Jekyll2022-08-06T20:14:09-07:00http://localhost:4000/feed/category/wire.xmlKnotty Notions : WireA decorative knotting blog.Carol WangWhen Wire Almost Behaves Like Fibre2009-08-25T00:00:00-07:002009-08-25T00:00:00-07:00http://localhost:4000/wire/when-wire-almost-behaves-like-fibre<title>When Wire Almost Behaves Like Fibre</title>
<p><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/wire/bead-wire-square-flower.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/wire/bead-wire-square-flower-stamp.jpg" align="left" alt="square flower knot with beads" /></a> So, I had this scrap of wire in my wire working box (cutters, pliers, cup burs, etc) and it was… 20cm long or so. What had I originally cut it for? What had I cut it off of? Dunno, but is it long enough to do anything with? Often when I’ve got some cord scrap in my hands they will do what they so frequently do: flower knots, button knots, double connection, double coin, etc. So, this little bit of wire, could I tie a flower knot in it with some beads? How would it look with such a small gauge of wire?
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<p>As a general rule, to a certain extent to duplicate the fibre knots I tie, I try to tie wire knots in higher gauges. Almost cord sized wire (I’ve got some wire that is close to 3mm in diameter. Expensive though and I’m expecting it to be brutally difficult to work. Someday…) is kind of self-explanatory. Smaller gauges though (I <em>think</em> it’s 24ga)… let’s see!</p>
<p>I free-handed this knot (no template, no pliers until the end), and not only that, but didn’t like the loop sizes the first time around <em>untied the first knot and in the same wire tied it again</em>. I was completely surprised that there was no kinking or work hardening effects.</p>
<p>I added a few extra beads the second time around, used pliers to align the structural loops and adjust the ear sizes, then just curled the ends to finish. It’s not perfect, but for what it is, I like it.</p>
<p>Lesson learned: fearlessness is one the keys to achievement.<br clear="all" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/wire-beaded-mystic-mistake.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/wire-beaded-mystic-mistake-stamp.jpg" align="left" alt="a mystic knot tied in wire with beads gone awry" /></a><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/gallery/beaded-mystic.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/gallery/beaded-mystic-stamp.jpg" alt="mystic knot with lots of beads" align="right" /></a><em>Then</em> I got cocky. Since this flower knot had gone so amazingly well, I decided to try a mystic knot freehand. It did not go well. Plus I ran out of wire. I’m almost always too conservative with wire and end up wasting a lot by running out. <em>sigh</em> The effect that I was going for, I later tied in cord, but decided that there were too many beads in the design (the beads with big enough holes for 2 passes of wire overwhelm the wire, so then what’s the point?).</p>
<p>Back to the idea of working wire that is similar in size to fibre cord. We’ve all seen works using coiled wire. If you thread coiled wire on a fine gauge armature/core how will that affect how easy or difficult the elements are to work? Stay tuned… 8)</p>Carol WangWhen Wire Almost Behaves Like Fibre So, I had this scrap of wire in my wire working box (cutters, pliers, cup burs, etc) and it was… 20cm long or so. What had I originally cut it for? What had I cut it off of? Dunno, but is it long enough to do anything with? Often when I’ve got some cord scrap in my hands they will do what they so frequently do: flower knots, button knots, double connection, double coin, etc. So, this little bit of wire, could I tie a flower knot in it with some beads? How would it look with such a small gauge of wire?Flower Knots in Wire2009-01-07T00:00:00-08:002009-01-07T00:00:00-08:00http://localhost:4000/project%20diary/wire/flower-knots-in-wire<p><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/wire/3-flower-wire.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/wire/3-flower-wire-stamp.jpg" align="left" alt="3 petaled flower tied in copper wire" /></a><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/wire/5-flower-wire.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/wire/5-flower-wire-stamp.jpg" align="right" alt="5 petaled flower tied in copper wire" /></a> Since I can pretty much tie <a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/">flower knots</a> in my sleep, plus their interlacement points are minimal (compared to, say, the <a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/bao/">bao knot</a> or the <a href="/wire/mystic2">mystic knot</a>) they were a no brainer for a quick experiment in wire. Obviously, I started with the 3 petal flower first shown in <a href="/wire/basics">Wire Basics</a> done with a pre-tied cord knot as a template. Why, you might wonder, would such a simple knot need a template? Couldn’t you freehand it? The answer is: maybe. The problem is that wire is very springy and requires at least 2 hands to bend in a controlled way. It’s just <em>much</em> easier to do with a template. Perhaps with experience and repetition you may no longer need a template, but to start… The ends were just slighly overlapped and left. They seem happy to stay that way.
