If all you want is thin copper, go to any good roofing supply (not Home
Dingbat or etc.) and they can fix you up cheaply. For instance, copper
"baby tins" (step flashing pieces) are available as 90 degree angle-bent
pieces generally 4" (each leg) by 8" to 14" long. mostly they only carry
16-ounce (16 ounces per square foot) but you may luck into 20-ounce, which
is significantly stiffer and way better for this use. Single baby tins
should cost you no more than $1.50 to $3.00 apiece. You may want to use a
stack of 3 or 4 together to give better heat transfer and avoid
burn-through.
You might also try a commercial roofer or comercial sheet metal shop that
works with architectural copper. They will have copper scraps and may have
bus bar - which is much thicker copper strip stock - or something similar as
well. Electrical suppliers can fix you up with bus bar but they'll
generally only have long lengths. Try an industrial electrician and ask for
a scrap. Don't bother with a home center - you need a real electrical
supply company or commercial electrician.
You don't want brass - copper melts way higher than brass, as brass is
copper alloyed with zinc, which lowers its melting point a bunch (note the
precise technical terms here).
Karl Vacek
> Copper sheet is what Eastwood and welding suppliers sell for this purpose.
I
> don't know if brass does the same.
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