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Tier 4 · Advanced Fabrication and Manufacturing

Copper, zinc, stainless and specialty metals

How copper, lead-coated copper, zinc and stainless steel are ordered, formed, handled and joined: the standards and maker limits behind each, a documented shop method with worked examples and counterflashing installation, and how to diagnose their typical defects.

4 lessons · about 44 min · 8 diagrams · 3 videos

Version 1.0.0

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Lessons

0 of 4 complete

  1. Lesson 1 · 10 min · 9 slides · 8 questions

    Copper, zinc, stainless and specialty metals: principles and terminology

    Copper, lead-coated copper, stainless steel and zinc: how each is ordered, the words that describe their condition, what protects each surface, why fingerprints and stray steel are defects, and where the safety limits are.

    You will be able to: Name the four specialty metals AFS lists and how each is ordered, define temper, ounce weight, rolling direction and passive layer, and state the safety boundaries for lead and for chemical treatments.

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  2. Lesson 2 · 13 min · 12 slides · 11 questions

    Copper, zinc, stainless and specialty metals: materials, standards and design constraints

    The ASTM designations for copper, lead-coated copper, zinc and stainless, one federal guide specification as a worked reading, the forming limits makers publish, thermal movement and expansion joints, and the contact and runoff rules.

    You will be able to: Identify the standard each metal is bought to, read what a guide specification asks of it, and explain how temper, metal temperature, springback, thermal movement and runoff constrain what the shop makes.

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  3. Lesson 3 · 11 min · 12 slides · 8 questions

    Copper, zinc, stainless and specialty metals: methods and worked application

    A step-by-step method for specialty-metal work, shop set-up for stainless, copper and zinc, four worked examples, how copper counterflashing is installed in a reglet, and how to pack and store bare metals.

    You will be able to: Take a specialty-metal order from specification to shipped bundle with a documented method, working the weight, forming temperature, bend radius and joint layout with units and recording every assumption and inspection point.

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  4. Lesson 4 · 10 min · 11 slides · 7 questions

    Copper, zinc, stainless and specialty metals: defects, verification and case study

    Rust spots on stainless, cracked zinc folds, white rust, underside pitting, copper runoff stains, springback and fingerprints: cause, fix and evidence for each, then an illustrative coastal job worked through as RFIs.

    You will be able to: Diagnose common specialty-metal defects from their evidence, name the likely cause from a published source, choose a corrective option and record what a reviewer needs.

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Practical task

Prepare a job packet for one specialty-metal order (copper, lead-coated copper, zinc or stainless): read the specification, map it to AFS limits, screen contact and runoff, set the shop conditions, work the numbers with units, and inspect a formed or drawn sample.

Hand in

  • A decision rationale: the metal, the standard named in the spec, temper or grade, finish and thickness, and the AFS rule family it maps to, each with its source
  • A marked-up sketch or FlashDraft drawing showing hems on the inside face, laps that shed water, joints and every metal the piece touches or drains onto
  • Material and measurement assumptions: weight or thickness checked against the maker's minimum, metal temperature and bend radius for zinc, springback allowance for stainless, thermal movement and joint layout
  • A completed inspection card for the metal, and the storage and packing plan (dry, ventilated, never tarped on bare ground)
  • A defect analysis for one defect found or seeded: what was seen, the likely cause and its source, the fix, the evidence kept and any RFI raised

Rubric

CriterionMeets the standard when
SourcesEvery value names its owner: the project spec, UFGS as a guide, a named maker for its own product, a trade body, or an AFS register.
MappingThe spec is mapped to the AFS material and its bend rule, including single-bend heavy stainless and shop-confirmed zinc.
CompatibilityEvery contact and drainage path is listed and screened; copper never drains onto zinc or zinc-coated steel, and conflicts go to the designer as RFIs.
Shop conditionsStainless is kept away from carbon steel; copper and zinc are handled with gloves; zinc metal temperature and radius follow the maker of that zinc.
NumbersWeight, radius, movement and joint count are worked with units, and every teaching value is labelled as one.
Defect analysisThe defect is documented with evidence, cause, fix and the check that proved the fix; no acid step is prescribed.
SafetyLead exposure (29 CFR 1910.1025 in general industry, 29 CFR 1926.62 in construction) is noted; passivation is left to specialists.

Module quiz

10 questions drawn from a bank of 34; a new set each attempt. Pass mark 80%.

1. What does 16 oz copper weigh per square foot?
2. What minimum zinc thickness does UFGS 07 60 00 ask for?
3. What is the likely cause of corrosion on zinc directly below copper?
4. What can tiny carbon-steel particles from shared tools or racks do to stainless steel?
5. What does the 15 sq ft example piece weigh in 20 oz copper?
6. Why might a stainless flashing angle come out more open than drawn?
7. Where does VMZINC mark the rolling direction of its zinc?
8. In the case study, when should the copper-over-zinc conflict be raised?
9. What does VMZINC say a soldered joint will not allow?
10. What does VMZINC say forms on zinc with too much water and too little carbon dioxide?