Ornament Stand Wire Source

[Tim Boger]

Holiday Greetings Fellow Creekers

Some of the Ornaments I make are 7" to 10" inches in length, I would like to make my own stands to accommodate my pieces.

Is there a specific type of wire that will allow bending and still remain in a flowing arc ? Spring steel of sorts?

Recommendations of the type of wire I might use and suggested sources would be much appreciated.


Thanks,
Tim Boger

[Joe Bradshaw]

Try uncoated brass welding rod.
Joe

[Peter Fabricius]

Hi Tim,
You can find galvanized wire on rolls at most big box or Hardware stores. Try for a little bigger than 1/16" diameter. This size will hold an ornament and not visually overpower the ornament.
There are lots of design for the bases that look very classy and not just a square of 3/4".
David Reed Smith has a really nice design and so does Ashley Harwood, you can Google both for a look.

Here is my version of David's Ornament Stand with lead poured in the bottom of the base, I am using 1/16" wire:

[Steve Peterson]

Look for stainless steel music wire. It is very stiff, but still bendable. 1/16" diameter sounds about right as Peter suggested, or maybe slightly thicker for the 10" tall ornaments. Many hardware or hobby stores will sell it in 3' lengths. You can order a 1lb coil for around $25 online. http://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/31981111 is one example.

Steve

[Tim Boger]

Thanks Joe ... I'll look into that, I wonder if the diameter of welding rod may be to big for the tiny eyelets I use.

Appreciate your feedback.

[Dale Winburn]

Try Brazing Rod at your local welding supply.

[Tim Boger]

Hey Steve,

Great lead, thanks ... I've placed an order for 3/32 stainless music wire.

Tim

[Keith Outten]

You can purchase tig wire at any local welding supply. It is available in a wide range of materials in 1/16", 3/32" and 1/8" diameters that are 36" long. Most welding supply company's will sell it by the stick.

I would prefer straight wire if I needed to bend it rather than have to try to straighten wire purchased in a roll.
.

[John K Jordan]

Some of the Ornaments I make are 7" to 10" inches in length, I would like to make my own stands to accommodate my pieces.
Is there a specific type of wire that will allow bending and still remain in a flowing arc ? Spring steel of sorts?
Recommendations of the type of wire I might use and suggested sources would be much appreciated.


Tim,

A friend of mine got me started using wires cut from kitchen whisks. These are already curved but bend nicely to shape, including a hook. Cut a chunk of debarked burl, sand flats and oil, and drill holes for the wires. I don't glue the wires in so I can rotate them as needed. I don't know if the size I have will support a 10" ornament but it certainly will a 7". I made some stands with one, two, and three wires. The wires fit the small eyelets I use. Sorry, I don't have any pictures.

Note that these whisks are labeled "stainless steel" but they lie. They look like nickle plated steel to me.

I also have a small spool of industrial welding wire that is some kind of alloy that won't rust, thin but strong, springy but can be shaped. A welding supply place might show you options. I have some large spools of stainless steel wire for my MIG welder that might work, but it seems too thin to me. The standard MIG wire size is .030 or .035". If you think that will work a local weld shop would probably give you a few feet to experiment with.

What size is the hole in your eyelets? You can get high tensile wire up to about 16 ga I think (about 0.050 inches diameter). I've never used that size but from using larger sizes I know that high tensile wire is a lot springier and tougher than normal steel wire.

BTW, I've seen people tie a loop of fishing line or thread on the eyelet, then hold that on the hook of a wire too big to fit into a tiny eyelet.

JKJ

[Tim Boger]

Hey John,

Cool tip on the whisks, got me wondering if I can swipe one from the kitchen without the wifie noticing ... probably be smarter to visit Walmart.

The eyelets I have won't accept a clothes hanger, that width is about 1/8" ... I did order up a 1lb spool of SS 3/32" Music wire ... wishing now that I had waited and checked into the welding rods and the many different types / sizes that are available. We'll see.

Thank you for your feedback
Tim


Tim,

A friend of mine got me started using wires cut from kitchen whisks. These are already curved but bend nicely to shape, including a hook. Cut a chunk of debarked burl, sand flats and oil, and drill holes for the wires. I don't glue the wires in so I can rotate them as needed. I don't know if the size I have will support a 10" ornament but it certainly will a 7". I made some stands with one, two, and three wires. The wires fit the small eyelets I use. Sorry, I don't have any pictures.

Note that these whisks are labeled "stainless steel" but they lie. They look like nickle plated steel to me.

I also have a small spool of industrial welding wire that is some kind of alloy that won't rust, thin but strong, springy but can be shaped. A welding supply place might show you options. I have some large spools of stainless steel wire for my MIG welder that might work, but it seems too thin to me. The standard MIG wire size is .030 or .035". If you think that will work a local weld shop would probably give you a few feet to experiment with.

What size is the hole in your eyelets? You can get high tensile wire up to about 16 ga I think (about 0.050 inches diameter). I've never used that size but from using larger sizes I know that high tensile wire is a lot springier and tougher than normal steel wire.

BTW, I've seen people tie a loop of fishing line or thread on the eyelet, then hold that on the hook of a wire too big to fit into a tiny eyelet.

