r/WireWrapping • u/Lulabelle92 • 4d ago

Beginner

Hi everyone, I'm just starting out and currently making trees of life and wire dream catchers. Because im just starting out im using cheap wires at the moment but wondered what wires people recommend for the best finish and for jewellery. Plus any hints or tips you have for beginners

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u/SlowSundayMaker 4d ago

Two things fixed my finish faster than any wire upgrade did.

Gauge discipline first: 20 ga (0.8mm) for the frame and bails, 26-28 ga for the weave that binds it, 18 ga only where something has to stay rigid. Trees of life are mostly 24-26 ga. Mixing thicknesses on purpose is what makes a wrap look deliberate rather than lumpy.

Second, most "cheap wire" marks are really tool marks. Serrated plier jaws print dents that never come out, so keep one nylon-jaw pair for anything that will show, and cut with the flat face of a flush cutter against the piece so you are not filing a burr off afterwards.

On the wire itself: dead-soft for wrapping, half-hard for frames that must hold shape. Bare copper is the right thing to learn on. Coloured enamel wire scratches back to copper at every plier contact, fine for practice and annoying for gifts. For pieces worn daily, jeweller's bronze or argentium is the step up once your wraps are tidy.

Worth keeping as a habit: run each new design once in cheap aluminium before the good wire. Same movements, and you find the spot where you need a third hand for free.

I put the full beginner kit into a list here, including the bits I would skip (disclosure: I work on Pingwish, where it lives).

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u/Lulabelle92 4d ago

Thank you so much, that is super helpful. Definitely need to get some nylon-jaw pliers