Copper
Copper is a chemical element and it is included in the composition of many alloys such as gold to give it a kind of hardness. It is also used in making coins and when mixed with zinc results in an alloy of bronze. In the past, they used to make military shields and musical equipment from it, as copper is one of the first metals to be used. Man, which was discovered before more than (10) thousand years BC, and is present in nature either alone or united with the material oxides, and it is soft in its composition and subject to physical and chemical interaction and can be easily shaped by hammering it.
How to engrave on copper
There are several types of copper that can be engraved and engraved on, namely: brass, red copper, and white copper, but at the present time only two types are used: red and yellow, and yellow is expensive for its purity and free from impurities and is characterized by its softness and ease of engraving on it.
The copper engraving process takes place in several steps, as follows:
- We choose the appropriate piece and level it, that is, by hitting it with a hammer and anvil, so that all its parts are even, then wipe it well to be smooth.
- We draw on the piece with a pencil the shape we want, and this is done with the help of a painter or the same person if he is good at drawing and planning.
- We start with the process of zooming in the boxes that we have drawn, that is, coordinating the fields to be equal to each other, through the use of a pen and a ruler.
- We strike on the engraving or engraving pen with a hammer. Among these pens is the “Jawharsa” pen, which is used to form small circles. We can also use the “Zanba” pen to engrave the required points in the drawing, and the “Rimble” pen to work copper ground like sand, as well as the “Maqtaa” pen to make voids.
- We tap and engrave on the copper by passing the pen over the shape drawn by hammering on it, and that requires patience and accuracy.
- We go with the piece of copper to the lathe to get the outer shape of the piece, whether we want it to be circular, rectangular, or otherwise.
- We polish the piece with a brush, then paint it with either gold, bronze, or silver, and it can be painted in more than one color.
- The process of engraving or decoration on copper is done in three ways:
- Engraving method by chisel and hammer.
- Pop-up method.
- The method of pouring silver metal onto copper is one of the difficult methods and requires skill and experience.
Problems facing the craft of engraving on copper
Among the common problems faced by the copper engraving craft:
Read also:How do you distinguish between gold and copper?- The significant increase in the price of copper, which led many artisans to abandon this craft.
- The lack of profits in this craft.
- Importing cheap copper products from abroad, despite its poor quality.
- Creating drilling operations by chemical drilling.
