I was planning on using some copper tubing I had left over after installing a water heater as a hozel. Should c/p be applied to it before sealing it?? and is it usable


Thanks
Fernando

You can make hosels and caps out of a lot of oddball stuff. As long as they do the job, go right ahead. There is really no "wrong" material to use for these things as long as it will work and get the job done.

If you plan to seal it to prevent tarnishing, all you'd really need to do is coat with some clear polyurethane spray. Even clear acrylic laquer will work.

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a Plumber, and rod builder let me give you a few tips before you coat it with anything. Sand it with a fine grit sandpaper. this will act to polish it and provide some scuffing for the coating to stick. to. Then crean it with some type of lacour thinner. all copper has traces of oil on it. If you do not remove it your coating will peel later. Also do not touch it with your fingers once you have cleaned it. the oil in your skin along with the minerals in that oil will cause a fingerprint to form under the coating as time goes on, also the oil from your skin will cause the coating to peel in the future. Do some reseach and find a finish that is rated to use on metal. not all poly finishes bound well to metals.

Hey Guys;


Thanks for the info, as usual I know I can post my questions here and will always be pointed in the right direction.


Fernando

I think I would sand it to a VERY SMOOTH finish , install it,, and let the good times roll !!!!!!!!!!!

Let it take on that beautiful "patina" that copper does, as in when they used it on roofs or for gutters years ago... let it turn it's natural color...

Just my own opinion...

Tight lines & smokin' drags

Art

It is a fallacy to think that all copper has traces of oil in it -- but all lacquer thinners will contain a considerable oil content. Wiping your copper with lacquer thinner is compounding an already difficult problem. All the research in the world is not going to find any finish that is rated to use on metal. One universal finish for ALL metal simply does not exist. Copper is similar to aluminum as both of them tend to form an oxide on the surface within seconds of removing the oxide by abrading. Copper oxide is non bondable , so the trick is to apply a primer or some organic finish onto the copper surface immediately after abrasion - preventing further oxidation of the surface. The best way for the average home craftsman to bond or coat copper is as follows---------- clean and wipe the surface with alcohol (never use lacquer thinners, ketones, or toluene) abrade the surface with a medium to fine sandpaper ie.( 320to600 grit) until a bright copper surface is apparent. Immediately abrade the sanded surface with scotchbrite, then immediately coat the surface with your epoxy -- paint -- or whatever organic materiel you are mating with the copper. The sooner you coat the copper with your coating, the better will be the bond. Were talking seconds here. In our rodbuilding world, it really doesn't matter what coating you choose to coat the copper --epoxy, urethane, acrylic, whatever, the bond is going to be very marginal at the very best. Epoxy's are quite porous, and moisture will eventually get to the copper surface and oxidation will set in and destroy the bond. This may take several years -- or it may happen in a few months. The urethanes are considerable more dense and better moisture barriers, but sometimes the solvents in urethanes create a corrosive environment when first applied to bare copper and the resulting bond is marginal at the start. You pays your nickel and you takes your choice.

Ralph