Circle City Copperworks Sample Policy

We are happy to send 4” x 4” actual copper samples for color and texture selection. Because our copper samples are handmade and costly, we charge $10 per sample plus $10 for shipping. These fees will be deducted from your final invoice if you place an order. Due to the fact that all of our products are handcrafted, colors and textures will vary. Therefore, we will enclose a postage paid return envelope or box for you to send the samples back after your selection. Having the sample that you chose helps our craftsmen match your choice as closely as possible.

Ordering, Payments, and Returns

Process to order and get started

The best way to get started is to send us drawings with all the measurements by fax or email, especially if you want a larger piece of copper work such as a sink or range hood. A phone call with your dimensions will suffice for a quote on smaller copper items. All of our items are made one at a time to custom sizes. We will send you a formal quote by fax or email with all of your specifications for you to sign and return before we start the project. We will also send you a cad sketch of the proposed copper product for you to confirm dimensions, angles, shapes, designs, etc.

Method of delivery

Whenever possible, domestic shipments will be made via ups. It is our policy to ship via the most economical means possible. Air freight shipments and expedited delivery services from some carriers are available upon request at additional cost to the purchaser. Export shipments must be arranged on an individual shipping destination basis.

When can you expect delivery?

Depending on size and complexity, some items may take several weeks of fabrication. Hand-making a custom copper product takes time. It is important that we always make sure it’s perfect before we ship anything to our clients. Because we are a small custom shop, our lead times vary depending on how many orders we have scheduled. We fabricate products in the order that they were received, and typically we vary around 4 weeks of lead time. If you have a special circumstance where you need a project rushed quicker, let us know and we’ll see if we can shuffle a few projects around to expedite your order. If we provide you with a rough eta on your product, remember that this is only estimation, not a guarantee. We will never rush to finish a product at the expense of quality. We would rather take an extra day or two to make sure everything is perfect.

Payment and warranty

We require a 50% down payment on your order before we start and the final 50%, plus shipping, before we ship. We will, in most cases, send you an email with a picture of your product before shipping. The shipping costs will be added to the price when the product is crated and weighed. To expedite the shipping of your product, the preferable means of payment would be visa or MasterCard. In some instances, we accept payment by check but will not ship until the check has cleared.

We provide a lifetime warranty on all of our products from any manufacturing defects*. *this warranty covers any defect except for the patina. If a product patinas differently because of exposure to certain elements, give us a call immediately. We can talk you through fixing this over the phone. We can even send you some patina solution to help you fix the discolored area.

If there is anything that is not consistent to your signed sales order (dimensions within 1/16”, angles within 1 degree), we will rectify the problem by repair, replacement or refund as we deem appropriate. We reserve the right to have the opportunity to repair the item before we authorize a return.

We will pay for the shipping back to us, but please re-use the same crate. Be sure your product is correct to your specifications before you destroy the crate. In addition, it is best to inspect the product before it is installed. We will stand by our warranty after it is installed but will not pay for removal or re-installation charges.

If we cannot validate your claim over the phone and/or through email and pictures, you will need to ship the product back to us to be inspected and to be determined by us if this is a valid claim. You will need to pay the shipping to return the product, and we will refund shipping if this is a valid claim. We will charge a $50 fee for inspection and re-crating in the instance of an invalid claim. In addition, you will be responsible for the shipping charges to have the product shipped back to you.

We will not accept any products back without a return authorization number on the outside of the box (that we have given to you before shipping).

Cancellations

Once you have given us a 50% down payment and everything is signed and finalized, we do not accept cancellations.

New claims handling

Please count and inspect your order immediately upon arrival. Freight companies will no longer pay for any claims made past 10 days from the date of shipment! Any damage found after this 10 day period will be the customers responsibility. You must keep all of the shipping boxes, packing material and the damaged items for the carrier to inspect before any reimbursement or credit will be made to your account. If the shipping box or crate is damaged upon arrival, and damaged goods are suspected, it must be noted with the freight company at time of delivery and written on the delivery ticket. The freight company will not accept an insurance claim on damaged goods due to shipping after this time.

Refunds and returns

We make each of our products one at a time to your specifications. We will continue to keep you informed as to what you are buying from us with phone calls, emails, and/or pictures. We do not issue refunds on our products if everything is manufactured to your specifications on the signed sales order. The only exception to this would be a "warranty” issue that we will try to rectify as stated above. We reserve the right to repair any item within warranty before a refund will be authorized.

