Wire framed sculpture - joining question

[Will1983]

Hi I have been looking for a new project to pass the time and having looked at the amazing dragonflies created by Pondman I have been inspired to try my hand at a little sculpture of my own.

The 6-10mm bar used in other projects isnt really an option for me though as I dont possess one of theose super bar bender thingys. what I do have however is a very plentiful supply of 16g mild steel wire which I was thinking of twisting in multiple strands to form effectively wire rope. As my planned project should be about 600mm in total length the maximum number of strands should be about 5, anymore and I think I would lose the delicacy I am trying to achieve.

Anyway down to my question, how am I to join the pieces together, soldering, brazing or MIG?

I currently have a Clarke 151en MIG using argon/co2 disposable bottles and 0.6mm wire. Would this be to powerful even on the lowest setting?

Any other suggestions/tips in general greatly received!

 

[mike 109444]

Cable crimps as per wire rope (think screw fix do em) If nowt else will kep together till welded.

 

[Justme]

If its just to hold it till you weld it use cable ties.

 

[Will1983]

no im looking for a permanant solution. i think the welder will be to powerful and will just cause the wire to melt. thats why i was looking at soldering.

 

[chunkolini]

I have made sculptures out of gas welding rods down to about 1.6mm.
They can be Mig welded but you have to be quick and patient.
[/ATTACH]

The John Dory see top image is I think three mm bar for the perimeter and 1.6mm for the infill. Same for the fossil fish.
I tack them together then go over and braze them to get a nice flowed joint.
Once you get the hang of it is quite easy and quick. When learning it drives you mad.
If possible do it on a flat piece of plate to act as a heatsink, but dont weld the sculpture to the plate.

Cut a whole pile of pieces and try butt welding them together like a tree or the ribs of the fish.
A useful tip is to set the welder higher than you would think and 'flash' them together, just flick the button.

Good luck. Oh, and keep a bowl of water nearby for dipping the tiny burns on your fingers, you cant do this wearing gloves.
Brazing is good on thin wire as it dos not involve melting it, just working fast.

 

[ChrisJohnsSculpture]

For a sculpture it's as much an aesthetic decision as an engineering one. For what it sounds like you are wanting to do I would probably braze it myself. If you're twisting wire together it also has the advantage that it will penetrate into the twists and help to hold them together and gives you a bit more flexibility i the types of joints you can use, especially if you want to keep the sense of the wire wrapping round itself.

Having said that MIG should work ok with a light touch.

 

[Will1983]

thanks guys i'll get the MIG fired up and have a play about then, i'll let you know how i get on

p.s. love the fossil fish thats the sort of style i am thinking of for my first sculpture but a bit more 3D.

 

[shirazman]

use 6mm round bar. Its very easy to form. I used 8mm for a while for my birds but recently got a load of 6 and find it easy to shape. Draw your sculpture form on the bench, tack in 2 places and from there its easy to bend to shape, I hold the loose end and bend it with a hammer round the sketch

 

[Will1983]

cheers shirazman.. i'll give that a go if i can find some 6mm round bar at a reasonable price. however the 16g wire i can get for free from work so i'll start with that for now, also i think the twisted strands will look interesting.

PS i love the birds, very realistic!

 

[pondman]

Hi Will

Thank you for your kind words! I'm with Shirazman, 6mm bar is very cheap (in some places as low as £.70/ 6M ) What you are wanting to do sounds great but might complicate learning the easy stuff. When I started making my first figurines I was using 4mm and 5mm bright bar from B&Q which is £1-1.50/meter, its good to start with and very easy to bend. Using 1.6mm bar is very tricky to weld but not impossible but it might be better to spend a few quid on some thicker bar to practice on. Thats only my two pence ;-)

Good luck! Post up pics of the fished product.