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<p>Next up, the 5 petal flower (right). Standard cord style with an overlap of 2. Painless with reasonable results (the ears could be more uniform, the middle structural loop got a little mauled in the making…). I even put some effort into finishing the ends by making a clasped loop/eye arrangement.<br clear="all" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/wire/8-flower-wire.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/wire/8-flower-wire-stamp.jpg" align="left" alt="8 petaled flower tied in copper wire" /></a><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/wire/8-flower-wire-tidy.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/wire/8-flower-wire-tidy-stamp.jpg" align="right" alt="tidied up 8 petaled flower tied in copper wire" /></a> So, I got cocky and went straight for the 8 petal flower, done in the standard cord style with an overlap of 3. The results are instructive. The image on the left is of the knot just after template removal. Those springy wires have a mind of their own! Despite the usual mangling to little benefit that previous attempts to treat wire like cord have produced, I decided to try again and was pleasantly surprised (see right). Perhaps because I was tightening by hand vs with pliers (although I did use pliers to help the structural loops to stay straight up and down) no extra kinks or obvious blemishes introduced by the procedure.</p>Carol WangSince I can pretty much tie flower knots in my sleep, plus their interlacement points are minimal (compared to, say, the bao knot or the mystic knot) they were a no brainer for a quick experiment in wire. Obviously, I started with the 3 petal flower first shown in Wire Basics done with a pre-tied cord knot as a template. Why, you might wonder, would such a simple knot need a template? Couldn’t you freehand it? The answer is: maybe. The problem is that wire is very springy and requires at least 2 hands to bend in a controlled way. It’s just much easier to do with a template. Perhaps with experience and repetition you may no longer need a template, but to start… The ends were just slighly overlapped and left. They seem happy to stay that way.Good Luck Wire2009-01-06T00:00:00-08:002009-01-06T00:00:00-08:00http://localhost:4000/project%20diary/wire/good-luck-wire<p><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/luck/wire/3-goodluck-wire.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/luck/wire/3-goodluck-wire-stamp.jpg" align="left" alt="3 good luck knot rendered in copper wire" /></a><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/luck/wire/4-goodluck-wire.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/luck/wire/4-goodluck-wire-stamp.jpg" align="right" alt="4 good luck knot rendered in copper wire" /></a> Documenting this backwards: the first knot I tried because of the simplicity of the structure and easy construction was the <a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/luck/">good luck knot</a>. Significant amounts of twisted wire cluttered my work area until I decided to try tied knot templates. Simple folded shapes, each one the same, fit together to form the knot. A little fiddling with the ends to make sure the pieces don’t pop back out completes the knots.<br clear="all" />
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<p><strong>Edit:</strong> In case it’s not clear from the pictures, these knots as well as the hairpin <a href="/wire/mystic2">mystic knot</a> have varying degrees of play in the structure (not so much the <a href="/wire/mystic3">mystic pendant</a> due to the wire wrapped parts) meaning that the individual pieces shift around and depending on how you hold it or hang it, you can get a square-ish shape or more of a rhomboidal shape. Of course, you can crimp things down until it holds together the way you want it to, or do some decorative/structural wire wrapping to control the shape. I have this idea to use <a href="http://www.beadfx.com/catalogue/rosemontees.php">rose montee beads</a> at the intersection of each set of wires which should work, given the right size wire and pre-planning (that’s the trick! 8)</p>Carol WangDocumenting this backwards: the first knot I tried because of the simplicity of the structure and easy construction was the good luck knot. Significant amounts of twisted wire cluttered my work area until I decided to try tied knot templates. Simple folded shapes, each one the same, fit together to form the knot. A little fiddling with the ends to make sure the pieces don't pop back out completes the knots.Mystic Wire Part 32009-01-05T00:00:00-08:002009-01-05T00:00:00-08:00http://localhost:4000/project%20diary/wire/mystic-wire-part-3<p><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/3x3-mystic-pendant-wire.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/3x3-mystic-pendant-wire-stamp.jpg" alt="3x3 mystic knot pendant tied in copper wire" align="left" /></a><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/3x3-mystic-single-wire.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/3x3-mystic-single-wire-stamp.jpg" alt="3x3 mystic knot tied in copper wire" align="right" /></a> I have these visions of graceful scrolls and curls, but things never seem to turn out that way. What I should be doing, of course, is cut the wire much longer and not be so concerned about waste (does anyone recycle/re-smelt copper bits like they do silver?) then this piece won’t be too short and that one too long and the whole design not gel.
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<p>If you look closely at the bottom left side, you’ll see that the wire there is deflecting significantly from the plane in order to achieve the over and unders. This, as usual, is partly due to my not yet having found my <a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/supplies/needle-tool.jpg">needle tool</a> at that point. While the piece itself is not spectacularly successful, I think it’s a fine proof-of-concept piece for later development.</p>
<p>Similarly the 3x3 mystic (right) that I tied right after the 2x2 shown in <a href="/wire/basics">Wire Basics</a> displays deflection issues and general distortion on a more global scale. But, for the purists, at least it’s all tied from an uncut length of wire. 8)</p>
<p>Tomorrow, some higher order <a href="/wire/flower">flower knots in wire</a>.
