maybe tempered is the wrong word...anyway, im making something and i need a small copper buckle. i have some thick copper wire i could use, and an assortment of pliers i can shape it with, but its too soft.. uld i temper copper to make it harder and tougher? ive never really done any metal working before, but i know the tempering process for steel involves getting it hot, then rapidly cooling it in water, but it must be done in the proper order or it could actually soften the metal or just make it brittle... i need advice from someone who has actually worked with copper in this manner before, or at least knows if its possible.
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Copper is a lot softer than steel, and your processes are going to be pretty different. You can't temper it per se, but you can work harden it so that you can have something useable that won't get bent out of shape. Firstly, make sure the size of your wire is appropriate to the size of your buckle--20g won't hold it's shape on a belt buckle, no matter what you do. I'd recommend at least 14g, depending on the size of the buckle. Now, just bending the wire will cause it to work harden some, but if you're not doing anything elaborate, you may need to work it a bit more. Get it into the shape you want, then start hammering on it--use a smooth faced hammer, like a planishing hammer; any dents or dings on the hammer will transfer to your piece). Be careful not to apply too much pressure or you may deform your piece. This will have the added bonus of putting a nice hammered finish on your buckle. Alternatively, you could forge the piece--actually shape it by hammering in a particular fashion, but the learning curve is a bit higher on forging (I suck at it, myself) and you would probably have to anneal (soften) it several times in order to work it around into the shape you need.
