Copper Information

Copper is a soft, malleable and a ductile metal with a very high electrical and thermal conductivity. Copper reddish-orange color is familiar to most people through copper coins and copper wire. Coppers primary use is its use in wire. Pure Copper can be found in nature although most copper is mined or extracted as copper sulfides from large open pit mines in porphyry copper deposits that contain usually less than 1% copper.

Copper was one of the first sources of metal to be used by people. Copper does not react with water, but it react over time with the oxygen in air. However, fortunately for use the reaction causes a coating to form on the metal that protects the underlying copper from further oxidation. If copper has a greenish color that means it has reacted with sulfur.

Numerous copper alloys exist with many important uses. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. Bronze is a copper and tin.

Sources for you! The US nickel contain 75% copper and 25% nickel and stripping salvage wire will give you a great supply of copper for a lot less work than smelting your own.

The major uses of copper are electrical wire, roofing and plumbing and industrial machinery. Copper is usually used as copper and not as an alloy unless more strength is need.

Copper is biostatic, meaning bacteria and many other forms of life will not grow on it. For this reason, it has long been used to line parts of ships to protect against barnacles. This anti-microbial property lend copper, especially after the SHTF to uses such as faucet handles, doorknobs, plumbing etc.