I'm planning on making a beaded wire headpiece (sort of like the elven headpieces that Arwen wears in LotR - but with beading)... and I want to use real silver wire
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The real silver wire from fire mountain gems comes in a broad variety of gauges. It's all definitely sturdy stuff and the thicker gauges are hard to bend without pliers. I want to say I used 18 or 22 for the pentacles I had been making but it's been a really long time and I can't find the two spools, but I do think the fire mountain webpage has a way to indicate which beads fit on what wire. the website is something like firemountaingems.com or somethign like that, it should show up on google.
If you plan on bending the wire your best bed it to get the tools they sell for this kind of stuff if you don't already have them, they made my craft making life much much easier, and they are very cute blue plier things:)
The real silver stuff isn't terribly cheap however it's far superior to the craft wire that they have at like Micheals or Joanna's or AC Moore. No rusting or fading with time, says shiny and happy...
friend of AirforcegrrlmdmravenJune 20 2007, 22:25:16 UTC
You can probably get away with a 22 or 20 gague silver wire it gets stronger and harder with twisting because that work aneals it. However you want to be careful that you plan out your twists because they don't untwist very well and the more you work aneal a piece the more likely it is to break. You may want to get some copper wire and test the design first. As to purchasing the wire I would probably get a catalog from Rio Grande they seem to be the best wholesellers that don't require a minimum.
I would suggest 18 or 20 ga silver wire. I wouldn't go with FireMountain because they sell in 5 feet spools. Rio Grande's decent, you have to call and get a customer number to order, but it's not terribly arduous. However, my new favorite supplier is www.monsterslayer.com. You can buy in feet or oz, and they have price breaks at higher quantities.
I would practice in copper first, you can buy bare copper wire at any hardware store.
18 gauge wire would give you a sturdier headpiece, but you'll have fewer options for stringing beads onto it. 20 gauge would be a bit lighter, with more bead options. If you wanted to go for sturdier, one option would be to form the headpiece out of 18 gauge and then wrap the beads onto it with 24 or 26 gauge...plus you could use those wires to reinforce joints or crossed wires. It would also give you the option of pounding the wire a bit to work harden it before you add the beads.
I know what your building and what for so I recommend 18 gauge you might beable to get away with 20 but it may not have the strength to keep stablized when your moving. As for supplier Firemountain is good but since you need a "small amount" Consider Micheals on VB Blvd
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If you plan on bending the wire your best bed it to get the tools they sell for this kind of stuff if you don't already have them, they made my craft making life much much easier, and they are very cute blue plier things:)
The real silver stuff isn't terribly cheap however it's far superior to the craft wire that they have at like Micheals or Joanna's or AC Moore. No rusting or fading with time, says shiny and happy...
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I would practice in copper first, you can buy bare copper wire at any hardware store.
18 gauge wire would give you a sturdier headpiece, but you'll have fewer options for stringing beads onto it. 20 gauge would be a bit lighter, with more bead options. If you wanted to go for sturdier, one option would be to form the headpiece out of 18 gauge and then wrap the beads onto it with 24 or 26 gauge...plus you could use those wires to reinforce joints or crossed wires. It would also give you the option of pounding the wire a bit to work harden it before you add the beads.
Just a thought. :)
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Cheaply found via www.firemountaingems.com.
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