To become a Coppersmith in England requires a four year apprenticeship, a contract is signed between the city and guilds of London, the company and the apprentice. Your training is then guaranteed for the four year term. Once you have completed and passed, the indentures are then signed and you become a Coppersmith.

The Company that I served my apprenticeship with was started in 1910 by Richard Seligman, called A.P.V. Company Ltd. It was one of the largest copper and stainless steel manufacturers in the brewery, dairy and food industry in England. Manufacturing commercial whisky stills, brew tanks, cooking vats, pressure vessels, milk tanks, heat exchangers and a variety of commercial equipment.

When I started my apprenticeship, there were ten of us in my year. Alan Kelly, Andy Hunt, Steve Demole, Jim Baker, Graham Foley, Roy Nunny, Peter Drew, Steve Pluckrose and myself. Our first two years were spent in what was called the ‘boys shop’. The instructors were Les Derbyshire and Harry Turner. Looking back, I think I was very fortunate to be taught by so many skilled craftsman.

We had about eighty Coppersmiths from all corners of the trade. Navy, aircraft, steam train and tank industries. Our time in the ‘boys shop’ was spent learning traditional and modern techniques of Coppersmithing, folding, bending, pressing, forge work, cutting and chasing. We learned methods of how to braze, solder, MIG, TIG, stick and gas weld. Using various metals; copper, brass, aluminium, stainless steel and steel.

We attended day and evening classes at Crawley College of Technology once a week. Here we learnt the theory side of Coppersmithing; Math, technical drawing, design, welding techniques and fabrication engineering. Along with this was three months at the college machine shop where we trained on milling machines, lathes, drill press and so forth.

Our second year prepared us for finer details of the work in the main shop. The main shop was separated into different areas, working under different Coppersmiths in three month intervals. Here we spent the last two years of our apprenticeship and learnt the skills of Coppersmithing under Masters of the Craft and completed our apprenticeship as skilled Coppersmiths.

I was offered a position at Redifons Flight Simulators. Here I made control panels, escutcheon plates, air frames, and skinning. With these skills I moved forward and worked on Harrier Jump Jets, Hawks and Hawker Hunters as an Aircraft Coppersmith at Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd. We worked on hydraulic and fuel pipes, extinguisher pipe´s that protect the cockpit and engine. Finely crafting the elbows for the swivel jets of the Harrier, these exclusivly made the Harrier do what only a Harrier jump jet can do.

A position back at A.P.V. was offered to me and I took this to further my experience in Coppersmithing. Here I traveled all around England and Scotland. Manufacturing fermenting vessels, milk tanks, detergent tanks, heat exchangers and silos, installing on site.

May 1981 brought me to Calgary Canada. Here I built oilfield and aggregate equipment for Fasoli Industries.

October 1981 I started my own business in welding and fabrication, making wrought iron gates, railings and bar rails.

1990 I started work as a Pressure Vessel Fitter for Propak Industries. Later on I worked as a Fitter Welder on structural beams for ATCO.

Renbec Industries hired me to fit and weld structural beams, platforms, small tanks for water treatment and sulphur industries. Mainly working in aluminium and stainless steel. Here I remained for five years then returned to Coppersmithing.

In the past eleven years I have remained in Coppersmithing and am proud to say that my son Lee has decided to follow in my foot steps and become a Coppersmith.

Please look at our site and view some of the work we do.

In the picture is newspaper cuttings of when I was an apprentice Coppersmith.

Click Here to view newspaper profile in pdf format.