I have been using Artistic Wire for several years now and I love it. It is the best brand on the market. The reason for this is that the color coverage is the very uniform. If you buy a different brand, many times you can look at the wire and see that the color is not true (for example, if it's an aqua color wire, when you look at it on the spool it will look almost aqua/copper in some spots). If this type of wire is on sale for a great deal, then buy and use it for practice.

The best way to buy wire is on a spool. Whatever you do, try to steer clear of loose wire bundles, unless you like to "wire birdnests." The only way around this problem is to put it a tall coffee can and keep an eye on it.

Colored copper wire is considered "dead soft" and it is bakeable. Barbara Mcquire's book "Wire in Design" is a wonderful book on this topic - wire and clay together as a new venue for polymer people to play with. Helpful websites are: www.artisticwire.com, www.wigjig.com, and www.about.com (go to the hobby and craft page).

©2003-Corinne Loomer

Thank you, Corinne.

Member Tips

From Gail Davis

Tip: "I would agree that Artistic Wire has the best silver coloured wire; however, when it comes to the colours I far prefer Para Wire, since their colours are permanent, not a nylon or plastic coating. I find the colours in Artistic Wire peel off with any kind of pressure with the pliers. Para Wire can be ordered directly from the company at good rates."

This page is part of the Polymer Clay Cyclopedia being assembled by the friends and members of Polymer Clay Central, http://www.polymerclaycentral.com. We wish to encourage all beginners to print these pages, published in the Polymer Clay Cyclopedia Format. (The Cyclopedia Format is the lavender ruled white paper background). The PCC Cyclopedia entries & images are provided free & without charge by the authors & artists who wrote and/or created them. Their use here is WITH PERMISSION.
Copyrights to all written entries & all images are held by the authors & artists who submitted them. Members of this forum may print the pages for their personal use. However, entries & images may not be copied, reproduced, retrieved or used elsewhere in any written, print or electronic form, without the express written permission of the person or persons who hold copyright to the particular item or items under consideration.

Polymer Clay Central Home Page  |  Polymer Clay Cyclopedia Contents