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Moe

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  1. Moe
    Brian is right. Argon with silicon bronze rod. The welding heat will anneal the copper and make it soft You should consider that in your design. Thinner 2 or 3 lb copper will not have much strength unless you do some tricks. Moe
  2. Moe
    Conner I just did a test. Take 1/2 copper pipe lay a piece of 1 inch iron rod perpendicular on it and hit. It deforms the pipe some but hammer the pipe straight on something. It works without too much trouble. The photo looks like the pipe has been heated a little by each dimple. If you have too people and a good torch heat just the top side of the pipe and hit it while it is hot a little bit of heat helps. Then use stainless bolts to put it together. You will have no trouble with electrolysis. Moe
  3. Moe
    Hello Pete First the term silver solder is used by so many people for such a large number of compositions that it becomes misleading to use the term. Some people refer to the alloy of 95%tin and 5% silver melting about 450F as silver solder or phosph copper which has about 6% phospher 0 to 15% silver the rest copper melt around 1200F to be silver solder others think it must have a min of 40% silver to be called silver solder. Alcohol does not cause pits in silver. Have who ever told you that alcohol causes pits in silver solder to explain what composition he is referring to. I have been working with silver solder making things for over 40 years. I use so much that I just make my own. I like 75% silver 19% copper and 6%zinc. It gives me the ductivity similar to copper so I can hammer curved shapes and anneal at 1400 and not reflow the solder, it is very strong. Now welding technology is so advanced that I Tig weld most copper that is 48 oz or heaver. My tig is a Miller inverter with pulser control. Moe
  4. Moe
    Braziing can be done with a torch using a flux and either brass rod or silicon bronze rod. It can be done with a tig and no flux with each of those rods. The joint does not have to be that tight. HVAC usually uses a phosphous copper rod with no silver in it or maybe a little bit. The phosphous acts as the flux. the tighter the fit the stronger. Moe
  5. Moe
    Looking Good Jimmy You going to put some type of drain in the still and thumper?? Could be I see an English Wheel and an air planishing hammer thats good. Moe
  6. Moe
    Brian I know Fuller has a system but it has never made any since to me. I make teapot spouts with what is called 32oz. copper ( it weighs 32 oz per square foot or 2 pound) .043 inch thick or 19 guage. But Fuller says to make teapot spouts with 15 pound copper. In my mind 15 pound copper is about 1/4 inch thick. I have used this book since 1970 when I started making copper pots and pans and just love it but pay no attention to his thickness references. Jimmy Yes I think thoses thickness will work It will be better than the ones made over seas. Don't tig with electrical wire use the deoxidizes copper rod. It has 1% tin to cut down on porisity and is worth the cost. Over time it turns a little darker than copper so you can see the weld line if you know what you are looking for. I am pretty sure it is all made in China. Hope you figure some mechanical way to assist in plannish. Moe
  7. Moe
    Jimmy If you are making a 700 gallon porteguese Alembic still , stay with the .065 as that is what they are made from. Check out on google "The Scotch Pot Still" I think itts is part 1. Also check out John Fuller book " Art of Coppersmithing" They both have bottoms bowed up while the Portegues alembic has bottom bowed down. I am not getting enough information from you to help but I like your work Moe
  8. Moe
    Jimmy I see in another post that you plan on this still being 700 liters. You should rethink the design and metal thickness. One option is to just purchase the pot from Vendome and put your head on it. You are almost at the limit of copper thickness to build using the dovetail seem method. If you have the right equipment it is actually easier to tig weld 3 or 4mm copper if you use the right rod. Also it is often easier to get a water tight seem with rivits on thicker copper than on the thinner. But rivits become time consuming. I suggest you save your .065 copper for heads and regroup on the pot design and make. Moe
  9. Moe
    .065 weight will work fine up to 35 to 40 gallons. Planishing the copper adds a lot of strength Moe
  10. Moe
    James I am in a similar situation as you. Live in the coast range of Oregon. What weight of copper do you llike to work with.?? What are you doing for silver solder??? I make my own. I first learned coppersmithing from a family of nomadic metalsmiths in far western Nepal in1966. Lets stay in touch Moe
  11. Moe
    Your picture of the planishing hammer is the same photo posted in 2010 of the copper kettle shop Picking & company. Did they make the half sphere?? Are they still making them??? How much did the half sphere cost?
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