When it comes to durability and utility, only a handful of metals meet most criteria. Iron and aluminum top the list of the most widely used metals, but there are others like copper and zinc that are worth mentioning.

Copper is arguably the most useful of them. While it’s not as extensively produced and utilized as other metals—mainly due to its scarceness—it is packed with many properties that make it useful for a wide range of applications. Copper is well-known in various industries for having these qualities:

Conductivity

– It’s the second most electrically conductive metal yet, only next to silver. Because it’s cheaper and has a higher heat tolerance than silver, most manufacturers prefer it to the latter for practical applications.

Low Thermal Expansion

– Metals tend to expand when heated. Although extremely malleable, copper works well with heat. It has a thermal expansion coefficient of 16.8, which is relatively lower than that of aluminum. This property is also one of the reasons why electrical wires are made of copper and not silver—because copper can withstand the heat produced by high voltages of electricity.

Corrosion Resistance

– Copper does not corrode like iron. It develops tarnish and patina, but its inner material can stay intact for millennia. It’s one of the most durable materials around. Some of the most well-preserved metallic artifacts are copper. They are easily recognizable by their greenish color.

Workability

– Copper is one of the easiest metals to work. You can roll, shear, or extrude it without applying heat. You can turn it into sheets and plates of different thicknesses or wires and rods of different cross-sectional areas.

Copper Rods and Their Uses

While many of the copper-based objects you know are either in a plate or sheet form, most copper-based products are actually in rod or wire form. But what exactly are copper rods used for? Where do all those copper rods and wires from top copper suppliers like Rotax Metals go?

Earthing

– Electrical earthing is done by connecting a part of an equipment or structure that uses electricity to the ground to transfer discharge safely. Why is copper used for earthing? Well, because of copper’s high conductivity, it can move electrical discharge to the ground more efficiently than any other metal. Furthermore, it won’t rust even when buried into the ground for a long time. It is the reason why the earthing system is often also called the copper rod earthing system.

Power transmission

– Large electrical cables require large copper cores. These copper cores are too big they already fit under the rod category. You might even have trouble bending or curling them because of their size and density.

Transportation

– A standard automobile contains about 23 kilograms of copper. Around 75 percent of this is electrical, and the rest are not. Among those components are tubes, rods, and wires of various sizes, each with a specific function that contributes to the car’s performance. The larger the vehicle, the more copper components it contains. For instance, a construction vehicle typically has about 30 kilograms of copper component in it, while a forklift truck has more or less 62 kilograms.

Construction

– You probably haven’t noticed but a lot of construction materials are copper-based. Bolts, rivets, nails, and switches are the best examples. You won’t see a lot of large copper components in a building because they have limited structural functions.

When to Get Brass Rods for Your Projects

When you are planning to build a metal structure or machine, odds are you will have to include copper or its alloys in your list of materials to buy. If what you will be building is a prototype, you can’t expect to obtain ready-made materials from a supply store. Instead, you have to purchase raw copper rods, tubes, and plates, then work them to create pieces that fit your prototype’s specifications.

Copper supplies are available in different dimensions and grades. Before buying the raw metals, make sure you know the specific types you need for your project. The last thing you want is to purchase a metal rod that’s too small for its intended use. Have a professional metalworker work your raw copper rods to achieve precise cuts.

Before even thinking of finding a metalworking shop, think of where to buy your raw copper supplies first. You’d like your materials to be of the highest quality to ensure that your inventions works, performs well, and endure constant operation since you’ll be showing them to a lot of people.

The best place to buy copper supplies is at a store that has been around for many decades, such as Rotax Metals. Their establishment tells a lot about their expertise and the quality of their products. You can tell how vast and comprehensive their catalog is by the volume of their copper sales because it means they provide for different customers with different needs.

Metals are the most rigid materials on the planet. They provide a framework for buildings and make up heavy industrial machines. Many of your home and office equipment consist of metals, too. But like everything else, they have their kryptonite. They corrode when exposed to the atmosphere, certain chemicals, or other metals.

It’s important to note that metals corrode in different ways. They differ in how they react with the substances that they come in contact with. Oxygen is by far the most common catalyst for corrosion. It affects most metals both in liquid and gas form, which is why corrosion is sometimes referred to as oxidation.

