Of the many exciting new features to come along with the first part of the new Caves and Cliffs update for Minecraft is Copper, a material with a unique feature that changes its appearance overtime. While a Copper Block is placed, it will slowly oxidize, changing from its shiny reddish-brown color to a deep green instead. While this definitely provides a cool effect, players can stop the oxidization process with the right item. There are also ways to reverse oxidization step by step for players wanting to get specific hues of Copper Blocks in their creations.

There are four steps of oxidization in Copper Blocks, including the initial unoxidized state. When first placed, they are simply called Copper Blocks, but after enough time as passed, they become Exposed Copper Blocks. Next, the blocks will change in name and color again to Weathered Copper Blocks, before reaching their final state known as Oxidized Copper Blocks. The Oxidization itself is random and cannot be sped up, but Minecraft players can reverse or stop it.

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In order to reverse the oxidization of a Copper Block, players simply need right click it (L2/LT) with an axe. This will revert the oxidization stage by one level, moving Oxidized to Weathered, Weathered to Exposed, or Exposed to regular. This is called scraping, and is a great way for players to maintain the appearance of their copper structures or prepare them before stopping the oxidization process altogether. What's more, whenever lightning strikes a Copper Block, it will be completely deoxidized and nearby blocks will also receive varying levels of deoxidization.

Minecraft copper oxidization states

Once a Copper Block has reached the desired level of oxidization, players can use a honeycomb to wax the block and stop the process. A Waxed Copper Block cannot change its state by any means, as even lightning strikes will not cause the block to deoxidize. Scraping a Waxed Copper Block with an axe will remove the wax coating, however, at which point the block will be able to oxidize as normal again. Any kind of Copper building material such as stairs, slabs, or blocks can be waxed to prevent oxidization.

Using honeycombs to wax Copper Blocks is a great way for players to build structures out of copper without having to worry about them becoming green overtime. Alternatively, players that like one of the stages of weathering might opt to wax the block just before it becomes fully oxidized, and combining Copper at various levels of oxidization can also create a cool effect. For Survival players that have yet to find a steady source of honeycomb, regular maintenance with an axe is the best bet.

Minecraft is available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

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