Yes, you can recycle copper directly from discarded materials into usable, raw material for jewelry-making. Why scrap 3/4" diameter copper plumbing pipe, when you can make sizeable sheet stock?
Well, I did. I had some copper pipe, cut it to a tenable length (6"), then cut it lengthwise to create an opened tube. Next, I annealed the tube with my torch, and let it cool. The softer copper was easier to open up into a curved, almost flat shape.
After annealing and cooling again, I used pliers to hold on size, then hammered on the other, until I got a nearly smooth, flat piece of stock. After another torching, a final anvil hammering left me with a decent, rough copper sheet. It was a bit oxidized, so a sanding or pickling would cure that.
Before I began, I surmised that a 2.5" wide by 6" long sheet would emerge from my forming exercise. I was right. By using Pi, you know, 3.14, from school, I calculated that a 3/4" diameter pipe multiplied by 3.14 would yield about 2.5". Not bad for the math that folks say you might not use in a lifetime, eh?
Anyways, this newly minted thick gauge sheet is well on its way to becoming a couple of originally-designed pendants. More on that soon.
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