Recommendations for Malleable Copper Sheet?

[MrH]

Hi all-

I'm thinking about starting a new project that's been on my mind for quite a while now. I won't reveal exactly what it is yet, but it involves shaping some copper sheet to fit a mold. I'm looking for recommendations on what weight copper I should use. It needs to be thick enough to withstand mild hammering and also needs to hold it's shape when it's out of the mold, but I don't want it to be so thick that it's overly difficult to work. It won't be structural. Let's just pretend I wanted to make a copper wok

Online Metals actually has some fairly decent pricing on copper sheet, as long as it's not too thick, and as long as I don't have to buy more than one because I screwed up the first try.

They also have a sample pack, but I'd rather get some knowlegable opinions first.

Thanks!
MrH

 

[RegionalChaos]

Try and research a bit about forming copper with a hammer. It will work harden while you bang on it, and you will want to normalized it. Normalizing can be accomplished by heating until it gets a dull red to it, then quenching in water. This will release the stress and make it soft again. If you keep working it after it hardens, you run the risk of cracking it. You will likely be able to feel the difference between normalized and work hardened by how easily the metal moves when you hit it, or the sound it makes if you bang it like a gong.