Copper and brass (which is an alloy of copper and zinc) are most often crafted in sheet form as they were 200 years ago. Useful and decorative items from candlesticks to weathervanes are fabricated by cutting pieces of metal, bending them to shape, then riveting or soldering them together. The reddish copper color adds a richness that baser metals (such as tin) lack. While brass is usually kept shiny by regular polishing (or coating with wax or varnish by lazy housekeepers), copper ages gracefully with a green oxide patina.
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