Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Kind of a crazy idea, but has anyone thought of using copper instead of aluminum? Other metals?

Dean wanted to do it. My wife wants to do a copper teardrop too, she even has a name for it, the "Copper Cabana".

The problem is, finding large sheets. Right now, the price has skyrocketed so cost is probably a big factor nowadays.

Aaron Coffee wrote:Kind of a crazy idea, but has anyone thought of using copper instead of aluminum? Other metals?

Some have right up until they priced it. High dollar stuff.

Aaron...number one...there is no such thing as a crazy idea....it's doable, just depends on how deep your pockets are. There are a number of places to buy the material from, but like Rocky and Rich said, price and shipping are going to kill your budget. A less expensive way to go might be to do it in aluminum and then clear coat with a copper pearlescense in it...not exactly the same, but cheaper and less weight. I did gold pearl on my last tear on top of aluminum, It doesn't show gold all the time, just when you catch the light right, could do the same with copper...Doug

If you want the copper color, copper may not be the best way to go. Eventually it would get a patina. Now if that is what your going for try paint...

I would love to have a copper top teardrop. Maybe save my pennys and smash them.

I just did some searching and found prices, OUCH! So in other words the material in a penny is worth more than one cent. Although pennys aren't sold copper anymore are they.

Aaron Coffee wrote:I just did some searching and found prices, OUCH! So in other words the material in a penny is worth more than one cent. Although pennys aren't sold copper anymore are they.

I've heard the same thing, a penny has more copper than it's worth. I guess they are talking about the solid copper pennies, not the copper plated pennies that we have today.

Aaron Coffee wrote:Kind of a crazy idea, but has anyone thought of using copper instead of aluminum? Other metals?

After reading about soooo many copper thefts recently you could wire it to the mains to give it that authentic sub station feel to any would be tea leafs

If you want a copper top at a more reasonable price, how about a bright bronze anodized aluminum?

1cmx1cmx1cm would weight (to be more precisely: have a mass of) 8.9g for Cu and 2.7g for Al.

Just to put my two cents in... In the 1980's a penny would have been worth 1.3 cents, if it was made of solid copper. Now, probably a nickel. And the core of the coin I think is made out of zinc these days.

Happy holidays to everyone!

Ilya

Copper turns green from oxidation you would be busy polishing it. Annodized aluminum might be the way to go.

I had to price a 20' x 5" copper pipe the other day. The price in the early am was 800 bucks. By late afternoon that same day the price went up $380. I'd have to pass on copper.

jplock wrote:Copper turns green from oxidation you would be busy polishing it. Annodized aluminum might be the way to go.

We have a copper gazing ball outside the window. It's been outside for 2 years and it's still copper colored and shiny. The instructions said that you can spray it with a clear coat if you want it to stay shiny.

I was too lazy to spray it so I left it.

there was a news story just this week that said the Fed gov had issued a warning that melting down pennys and nickels was against the law. They said the price was so high people were buying up all the coins they could and melting them down. They said a penny was worth 1.7 cents and a nickel was 7 -9 cents.