3 Reasons to Use Copper Shims

A shim is a piece of material that is thin and are usually tapered or wedged. Shims are normally used to fill small spaces or other gaps between two objects, often supporting or leveling other objects. Shims are also a great object to use between two items to prevent large amounts of wear and tear. Shims can be made from wood, stone, plastic, or metal, but for our purposes today, we are going to be talking directly about the uses of copper shims.

Protect That CPU

If you occasionally work with a computer to write your grandma a letter or look up the address for the local waffle restaurant you probably have never heard of a copper shim. However, if you are a big-time miner, gamer, or computer enthusiast in general, you may speak of copper shims in your sleep. Copper shims are typically used in the electronics world to protect your CPU from suffering unneeded damage. Many people state that this is a silly and unnecessary step to take when building a mining rig or your own PC and the instances where a CPU is damaged are few and far between. They may be right, so if you love flying in the face of danger and saving a measly $3.00 in exchange for the horror of losing thousands of dollars and countless hours of work by one drop or another foolish mistake, then by all means, don’t spend your spare change to install that copper shim and protect your huge investment; but you are smarter than that, aren’t you?

Proper Plumbing Pursuits

As you may or may not know, copper is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity. When you are engaging in lively plumbing pursuits, you will want to invest in a copper shim or two. Interestingly enough, copper shims can be used to level out a toilet that is not quite level upon installation, however, the biggest reason these shims are used in plumbing and other pipe installation is during welding, as many thin-walled pipes are difficult to weld without the added help of your copper shim friends.

Jewelry Design

When you are finished leveling your toilet, welding the pipes, and building your Bitcoin mining rig, you may want to use the leftover copper shims to make your mother a beautiful piece of jewelry. It does sound a little odd at first, but some amazing things can be done with these materials for a unique jewelry piece. The copper shims can we welded together to create a pendant for a necklace or a charm for a bracelet. If you are tired of welding or heaven forbid, don’t know how to weld, you can easily use some solid glue, like e6000 glue for a solid grip. You can then use different techniques to add personal touches to your creation. These techniques include the following:

• Heat treatment: This is a great way to create a broad range of colors, but you do have to seal with a wax.
• Watercolors: These pencil drawings in combination with a wash of rubbing alcohol or glycerin create beautiful pieces art on jewelry.

Whether you choose the artistic route or a more practical application of copper shims, you will be happy to have them at your disposal.