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Copper Case

no... there must be some sort of electrolyte as well. otherwise, bimetallic thermostats wouldn't work.
 
ronenvelarde said:
They dont have angle bar in copper. I am going to call them this morning and check maybe they just dont list it on their site.
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Have you considered using another type of angle bar than copper? If the bar is hidden, that won't detract from the copper look but your case would be far stronger. Alternately, you could use copper spray enamel on some parts that are non-copper for necessity of strength, and then spray clearcoat over that. The more I look at your project, the more I'd be inclined to consider using parts that had a copper look (i.e., anodized copper plated, or enameled/clearcoated) at least for the structural areas of your case.

Someone else mentioned galvanic corrosion. This can happen when two dissimilar metals are joined and a weak battery is formed from the join. It's not likely to be a significant issue unless you want to take the case apart sometime after you have made it; however, anodizing or using the spray enamel and clearcoat would eliminate this problem.

P.S. I doubt you'll find angle bar in copper mainly because of strength issues; if you really want all copper and aren't willing to resort to alternatives, you may need to buy copper in sheets and cut some things yourself, such as L-brackets.
 
As much as i wanted to use copper for the entire interior structure of the case, hope is fading. I cant understand why copper angle is so hard to get. Maybe not very many practical application since it wouldnt be very strong.

Worst case scenario. Aluminum frame and use flat and square copper for the mobo tray and all exposed parts. Now, what would I use for brazing between copper and aluminum. Im guessing its going to be an ugly joint but i could keep it out of site. Build a prototype like this then try and find copper angle more patiently.

Question: What material for joining copper to aluminum by brazing?
 
I would actually not suggest joining those two metals... if you did, i'd use bolts with small amounts of nonconductive nonelectrolytic stuff inbetween (1/16" plexi would be perfect)
 
motithejrt said:
Isn't copper conductive? The first thought that came to mind was a short of some sort.
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What? And steel and aluminum aren't? What's your PC made of? Tofu?
 
some tips on soldering large pieces of copper. I use silver solder btw, I've worked with copper as a metalsmithing major in college. Get some bricks and stone and build up tenmporary walls around the thing your soldering as much as you can without having it get into your way, the bricks absorb the ehat and hold it there. You'll probably want two torches so you can get enough heat going. Don't heat the copper up too much, cherry red is bad, right before that is best. I'm assuming you know how to solder well, but remember the solder flows to where the heat is, so use your torches to your advantage.

As far as things to keep copper from oxidizing, a nice dip in a weak nitric acid solution or PH down for swimming pools will remove all oxidation from the copper until you bring it out, then use kiwi shoe wax and rub it in good. If you rub long enough it all comes off and leaves a thin coat that will protect for months, I've used it on a smooth mirror finish of copper before.

If you can't get the thing soldered, another option is to hand pound copper rivets out of copper wire, it gives a great old look to it.
 
ronenvelarde said:
What if i use square tubing for the frame? Cut notches and then braze?


"turns either green or other dark unslightly colors over time"

Eww how can I stop this from happening? Any type of coatings I can use? Can copper be anodized?....
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once you have the case done you could get it clear powdercoated to stop the oxidation. i believe that it is the oils and acids on the skin that cause the oxidation. i have seen it happen to a SLK-90 CPU cooler that i was using. have you considered coating a steel or aluminum case in copper instead of pure? i was trying to find information about that online and it can be done. there are even kits that you can buy to do it.
 
ronenvelarde said:
They dont have angle bar in copper. I am going to call them this morning and check maybe they just dont list it on their site.
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Invest in a metal brake, use copper sheet and bend your own angle material.

Barring that (no pun intended), get the sheet material, and drop by any autobody repair shop and ask to have some angle bar made from the sheet stock. Shouldn't be too expensive; heck, they may do it for free.
 
Picking up the metal Will Call at lunch today from Onlinemetals.com SUPER nice guys there.

Metal brake is a great idea but Im going to built this first to see if I can even handle the proccess of building first. Then, why not brakes arent too expensive.

Powdercoating,. Clear? Is that a possibility? Any estimate on costs? Obviously that would be sweet. I had a guy trying to sell me powdercoating for my cabinet shop 2 years ago at a manufacturing convention. The clears looked awesome but he said clear was still in a development stage even for metal. My interest isnt only sparked now. Its on fire! I love powdercoated finished.

Coating with a copper finish would really defeat the authenticity of a copper case.

I will be cutting the metal tonight and doing a clamp together of the frame with no welding until tommorow after work since I have to work almost all day today.
 
ronenvelarde said:
Could I use silver solder for joining up aluminum to copper? I have a little brick area that I used for melting glass for my ceramics class. Its square and has soft brick so it will work perfect for copper. Which type of silver solder would anyone recommend? I was going to use this stuff

http://www.bernzomatic.com/bernzoma...?attributeId=BMBZOPA000007&productId=BM097182

any cons?
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Due to the galvanic corrosion effect of the two metals, I'd go with a chemical bonding agent instead of solder. Something like JB-Weld in VERY thin layers (think CPU thermal paste application), with a through cleaning of the surfaces just prior to assembly.

Copper-to-copper welding can be accomplished, but you're looking at more than a propane torch to do it. A slim FAQ on welding copper
 
Could I use silver solder for joining up aluminum to copper? I have a little brick area that I used for melting glass for my ceramics class. Its square and has soft brick so it will work perfect for copper. Which type of silver solder would anyone recommend? I was going to use this stuff
Click to expand...

Yes you can use silver solder to join those two. The solder I've always used has been jewelry silver solder. Since there is only one connection and because copper takes more heat than aluminum I'd use "easy" or "very easy" solder. I'm sure if you do a google for jewelry supplies you'll be able to find it right away.

A trick when soldering aluminum is to coat part of the alum not near the solder join with Ivory soap. It will turn black when the metal is hot enough to allow the solder to flow. Ivory brand is the only brand I've found that accuratly works.
 
I don't know if it has been mentioned, but when and if you plan on soldering the copper, be sure to get that metal clean and free of any fingerprints. As soon as you heat that metal up, those fingerprints will stay there permanently, unless you sand them out.
 
fingerprints won't stay on copper after heating. It's all oxidation, it will all come off with the right chemicals. Both Nitric acid, which will turn your copper back to it's original pink unpolished state, and "Ph down" for swimming pools will work, commonly called pickle by metalsmiths. The Ph down can be found at any pool supply place and all you need to do is gently heat it, it'll clean anything you can throw at it off of copper, it also works for any non-ferrous metal. If you do mix a ferrous metal and a non ferrous metal in the pickle it will do a very thin weak copper plating of the piece, useful for hiding solder seams.

I've spent years hand raising vessels out of copper and never had fingerprints stay after a "pickle" bath.
 
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