Thanks for the info! Always appreciate your knowledge of metals.Copper is a reactive metal, with a very small atom. It will not hold a polish without a light coating of varnish that is very easy to remove, even handling it will remove the varnish. It also etches very easily, with even the acids in your skin will leave permanent fingerprints etched on it. Left uncoated, copper will turn dark, to black, to green and foamy looking rather quickly, called verdis gris. This is poisonous. Greeks used copper arrowheads for their lethalness. But, it constantly loosing its polish will have guys constantly polishing it, and the small atoms will come off easily leaving it worn away looking fast.
Add in that copper deforms at room temp… all just a perfect storm for a f’d up band and spig.
If it is a copper colored alloy “bronze”, with a plating, it would be much more durable, but cannot be called “pure (or real) copper” in the EU.
There just is no benefit in making it out of a real copper. We learned this early on when we tried to make the penny out of copper. Now, pennies are a bronze alloy.
@swilford can you give us some info if these are pure copper or something else?