JKJ

[John K Jordan]

Cool tip on the whisks, got me wondering if I can swipe one from the kitchen without the wifie noticing ... probably be smarter to visit Walmart.

The eyelets I have won't accept a clothes hanger, that width is about 1/8" ... I did order up a 1lb spool of SS 3/32" Music wire ... wishing now that I had waited and checked into the welding rods and the many different types / sizes that are available. We'll see.


Tim, I went to the shop, checked and measured.

The screw eyes I use are 5mm silver plated or brass with .09" holes.

The wires from a 12" whisk from Walmart are either .055" or .062". I assume Walmart buys them from different sources. Both are stiff enough for even my heaviest ornaments.

The welding rod I have is .0625", 3/32" and larger. 3/32" seems too big for any ornament I've ever made. I think 1/16" TIG stainless wire would be just right for ornaments. Inexpensive from a welding supply. You can also get bronze, brass, copper. The MIG welding (.035") wire is WAY too small diameter and flimsy. Not useful for ornaments.

I have some surplus medical stainless wire, better quality than the whisk wires, perfect for ornaments. However, I have no idea where to get more of it.

JKJ

[David Gilbert]

Here is a tip that you should be able to use to straighten a curved or bent piece of wire. Clamp one end in a vise and them clamp the other end with your largest pair of vise grips. Pull the wire tight and then hit the vise grip with a hammer several times. The hammer blow helps to straighten the wire and may need to be repeated in order to achieve your idea of straightness. I've used this on a variety of different wires.

Cheers,
David

[Keith Outten]

Here's another option that we used making custom stainless steel belt buckles when I was a Nuke.
Take three pieces of wire and put one end of the wires in your vise. Put the other ends in your electric drill and twist them together, you will get a very decorative piece that you can bend to the appropriate shape for your stand. You will want to use 1/16" diameter wire or less and a very strong electric drill. Hold on tight and use a lot of tension when your twisting to keep the wires straight. You can vary the number of twists to adjust how the wires look.

[Tim Boger]

Hi John

Thanks for all the specific measurements and such, I don't really get to spend any time in my shop until Sun and Mon so I'll have to wait until then to compare notes ... frustrating having to put my job time demands in front of what I really want to be doing.

As I look at the 3/32" SS Wire that I bought I do agree with you that it looks a bit to heavy ... damn those impulsive buying events.

I'm going to take a look at 1/16" TIG stainless wire.

Thanks Tim






Tim, I went to the shop, checked and measured.

The screw eyes I use are 5mm silver plated or brass with .09" holes.

The wires from a 12" whisk from Walmart are either .055" or .062". I assume Walmart buys them from different sources. Both are stiff enough for even my heaviest ornaments.

The welding rod I have is .0625", 3/32" and larger. 3/32" seems too big for any ornament I've ever made. I think 1/16" TIG stainless wire would be just right for ornaments. Inexpensive from a welding supply. You can also get bronze, brass, copper. The MIG welding (.035") wire is WAY too small diameter and flimsy. Not useful for ornaments.

I have some surplus medical stainless wire, better quality than the whisk wires, perfect for ornaments. However, I have no idea where to get more of it.

JKJ

[Tim Boger]

Hey Keith

What a very cool idea, once I get some appropriate wire / rod I'll give it a try. Think it will look great!

Tim

[Tim Boger]

Never heard of such a thing, amazing ... the 3/32" SS wire I just got may be a perfect candidate for this technique.
Thanks for the advice.
Tim



Here is a tip that you should be able to use to straighten a curved or bent piece of wire. Clamp one end in a vise and them clamp the other end with your largest pair of vise grips. Pull the wire tight and then hit the vise grip with a hammer several times. The hammer blow helps to straighten the wire and may need to be repeated in order to achieve your idea of straightness. I've used this on a variety of different wires.

Cheers,
David

[Keith Outten]

Tim,

I will try to get a couple pictures for you today of twisted wire and some that are installed on buckles.
.

[Keith Outten]

Here is one picture of the wagon wheel buckle that shows the twisted wire. The buckle with the K in the middle and the silver dollar buckle I used twisted EB Ring which is a consumable insert used to weld pipe ends together. You can use EB Ring for your stands as well as the wire if you like the look, its only one piece that is shaped like a "T" but it has a different look altogether once its twisted.

I have a stick of twisted wire in my tool box, just need to get you a picture.

[John K Jordan]

... I don't really get to spend any time in my shop until Sun and Mon so I'll have to wait until then to compare notes ... frustrating having to put my job time demands in front of what I really want to be doing. As I look at the 3/32" SS Wire that I bought I do agree with you that it looks a bit to heavy ... damn those impulsive buying events.

What's all this about "job time demands"? I don't understand, says the guy who's been retired for 10 years (sorry, couldn't resist.:))

Actually, the "farm time demands" here severely limit my own shop time. Sometimes I don't even touch the lathe for several weeks or a month.

JKJ

[Keith Outten]

The picture below shows 0.035", 0.062" and 0.090" diameter twisted stainless steel wire.

The first two are just two stands twisted, the 0.090" is three strands. I don't think that two strands of 0.035" wire would be strong enough to hold and ornament, it might be if you used three strands and the ornament was very light.

Hope this helps.