I am posting an image of a copper switchplate I made for a few of the Arts & Crafts homes here in Tucson. The design is taken from illustrations by Dard Hunter. 20 gauge copper plate and chased by hand on a hammered surface. The patina is produced with a torch flame.

Fred

I'll take 10 of those

Dear Fred,

Since copper is such a soft metal, do you put a piece of wood behind it to save if from dings? Sometimes because walls are not straight or level, you really have to work to get the plate into the wall so that it looks good to the eye. I would hate to think of one of those little screws messing up your switchplate.

The switchplate looks wonderful. The copper looks hand forged and not cast.

Bev.

Hello Fred,

Great looking switchplate, has a very nice warty Van Erp type patina on them, love the Tudor Rose design !! VERY NICE WORK

Mark

The gauge of copper used is plenty heavy and will not be dinged if it is bumped. I use steel punches to pushout the metal and to trace the lines. I plan to post a sequence showing how these are made and a description of the process.

Fred