When you sign the sales order, we will make your product according to the specifications discussed and written on the order.

Dispute resolution

Applicable law. This transaction shall be governed by, and this agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the state of Indiana. If any provision, clause or part, or the application thereof under certain circumstances, is held invalid, the remainder of this agreement or the application of such provision, clause or part shall not be affected thereby. Each party consents and agrees that Marion County, Indiana shall be the exclusive, proper, and convenient venue for any legal proceeding in federal or state court relating to this agreement, and each party to this agreement waives any defense, whether asserted by motion or pleading, that such county is an improper or inconvenient venue. Furthermore, each party agrees to personal jurisdiction in the state of Indiana, in the state or federal courts of Marion County.

Attorneys’ fees. If any suit or action shall be instituted to enforce or interpret this agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover from the other party all costs, fees, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ and paralegals’ fees, expended as part of such action or suite including any appeal thereof.

Purchasing handmade products

Please be aware that all copper sinks, range hoods and countertops have a finish that is by nature variable in color and pattern. CCC will often apply a patina color and sometimes wax to the copper. However, please be aware that we are not responsible for the change in color of our items, as they are a natural product with a living finish (see copper characteristics page). Therefore, all sales of our products are made with the understanding that copper as-is basis regarding all aspects of the finish. We will allow refunds and exchanges of these items strictly according to our refunds, returns and exchanges policy only (detailed in the paragraph above). Finish color and pattern variations do not qualify as warranty claim conditions. We will not exchange or accept returns on these items at no charge. We will attempt to re-work the finish if for some reason the color is not what you are looking for when delivered. Please ask to see a photo of the item prior to it leaving, if we have not already offered. We will not pay for shipping to or from CCC’s location for a re-finish.

All of our sinks, range hoods, countertops, and all other custom copper products are handmade and welded. If you are expecting the look of a typical stamped or CNC manufactured product, we do not manufacture that way. It is not possible to make a custom product in the sizes and variations that we do, and press them or form them seamless. We will weld, grind, backfill, and re-grind all seams to a near seamless view. Though, you may be able to see the seams with the naked eye. We will not accept returns on custom sinks, unless we have made an error in measurement of over ¼”. You should have our sink in hand, to use as a template, prior to cutting any surface of your countertop. We all know: measure twice, cut once, correct? Thanks!

Mechanical features and installation

Many of our custom copper products are made with electrical, hvac, and/or plumbing parts or features. We need our customers to understand that CCC is a custom metal fabricator only, and is not licensed nor insured for plumbing, hvac, or electrical installation. Many times CCC will purchase and install drains, range hood blower packs, or lighting fixtures into our products. CCC cannot be liable for any electrical, plumbing, or hvac issues that arise from these features. We stand 100% behind our custom products that we fabricate. However, it is the customer’s responsibility to have a licensed contractor install and inspect all mechanical features of our products before and after installation to abide by all industry standards and local building codes. Although CCC can give some advice on installation, and ideas on what previous clients’ contractors have used; we are not engineers. It is up to the contractor and/or client to determine what fasteners to use, where to place the fasteners, and how many fasteners to use when installing our custom copper products.

Circle City Copperworks emblem

Clients have the option to add the Circle City Copperworks brass tag, or emblem, on our products. If you see pictures of some of our products on the website, it will be a very small brass oval with our company logo stamped in it. Some clients think it looks nice and like to show it off. However, our products are fabricated withoutthe emblem attached as a standard. If you would like us to add this emblem, please make us aware of this when we are finalizing your purchase.

Copper characteristics and copper products care

Copper is an extremely resilient metal. There are copper artifacts dating back as far as 10,000 years, and even a copper tubing found from an ancient plumbing system that is 5,000 years old, which was found by archaeologists still in serviceable condition. Many people think that when copper patinas, it is showing erosion or deterioration. Actually it is just the opposite. Copper oxidizes with reaction to the environment, and creates a layer of patina. This layer of patina is actually a protective corrosion resistant layer. The types of environmental conditions and substances that the copper comes in contact with, will determine the color of the patina.

