Re: Bareknuckle Brawler - Start of tank
I'm a Coppersmith by trade, but have not really done any coppersmithing since 1995, so I figure it's time to test the skills.
I made a cardboard template of the space and made it around 1/8" smaller (to allow for the metal thickness when it's folded. I then cut out a hardwood blank, which is called a buck, and sanded the corners to a radius. I'm going to use the one buck for both halves of the tank.
Cut the sheet copper larger than than the buck. How wide you want the tank will determine how much bigger to cut the sheetmetal.
Notch out the corners so they will meet up when folded.
The copper has to formed to the curves of the buck, so it's better anneal it. I used oxy-acetylene, but it can be done easily with a propane torch. Heat the copper to dull red then quench it in water.
Clamp the copper to the buck leaving an even amount of the excess material all the way around and secure in a vice.
Pin (fold over the excess) in a few places to stop the copper from moving around, then remove the clamps for easier access. I used a nylon dresser, but a wooden mallet would be fine.
Fold over the excess material until it's flush with the sides of the buck, them remove from the buck.
One half of the tank is now formed. Next will be to make the other half, then trimming some material so both halves fit together well and joining together. I will probably use phos-copper brazing rod.
More to come later.
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