Wire Ornaments on the Cheap

by LizardShop in Workshop > Metalworking

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Wire Ornaments on the Cheap

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This Instructable will show you how to make small wire ornaments for cheap.

Materials:
Mechanics wire ($1.00)
Soldering iron ($5.00)
Solder (2.00)
Magnets. (Free!)

Template

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Making a template will help with bending your wire to the appropriate size according to the drawing. Drawing on graph paper works best but you can use anything.

Bending

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The next step is to cut and bend your mechanics wire to the template you just made. I found it easier to bend the curves by hand and use pliers for more square bends.

Magnets

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14, 9:24 AM.jpg
I cannot stress how important the magnets are, use as many as you have when you are getting ready to connect them. If you are interested in this method of making wire ornaments go out and buy a welding magnet with a flat surface to place your wire for maximum security.

Soldering It All Together

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14, 9:24 AM.jpg
Once you have temporarily secured your work with magnets it's time to solder. I used a regular soldering iron with regular solder and it seemed to work the best. TIP: if you keep melting the solder of another nearby piece just tin the wire that you are trying to attach to avoid over heating the wire, this works since heat is conducted easier through a liquid this slows down the time needed to heat the wire.

You're All Done

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14, 9:24 AM.jpg
Once you have finished you can paint your ornament or add a hook and hang it from somewhere, have fun, be safe, and enjoy!