Copper Sheet

The first metal ever that was mined and manufactured by man is copper. It was so abundant in the early days of man; it was used to make tools, weapons, art and ornaments. Some say copper extraction started in the Iran highlands, where copper was abundant. They discovered in around the four millennium BC. Egypt, Mesopotamia and Iran are the largest copper mining countries in the world.

By cutting, curving and hammering with only a stone, a copper sheet was the only way the people of old could make the copper tools and such. The blacksmiths soon discovered that metal hardens under extended hammering, but it would be brought back to the original ductility by heating. There was no change in the shape. So many a copper sheet was made through constant hammering and then cooking (heating) and the final hammering to get the necessary hardness.

In the ancient world the blacksmiths started with a copper sheet and transformed it into many different objects. The simplest way to get a copper bowl would be to hammer a tin copper disc cut from the copper sheet. It was then put on a wooden block, cut out to fit the required object. Another way was to ‘raise’; a copper disc would have the same measurement as the pot and it was hammered to get the exact shape, using the anvil and a proper hammer.

Then came the embossing of a copper sheet, it would be cut to whatever was to be made and the blacksmith would hammer it upside down. The ancient craftsmen were masters and new their crafts inside and out. They also had an excellent mastery of ‘quenching’ needed to keep the copper supple and fit it for crafting.

Through the years the cooper sheet was mixed with tin to form bronze. Actually it was formed by accident. Tin and copper minerals were put into furnaces. It became an excellent mold for casting. Thus came the Renaissance and the Baroque statues, ones that could withstand time. The copper sheet, cut into many different shapes and is now mainly used for household objects. The way the copper sheet is worked has not changed much through the centuries. It is still mined the same way it was thousands of years ago.

Some say copper sheet represents Venus, both the planet and the goddess. Hieroglyphics found were made from a copper sheet placed on the walls of the caves, depicting eternal life. As we see, copper sheet has and always be mined, wherever in the world. So many items are made from a copper sheet, from the wire used in computer chips, and Pentium processors, just to name a few.

Copper sheet is one of two metals that are colored. Most other metals are a silvery gray, some brighter than others. Copper sheet on the other hand has a rich color of a reddish brown. Copper sheet is an excellent conductor of electricity, silver coming in second. A copper sheet does not corrode easily. It can be made into thin wires easily and it is very ductile.