How to Choose Wire for Sculptures

Wire sculpture is an art form limited only by your imagination. Experiment and find out what works for you, in terms of choosing wire for sculptures.

Things You'll Need

• Clothes Hangers
• Armature Wire
• Enameled Wire
• Copper Wire
• Silver Wire
• Gold Wire
• Pliers

Instructions

How to Choose Wire for Sculptures

1. Use clothes hangers to save money. Metal clothes hangers are strong, cheap or free, easily available, and can be bent into any shape desired with a good pair of pliers.

2. Use armature wire to hold up a work in progress, or to form the internal skeleton of a wire sculpture. This high quality aluminum wire is strong, but easy to work with.

3. Use uncoated copper wire for malleability. Copper wire is easy to flatten and shape for bracelets, necklaces, or detailed sculptures. It is not very stiff, and should not be used in places where it will be under a lot of stress.

4. Use coated, colored wire for decoration. Thin enameled wire in different colors is a great way to add detail to your sculpture.

5. Use silver and gold wire for jewelery. It is pretty, albeit expensive. To save money, buy silver or gold-coated wire instead of the real thing.