I'm after some copper sheet to use in some sculpture work I'm having a go
at. Looked at a couple of suppliers and prices for new sheet are just stupid
so was thinking about buying an old hot water cylinder and cutting that up.
However all of the secondhand ones I've seen locally are covered with the
hard insulation a bit like this

http://tinyurl.com/bgb75q (this is an ebay link)

Can anyone let me know

1. When these cylinders are described as copper is that what they are or is
it more of a generic description
2. Is it possible to separate the copper form the insulation on these tanks
ie could I just cut it open and peel them apart
3. How thick is the copper

Sorry I know this isn't really DIY but thought this group would have the
most experience of the cylinders

Thanks

Jim

"Jim" wrote in message
...
I'm after some copper sheet to use in some sculpture work I'm having a go
at. Looked at a couple of suppliers and prices for new sheet are just
stupid so was thinking about buying an old hot water cylinder and cutting
that up. However all of the secondhand ones I've seen locally are covered
with the hard insulation a bit like this

http://tinyurl.com/bgb75q (this is an ebay link)

Can anyone let me know

1. When these cylinders are described as copper is that what they are or
is it more of a generic description
2. Is it possible to separate the copper form the insulation on these
tanks ie could I just cut it open and peel them apart
3. How thick is the copper

Sorry I know this isn't really DIY but thought this group would have the
most experience of the cylinders

Thanks

Jim


Yes you can cut and peel open but when I tried to remove the insulation I
used a wire brush on a power drill - after about 1sq ft I gave up! Finish
was poor and still not clean enough - good luck.

Peter

Jim wrote:
I'm after some copper sheet to use in some sculpture work I'm having a go
at. Looked at a couple of suppliers and prices for new sheet are just stupid
so was thinking about buying an old hot water cylinder and cutting that up.
However all of the secondhand ones I've seen locally are covered with the
hard insulation a bit like this

http://tinyurl.com/bgb75q (this is an ebay link)

Can anyone let me know

1. When these cylinders are described as copper is that what they are or is
it more of a generic description
2. Is it possible to separate the copper form the insulation on these tanks
ie could I just cut it open and peel them apart
3. How thick is the copper

Sorry I know this isn't really DIY but thought this group would have the
most experience of the cylinders

Thanks

Jim



I'd go to a metal scrap buyer and ask.

Peter Andrews wrote:
"Jim" wrote in message
...
I'm after some copper sheet to use in some sculpture work I'm having a go
at. Looked at a couple of suppliers and prices for new sheet are just
stupid so was thinking about buying an old hot water cylinder and cutting
that up. However all of the secondhand ones I've seen locally are covered
with the hard insulation a bit like this

http://tinyurl.com/bgb75q (this is an ebay link)

Can anyone let me know

1. When these cylinders are described as copper is that what they are or
is it more of a generic description
2. Is it possible to separate the copper form the insulation on these
tanks ie could I just cut it open and peel them apart
3. How thick is the copper

Sorry I know this isn't really DIY but thought this group would have the
most experience of the cylinders

Thanks

Jim


Yes you can cut and peel open but when I tried to remove the insulation I
used a wire brush on a power drill - after about 1sq ft I gave up! Finish
was poor and still not clean enough - good luck.

Propane torch?

Jim wrote:
I'm after some copper sheet to use in some sculpture work I'm having
a go at. Looked at a couple of suppliers and prices for new sheet are
just stupid so was thinking about buying an old hot water cylinder
and cutting that up. However all of the secondhand ones I've seen
locally are covered with the hard insulation a bit like this

http://tinyurl.com/bgb75q (this is an ebay link)

Can anyone let me know

1. When these cylinders are described as copper is that what they are
or is it more of a generic description

Yes they're copper.

2. Is it possible to separate the copper form the insulation on these
tanks ie could I just cut it open and peel them apart

It's spray-on foam on modern tanks the bulk of which cuts away easily but
the final residue will stick to the copper like **** to a blanket.

3. How thick is the copper

It depends on the quality grade which determines how much head of water
pressure it can resist but on normal sized modern domestic tanks up to about
25 gallons it will be about as follows.

Grade 3 for heads up to 10m (the usual spec for a house) the base will be
1.6mm and the rest 0.7mm

Grade 2 for heads up to 15m the base will be 1.6mm and the rest 0.9mm to
1.0mm

Grade 1 for heads up to 25m the base will be 1.6mm to 2.0mm depending on
size and the rest 1.2mm to 1.6mm similarly.

Your chances of finding anything other than grade 3 are minimal.

Bigger commercial tanks will be made of thicker material. You could have a
3mm base and 2mm shell on a 100 gallon tank.

The base is your best bet if that's large enough because it won't be
insulated and if you can beat it flat (they are made concave for strength)
you'll get a piece about 450mm diameter of a decent thickness. You'll go
mental trying to get the foam cleaned up from the rest of the shell and
it'll probably be horribly corroded and covered in limescale inside on an
old one and near as dammit paper thin everywhere anyway. These things
generally get chucked because they're already leaking and when they leak in
one place you can bet they'll be close to corroded through everywhere else.
--
Dave Baker

Jim expressed precisely :
1. When these cylinders are described as copper is that what they are or is
it more of a generic description

So far as I am aware, they are all copper if they look like copper.

2. Is it possible to separate the copper form the insulation on these tanks
ie could I just cut it open and peel them apart

Could you acquire one from a scrap yard which is old enough not to have
the insulation? Otherwise I would be thinking in terms of burning it
off with a gas torch. Others have mentioned internal scale - not much
scale or any forms on tanks around here, but ours is a soft water area.
Could you get one from a soft water area?

--
Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

"Jim" wrote in message
...
I'm after some copper sheet to use in some sculpture work I'm having a go
at. Looked at a couple of suppliers and prices for new sheet are just
stupid so was thinking about buying an old hot water cylinder and cutting
that up. However all of the secondhand ones I've seen locally are covered
with the hard insulation a bit like this

http://tinyurl.com/bgb75q (this is an ebay link)

Can anyone let me know

1. When these cylinders are described as copper is that what they are or
is it more of a generic description
2. Is it possible to separate the copper form the insulation on these
tanks ie could I just cut it open and peel them apart
3. How thick is the copper

Sorry I know this isn't really DIY but thought this group would have the
most experience of the cylinders

Carve off as much as poss with a good sharp long bladed knife.
Either Nitromors or Cellulose thinners should remove the rest.