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I would like to use an old copper bowl as a sink, but am not sure how to handle the drain. Making a hole in the bottom and putting in the drain is easy, but what would you do about the drain doo-hicky that would sit above the surface of the bowl? Obviously, the water would puddle unless the top of the doo-hicky (sorry, that’s probably not the technical term) is flush with the top of the bowl. Hope this is clear.
This month’s issue of FH has this sort of thing done with a wok.
Thanks folks.
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Probably will need to do more than just cut a hole.
Stamp a depression in the bottom of the bowl first, then cut the hole.
Most machine shops can probably come up with a die the right size and do it on their press.
or do away with a conventional drain all together and solder a piece of copper pipe to your bowl from below.
*Weird.. but what the hell.Copper is maleable enough to punch a small hole into the location you want the drain to be located and hammer or using a hydralic press form the new openning into a flare to silver solder or weld to an extension to attach the trap to.Gabe
*Sounds like you're talking about the doo-hickey recess, the very bottom of the bowl where the drain flange sits on a bed of plumber's putty.Since you are going to pop a hole in the bottom, make that hole just a little smaller, not much, than you need. Then, with a ball peen hammer, with the bowl braced on a block of wood, start whacking away (that's called forming)at the edge of the hole until you have formed a recess for the drain flange to sit in. Copper should form easily. The hole should get a little larger as you deform the bowl. Even if your forming process is a little sloppy the drain flange will cover it. FWIW there is a tool that will cut neat litle round holes in sheet metal. Plumbers use it to cut extra holes in stainless sinks and electricians use it to cut extra holes in panel boxes.
*Your approach sounds good, Ralph... The hole punch you speak of is generally known as a "Greenlee Punch", since that's the name of the company that manufactures most of them. A local rental center would probably have one with a punch/die set of appropriate size.Regards, Steve
*If you do the "whackin'" from the inside, the wood block could be routed out to form a .....form. Pound her till she fits. Jeff
*Thanks, Steve.And another thought about the bowl.The drain assembly will have to be used to clamp the copper pot to the surface of the countertop. When selecting the drain assembly get one that does not have overflow return holes in the upper portion of the tube. Otherwise, the hole through the countertop will collect water and if you don't have a completely waterproof substrate, there goes the countertop. (Can't use particle board, mdf, plywood, etc. with laminate.)
*Done alittle copper work. I'm concerned that a bowl is probably already been hardened and copper "work hardens" fast.Hammering the copper to shape might cause alot of cracking. I'd suggest that the shape be pressed in one operation using some sort of die. Even if it's just ap piece of pipe, a block of wood, and a bottle jack.Might be a good idea to anneall the bowl first by heating it with a torch and lettign it cool slowly to soften the copper.