Circle city Copperworks (CCC) uses only pure American copper. To be considered copper, it must be tested to be at least 99.0% or more of copper. Our copper is tested at 99.61% copper and is purchased from one of the largest copper mills in the US. Some "other” copper products actually only test at 98.45% copper and actually do not qualify as copper. They are actually considered to be "bronze” products, and go into a different category of metal, especially for the recycling industry. This "bronze” metal has zinc and sometimes lead added to the copper in order for the copper to feel heavy, but be a thinner copper. Thus it seems to be a thick sturdy copper product, however, it’s actually a thinner and lower quality metal being used. Many other companies, especially foreign fabricators, use this "bronze” and still claim it to be copper. Although these small percentages of zinc and/or lead added to the copper probably aren’t in a large enough percentage to be harmful, it still should be mentioned. If these other companies are saving money and cutting corners on the type of copper they use, what other corners are they cutting to save money and offer you a lower quality product for cheaper?

CCC offers to provide our clients with a natural patina. We provide a cold patina on our products with liver of sulfur, which is a completely safe process, and is environmentally healthy. All we are doing is actually speeding up copper’s natural patina process and giving it an aged look. Copper in most environments will turn bronze over time. Although we do provide a plethora of patinas to our products, bear in mind that copper is ever changing and will continue to slowly oxidize over time. Hand-applied patinas are an artistic method, and the color can vary slightly. Applying a patina to copper is not like painting, where there is a color code to mix a paint color to be exactly the same every time. All of our custom hand-made copper products are one-of-a-kind pieces of artwork, and will never be exactly the same in finish. Many clients believe that these qualities add more character and uniqueness to copper products.

CCC has a standard policy of putting a coating of a food-grade wax to our finished custom copper products. This helps slow down the oxidation process, and aids in the prevention of fingerprints or other spots becoming visible on the copper items during shipping and installation.

If you are wanting a "living finish” on your copper product, and love the fact that copper can and will change over time, just keep it how it is, and let the everyday normal use and environment to allow the copper to continue to patina and add to its uniqueness over time. As mentioned above, copper under normal environments especially inside, will continue to turn bronze and darken over time, and will not turn green unless acidic products come in contact with the copper.

Clients that fall in love with a copper finish, and want it to stay that way forever have a few options. We recommend keeping a coating of wax on your piece, and not using any chemicals or abrasives to clean your copper. Also, certain acidic or basal foods will also get to the copper and cause different speeds of oxidation at the points of contact, and will change the patina color to a color that will depend on the type of chemical. The best way to keep care of this copper is to wash with mild dish soap and warm water (not hot) and pat dry after every use. Water spots or other spots that are not rinsed and patted dry can cause a spot on the copper even through the wax. The wax is essentially just a barrier to buy time for you to rinse and dry the copper product before oxidation will occur. No wax is completely resistant even with multiple Layers. The only way to fully prevent anything from penetrating the wax and oxidizing the copper is to add a clear coat. We do offer a clear coat to our products for an extra charge. Just bear in mind that even clear coats wear over time. A clear coat may have to be re-applied after some years. Clear coats also may not withstand extreme hot water or temperatures as well.

The good thing about the copper finish is that it is always fixable, even for the client. If you get a spot or scratch, it can be lightly sanded with a scotch brite pad, and will re-patina itself and blend back in. You can also provide your own patina on your copper product and we would be happy to give you advice on how. If you get a scratch or stain in a stainless steel, or even granite or marble sink or countertop, the only way to get it fixed is to hire a professional to come and grind, sand, and polish this back out for you. Spots or scratches on copper are extremely easy to repair. Actually a scratch or spot will over time re-patina itself whether you sand it out or not. Also, remember that hammered and/or darker patina products will help hide and blend in any scratch, ding, or spot, whereas a smooth and lighter product will show these more.

Although adding a clear coat may extremely prolong the exact same finish over many years, repairing scratches or other blemishes on clear coated items can be more difficult. Sometimes you may be able to sand out the "blemish” and re-apply the clear coat; however, the clear coats may not match. In worst case scenarios you may need to fully strip the entire clear coat, fix the blemish, and entirely re-apply the clear coat. This is one reason why most clients prefer a wax only protection.

Copper’s living finish and its ever changing qualities are just a few of its features that add to the beauty and character of our pure copper hand-made custom products.

*CCC does not claim to be copper scientists of any kind; this information is a compilation of copper research and many years of knowledge discovered by its coppersmiths. 

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