Wire Sculpture Tools

Video Transcript

"I'm Mark Kooy here with Expert Village and we are going to be talking about wire sculpture and braising techniques and tools. Some of the basic tools that come in handy for doing this kind of work are a pair of vice grips for holding things together and in place while you are trying to work or just a second pair of pliers for bending and needle nose pliers for getting nice tight curves and bends. They also come with the side cutter shears in here. You can also have a separate pair of side cutters with the almond nose that is a little easier to use sometimes but if you are just trying to get one pair of pliers to begin with, the needle nose will come with that. Make sure, some don't but most of them do and that way you could save yourself a little bit if you want. It's good to have an inexpensive pair of pliers that have the square tips that will allow you to get straight corners if you are doing some more square geometric shapes. It also gives you something to grip the wire with when you are doing smaller turns. You will need a striker for your torch. I like when cleaning up the piece, I use a triangular metal file so you can get in to corners and you can do flat spaces as well as getting into those cornered areas and then a wire brush. I like the bronze or brass wire brushes for doing this kind of work. It doesn't cause issues with the wire itself. Safety glasses is a good thing. We also use the welding shield for the torch when we are working with the torch. "