Have you ever looked through some home furnishing catalogs or websites and seen the prices on substantial pieces that hang on a wall? Whoa! Whether it’s a portrait, an art piece, or sconces and a shelf, wall hangings are quite pricey. But if you want something nice for a bare wall in a child’s room, a teen’s room – or even your living room – there’s a way to have a substantial piece for little money. All you need is soldering wire. It’s not expensive but works to make wire words, metal names, and similar pieces for any room of the house.
With pliable wire you can easily bend and twist until you create just the word or shape you want. For slightly stiffer wire you’ll find it easier to bend if you use needle nose pliers. Choose pliable wire, though, and the craft will be fun rather than be a huge task. Wire is sold by the gauge and a pliable wire would be 24 to 26 gauge.
Use soldering wire for the metal that will be twisted into a name or shape of your choosing. The soldering wire is sold on a roll at a hardware store or home improvement place. Find lead-free soldering wire in the plumbing department. Unroll a good amount off of the spool but leave it connected; don’t cut the wire piece from the roll.
Start with the first letter of the name and shape it as well as the other letters. Adjoin each letter to the next by spelling out the name in wire. It can be helpful to look at various fonts as you shape the letters. You can even print letters out, lay the wire on them, and shape the wire according to the printout.
Curl the ends of the wire and then you can add embellishments, if you want. For example, you might glue on a tiny craft butterfly as the dot over a “j” or “i”. Additional novelties, like fake jewels, bows, beads, and similar things can be glued or wired onto the original name.
You don’t absolutely have to make a name with the wire. You can make anything you want. Make a “Welcome” sign for your door or create a giant lighthouse to hang on a wall. Twist the wire into a heart shape and place a narrow shelf across the middle of it. There are many different ways to exhibit the wire art so that you create an elegant piece, an adorable arrangement, or just a simplistic name design.
Wire Name Art