Tarnish vs. Rust

As mentioned, metals differently corrode when exposed to the same element or compound. We can classify metals into two types—ferrous (iron-containing) and nonferrous (non-iron-containing). The presence or absence of iron in a metal’s composition significantly affects its corrosion.

Ferrous metals corrode by transforming into iron oxide or rust, while nonferrous metals corrode by developing a layer of oxide on its surface. This layer of oxide is also called tarnish.

Unlike rust, tarnish stays on the surface of nonferrous metals. It doesn’t spread into the metal and wreck the metal’s properties. Instead, it continues to grow on the surface as it gets further exposed to the atmosphere. In other words, unlike rust, you can scrape or polish away the layer of developed tarnish on the surface of a nonferrous metal without diminishing its quality.

Everyday Metals That Tarnish

Before I teach you the best way to clean tarnished metal, let’s first identify some nonferrous metals around us. Let’s get the popular and rare ones—gold, silver, and platinum—out of the way and focus on the more common.

Copper, brass, bronze, aluminum, zinc, and tin are the most common among all the nonferrous metals. Not only are these metals abundant in supply, but they also display qualities that are valuable to a vast range of applications. Big industries, such as construction, telecommunication, electronics, and transportation, rely on their production.

Tarnish isn’t that much of a big industry problem because the metals are often used for their mechanical properties. But for industries that rely on the metals’ appearance, such as jewelry and furniture making, it can be rather pesky. Maintaining the lustrous appearance of these metals takes effort.

Some metals tarnish faster than others. For instance, copper can lose its sheen just a few hours after exposure to air or water. The same goes true for its primary alloys—bronze and brass. If neglected, the tarnish can grow and change copper’s color. This new layer of material that has a different color is generally referred to as patina.

Patina changes color as it develops. You can tell how long copper has been exposed by the color of its patina. However, various factors may affect how the process ends. Depending on what chemical copper is exposed to, it may form a brown, blue, or green patina.

How to Clean Tarnished Metal

Tarnishing is inevitable for metals like copper, brass, and bronze. The good news is you can fix it. As explained earlier, tarnish is just on the metal‘s surface so that you can wipe it away. But it doesn’t come off quickly like typical dust or grime. You may need to apply a polishing agent. Here’s a simple procedure for removing tarnish from metal you can follow.

1. 1. Check if the item you will be polishing is pure copper, brass, or bronze. Some furniture pieces only have one of these metals on their surface and underneath them is an entirely different material. This will give you an idea of the safest technique for cleaning tarnished metal. The last thing you want is to buff away the outermost layer along with the tarnish and reveal the underlying metal.
   2. Decide whether to use commercial polish or a homemade one. The material and tools you need for the process will depend on your decision.
   3. Prepare the things you need. If you are using a commercial polish, all you need is a clean cloth, and the polish. But if you are using homemade metal polish, there’s a handful of ingredients you need to prepare.It’s important to note that you can combine many products in your home to make a concoction that works on tarnish. In this procedure, we will focus on the most common ones – vinegar, flour, salt, lemon juice, baking soda, and ketchup. You won’t be mixing all of them, but you can make different polishing agents by creating different combinations.For instance, you can mix vinegar, flour, and salt to produce a metal polish paste. Or you can mix lemon juice and baking soda. Ketchup, on the other hand, may serve as a metal polish without mixing with anything.

      You also need to prepare a clean, dry cloth.

   4. When you finish preparing your concoction, it’s time to prepare your metal item. Wash it thoroughly until its surface is free of dust or grime. Tiny dust particles have sharp edges that can scratch your metal as you rub it with the cloth.
   5. Apply the metal polish you prepared on the metal item’s surface and let it sit for several minutes.
   6. Buff the surface of the metal piece with the clean cloth until the metal’s original sheen appears. Remember not to wet the fabric with water because water, containing oxygen, is among the substances that can trigger tarnishing.

Sometimes, the metal’s quality affects the rate by which tarnish forms. For instance, low-quality or unrefined brass or bronze may tarnish faster because it may contain other elements that are more reactive to oxygen than the primary metal. If you are working with a non-ferrous metal, such as copper, brass, or bronze, make sure to obtain your supply from trusted sheet metal suppliers, like Rotax Metals. This way, you can create outputs that can maintain their quality longer and require minimal maintenance.