how to cut copper sheet?

[Philipp]

Hi folks,

I just tried to start rolling my own staples, but I didn't get far with it. The pliers I have failed to cut the copper sheet. So my question is: What do you use to cut copper sheet accurately?

Maybe you can post a link to a picture of the adequate tool, because it really isn't easy to go to a hardware store in Austria and explain what you want, when you're missing the word for it. And don't tell me to use a dictionary! Nippers, pincers, pliers, nipper pliers, end-cutting pliers... it's all "Kneifzange" - and Beißzange, Kneifzange, Aufhängezange, Drahtzange and Spitzzange can all be pliers. Maybe you can guess how frustrating it is to get into reedmaking outside the natural area of Uilleann Piping...


Regards,

Philipp

[hpinson]

An office long-armed papercutter works really well, and tin-snips work well enough. Once cut, anneal, and place a bastar... file in a vice and run the copper edge over the file for precision.

[amckay]

A good quality steel tin snip will easily cut copper, being a soft metal.

Also invest in a hand held butane torch. You'll find that as you cut the copper it will curl over itself. Hammer it out straight but before you start cutting it to length and shaping it into a staple, you'll need to anneal it with the butane torch. Hold the end with a pair of needle nose pliars and heat it until it gets red hot. Let it air cool then you're ready.

[amckay]

Tin snips come in all shapes and sizes. I use a relatively small one, usually referred to as "hobby" tin snips, thou i'm sure you could use regular sized ones ok.

Heres an example on sale at ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.ie/10-SCISSOR-HANDLED-S ... dZViewItem

[G Burman]

Here's a picture of my favorite snips


http://www.directionsmag.com/images/new ... snips.jpg

[Philipp]

Thank you all very much!

These pictures help me a lot! Now it's easy to go and get such a kind of pliers!


Philipp

[uilleannfinlander]

and few things , it's easy to clean coppersheets after annealing + other heat- treatment , buy some citric acid from your local pharmacy,
make hot water liquid about 20% strong from it. let it be there couple of minutes .voila ..U'll get nice clean piece of metal after.Just rinse it.U'll get all oxcidased particels off now.
U can use citric compound several times , just put it in mickrowave owen and heatit again..add some water now and then.
Suplhuric acid do the same thing when about 9% strong , but citric more handsome to handle in normal home conditions (Normal use of citric-acid when preservativing berries etc.)

[billh]

This link may be helpful - these 7" shears are currently on sale and I think they will ship worldwide. They aren't very heavy but should be more than enough for copper sheet.

http://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery-To ... de-999-658

However I am sure similar tools are available in Germany and Austria - I just don't know the German name for them!

I agree with Mikko, citric acid makes an excellent "pickle" for copper-based metals (it works well for silver too). I also agree that you should anneal the copper before cutting and rolling. Make sure you clean off the edge of the copper after annealing, if you choose to anneal after cutting/filing to size and are planning to braze the staple (this means leaving a bit oversize of course, to allow for the final filing). I suppose using the pickle before rolling, to clean the edge, would work too.

I used to routinely braze (aka 'silver solder') the seams on my hand-rolled staples to seal them, but now I only do this occasionally. If I don't, I rely on the waxed thread binding to keep the staple airtight. Brazing the seam can make it a little easier to form a nicely shaped "eye", but with practice you can do it with an unsoldered/brazed tube too. (Soft or lead based solder is not really hard enough to do a good job here)

[Thomas Wiedemeier]

- I just don't know the German name for them!

Blechschere.

Thomas

[DarthWeasel]

I have these

http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware ... ogId=10053

I like them because the blades are real long. Cuts through copper like butter

[Philipp]

Thank you guys, I got a Blechschere this afternoon. Looks like the one on your picture, Bill.

When soldering the staple, should I file the edge of the copper sheet at an angle to make the solder stay more on the inside or on the outside?

Then if there's a strip cut out on both sides of the copper sheet blank to prevent the tapered part of the staple from becoming wider than the untapered tube: Do you solder the untapered part before forming the taper on the mandrel?

Cheers,

Philipp

[billh]

When soldering the staple, should I file the edge of the copper sheet at an angle to make the solder stay more on the inside or on the outside?

Not necessary IMO. Probably not harmful either.

Then if there's a strip cut out on both sides of the copper sheet blank to prevent the tapered part of the staple from becoming wider than the untapered tube: Do you solder the untapered part before forming the taper on the mandrel?

?

Sorry, I don't understand the question...

[Philipp]

Sorry, I don't understand the question...

Okay, my Staple is supposed to have 4 mm inside diameter and be 50 mm long. So I have a piece of copper sheet being 0,5 mm thick and 4 x 3.14 = 12.56 mm wide and 50 mm long.

The tapered part of the staple should be about 23 mm long to form the eye at the end, which should have a "hight" of about 1.3 mm. These are the dimensions I measured on my old A. Rogge reed.

As the Rogge staple is made of brass tubing and hammered flat towards the eye, it is at the end about 7 mm wide (outside diameter), which is of course 2 mm more than at the tube-shaped part of the staple.

The Dave Hegarty Book says the tapered part should not be wider than the rest of the staple due to flattening it. So it is recommended to cut two triangular pieces out of the sides of the copper sheet to produce a taper not being wider.

So my question is: Do you roll the untapered part first, then solder it and after that close the tapered part together by hammering, or do you form the staple in one go and then solder the whole length?

Well, maybe it doesn't matter anyway. I shouldn't think so much and just start trying.



Philipp

[Ted]

I never solder seams on rolled staples. I also don't anneal the copper sheet before cutting. The copper sheet I get here is fairly soft and I have not found a need to anneal it at any point in making staples. Soldering will anneal the copper and the staple will need to be work hardened so the eye will hold its shape. Try cutting and filing the copper sheet, then rolling the staple and forming the eye without annealing. I find this works best.
To roll a 4mm inner diameter you need to add the thickness of the copper into the formula. 4mm x 3.1416 = 12.57mm + 0.5mm - 13.07mm. Someone once said that the added amount should be 0.8 times the sheet thickness, which would be 12.97mm. Either way, a 12.56mm wide slip will not close rolled on a 4mm mandrel.

[Philipp]

Either way, a 12.56mm wide slip will not close rolled on a 4mm mandrel

Yes, yes, my first experience in Reedmaking

Soldering will anneal the copper and the staple will need to be work hardened so the eye will hold its shape

Okay, what do you think about soft soldering the staple then? And what is work hardening?

Philipp