DIY Copper and Wooden Planters

Before I launch into the full tutorial, note that I've never done this before so I learned a little bit from my own mistakes as I was working so there is a definite learning curve. I'm working with 3/4-inch copper piping which is sold in 4-foot lengths at Home Depot. There's no magic to this size, it just seemed like I would need fewer pieces than with a smaller diameter pipe.

I'm using a pipe cutter
for this and once you get in a rhythm it's the easiest $20 tool you'll find. I determined the length of the pipe (8-inches) by the size of the pot so you can easily customize your planter depending on what you're going to put in it. A pipe cutter is a single blade that you slowly clamp down onto the pipe as you twist it around the perimeter of the pipe. Copper is a soft metal so it only takes a few seconds to cut each section.

In order to solder copper, you need to follow three steps. Clean, flux and solder. I used a fine grit sandpaper to clean the surface of each pipe where I was planning to connect it.

I determined that a can of paint was about the right diameter for my planter so I grabbed an empty one (you can buy unused empty paint cans at Home Depot also) and covered the outside with painters tape (sticky side out). I lined up my copper pipe lengths and pressed them into the sticky tape to hold it in place. Once I'd covered the whole can, I went around the middle of the copper pipe with more painters tape to keep them all in place. Important: you can see that I propped my can of paint up on another container so that the bottom few inches of the copper pipe was sticking out beyond the paint can.

Note: They WILL fall apart if you try to slide them out from around the paint can. I learned the hard way.

You've already done the first step of soldering: cleaning. The second step is easy: flux. The flux breaks down the oxides in the metal so that the solder can do its job. How? That's beyond my pay grade. You purchase flux in the plumbing aisle and it's just like a lightweight paste. I brushed my flux all over the pipe where I planned to solder it.

The flux will naturally leave behind a bit of greenish oxidation. I started to clean/ polish my pipes, but then decided I didn't hate the oxidized rustic look. In fact, I may look into oxidation products that would turn my pipes into that lovely aged green.
I've read that to quickly oxidize copper, you can mix one cup white vinegar, 3/4 cup household ammonia, and 1/4 cup table salt. I didn't want to risk it looking awful so I saved that step for later!

Copper is not particularly budget friendly these days so I was curious if there was a way to get a copper feel without making an entire planter out of copper. I picked up some wooden dowels that fit inside the smaller copper pipe and cut my pipe into smaller lengths. I glued the copper pieces in place around the dowels and then adhered them all together with a hot glue gun. It's a cute budget option, but I don't love how the dowels naturally have a slight gap between them because of the copper cuff. Copper tape might be an easier solution to achieve the same aesthetic and it would also allow you to tuck your dowels right up close to one another.