Wire-wrapping tools and materials

If you’re thinking about getting into wire-wrapping, it would seem pretty obvious that you’ll need some pliers, cutters, and of course wire. But if you’re just starting out, the vast amount of the tools and types of wire available out there might be overwhelming and a bit confusing. So if you’re wondering what you actually need for wire-wrapping, here are the tools and materials that I personally use for my work.

TOOLS

Let’s start with the tools. If you just want to give wire-wrapping a try and you're not sure if this is something you're going to stick to for a longer period of time, then you probably don't want to spend too much money on them. In this case, I recommend a low-cost set of four or five basic tools, such as this one. The tools won't eat through your wallet, but they will start falling apart after a while. After that, if you still want to continue with wire-wrapping, then I definitely recommend investing in some serious high quality tools, such as mine.

LARGE NOSE PLIERS

I use two pairs of large nose pliers, one round and one flat. They’re both necessary for working with the thick hard wire, in order to bend and twist it in the exact shape you desire.

The pliers I use are not explicitly made for wire-wrapping. They’re actually high quality working tools. Still, I wouldn’t change these for any other. I feel like they’re indestructible, they have a great grip and in all the years I’ve been using them, they’ve never loosened or become wobbly. I'm actually pretty sure these are going to outlive me. Plus, they’re made by a Slovenian manufacturer Unior, and since I’m from Slovenia, I’m happy to support them.

Unfortunately, Unior doesn't seem to be selling these exact pliers to the US, to I would recommend these Knipex alternatives, which are of the same high quality: 

- Knipex large round-nose pliers
- Knipex large flat-nose pliers

CUTTERS

Of course, you’ll need something to cut the wire with. I use these Knipex cutters, which again weren’t originally made for wire-wrapping. But I love them because the cutting part is both small enough for precise cutting of the thin wires and strong enough to cut through two thick hard wires at once (if you’ve seen some of my tutorials, you may have noticed I tend to do that – cut through two wires at once I mean). And just like the Unior pliers, they won’t become wobbly after some time.

SMALL NOSE PLIERS

You’ll also need some Small nose pliers for the more precise shaping of the thin wires. I’ve shown you some really high quality tools so far, so you might be surprised that I bought these at the dollar store. And it shows. They used to have a spring mechanism so that they opened on their own, and that broke off a long time ago. Still, I somehow keep using them. They fit nicely in my hand and are the perfect size for my work. I guess they’re acceptable because I mostly use them on thin wires where you don’t need a strong tool.

MATERIALS

So those were the four basic tools that you’ll need to start your wrapping journey. And now let’s take a look at the different types of wire. To start off, you’ll need two different gauges. One thick, to use for the construction frame of your piece, and one thin, for binding the thick wires together and for creating intricate designs (such as a tree, for example).

I mostly use 1.2 mm (17 gauge) and 0.4 mm (26 gauge) wire for my work, especially for the larger pieces. For small items, I normally go with 1 mm (18 gauge) and 0.3 mm (28 gauge). I also use the 0.3 mm for wire crocheting, because it’s soft enough so that my fingers don’t become all red and sore by the time I’m finished with the project.

In terms of metal, my favorite type of wire is silver plated copper wire. I also love working with bare copper wire, but make sure you use the non-tarnish kind, so that the jewelry doesn't turn your skin green. Brass is also lovely because of the color. I use it mostly in my two-trees designs. Sterling silver is absolutely amazing, but quite pricy, so I don't get to use it that often. Every now and then, I'll use colored wire. I like that you can get any color imaginable, but you have to be quite careful not to chip away the paint with your tools. 

So these are all the tools an materials I work with. If you want to see all the things I make with them, you can visit my Etsy shop.