piping. First of all, I
have made these purse handles out of 6G copper wire and recently
bought 4 Gage because I thought it to be heavier and probably more
strong for purses of larger size.
Well, I have found that the small coil-like form on the 4G wire
(about 1.5 - 2 inches) I make for the ends is a lot harder to form.
I don’t want to distort the wire any more than I have to. Is there a
way I can make it easier to bend? I am very limited to tools as I
never really have invested too much. My Dad has a vise, hammers,
etc… basic home fix-it stuff… so I can get help from him.
Can I use heat? if so, could I heat the wire with a regular torch
and would it discolor the copper? If it does discolor, is it a nice
color or is it black & yucky? Does it harden after being heated? I
would appreciate any or resources available. I would
also like to put a patina on the copper, but is there a way to do it
so it will not “rub off”? Can the copper be sealed in any way? (to
keep a patina AND/OR to keep it shiny)
I originally liked my first few purse handles I made, but want to
keep experimenting with different ideas and such.
My dad and I also started making wind chimes with the copper piping
and I have a design for the part that the pipes hand from that is a
copper wire form. It needs to be bent into loops and such (about the
same sizes as the purse handles) and I want to apply what I learn to
this project. Same goes for the patinization (is the a word?) and
sealing of the color.
I hope you guys/gals here can help. I appreciate this so much, as
always.
Blessings,
Robin Pittman