<strong>Edit:</strong> Turns out I lied. The next day was the <a href="/wire/gluck">good luck knots</a> and the flower knots were the day after.</p>Carol WangI have these visions of graceful scrolls and curls, but things never seem to turn out that way. What I should be doing, of course, is cut the wire much longer and not be so concerned about waste (does anyone recycle/re-smelt copper bits like they do silver?) then this piece won't be too short and that one too long and the whole design not gel.Mystic Wire Part 22009-01-04T00:00:00-08:002009-01-04T00:00:00-08:00http://localhost:4000/project%20diary/wire/mystic-wire-part-2<p><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/3x3-mystic-hairpin-wire.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/3x3-mystic-hairpin-wire-stamp.jpg" align="left" alt="3x3 mystic tied in copper wire preformed into hairpin shapes" /></a> <a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/projects/bbb-hairpin.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/projects/bbb-hairpin-small.jpg" align="right" alt="bao knot hairpin" /></a>While I still was without my needle tool, I considered ways to pull the wire through the already formed part of the knot with minimal distortion. One method was to deconstruct the knot as it were, consider the parts that form the structural body of the knot and “cut” the ears, leaving the ends free to form decorative spirals.
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<p>Also, since getting the wire to pass over and under wire already in place was what caused the distortion, I preformed the wire into hairpin shapes similar to the actual hairpin in the picture to the right if less elongated. After cutting and forming 12 hairpins, all that was left was to assemble my puzzle pieces and curl the ends so that they would not slip back out. Again I used a tied knot as a template, but in hindsight… I was going to say that a piece of cardboard or folded paper would do just as well, but you’d have to dissolve or burn out the paper… some sticks (chopsticks, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kebab">shish kebob</a> skewers, pencils, etc.) elastic banded together to form a square would certainly do the trick. In any case, if/when I do this variant again, I would make smaller hairpin shapes for a tighter body and probably construct a better jig for more precise hairpin shapes.<br clear="all" /></p>
<p><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/3x3-mystic-doubled-wire.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/3x3-mystic-doubled-wire-stamp.jpg" align="left" alt="3x3 mystic tied in doubled copper wire" /></a> Another thought was to use the cord of the template knot itself to pull the wire through the structure, but how to join cord to wire with minimal bulk? If the wire were doubled, the loop end of the wire could be easily joined to the cord. Doubling the wire allowed a smaller (higher gauge) and more flexible wire to be used. So just pick an end of the cord that you’ve tied the template knot with, and thread it through the loop end of the wire. I then guided the cord end back through the tied knot and when a pass across the structure was complete, I pulled the length of the wire through. At this point the ear would need to be formed or the structural loop firmly folded. Towards the end, pliers were still needed to coax the wire loop end over and under, but the amount of force needed and thus distortion caused was quite minimal.</p>
<p>The biggest problems were caused by the immediately previous loop or ear being warped by the forces of the next pass through the structure. As the wire was approaching it’s next fold point it would sometimes, instead of folding where expected, reshape the previous fold point instead. Knowing that this would sometimes happen and supporting the immediately previous bend while at the same time applying enough force to pull the wire through the structure was a tricky act of manual dexterity. The most warping was caused by the temptation to treat the wire like cord when you’re done tying the knot, because with cord you pull on the ears to tighten the structure of the knot, take up slack or generally reshape things just a little, just a little fine tuning, a little squaring up…</p>
<p>In retrospect, since wire knots most likely are not dense structurally, you could probably use a <a href="http://www.wigjig.com/jewelry-tools/WJU/techniques/loops/wrap1.htm" title="how to make a wrapped loop">wrapped loop</a> and tie your knot with this method with a single versus doubled wire element. Putting a glob of glue on the wrap to help streamline the shape might make for smoother tying. Another fun thing to try would be to use a bundle of 4 or even more finer wires and twist them as you go (beforehand better?) to give the appearance of cord.</p>Carol WangWhile I still was without my needle tool, I considered ways to pull the wire through the already formed part of the knot with minimal diWire Basics2009-01-03T00:00:00-08:002009-01-03T00:00:00-08:00http://localhost:4000/project%20diary/wire/wire-basics<p><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/wire/3-flower-wire.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/flower/wire/3-flower-wire-stamp.jpg" alt="3 flower tied in copper wire" align="left" /></a> <a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/2x2-mystic-wire.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/2x2-mystic-wire-stamp.jpg" alt="2x2 mystic knot tied in copper wire" align="right" /></a> Tying knots in wire is a lot like tying knots in cord in higher gauges. That is to say when the wire is thin, it handles somewhat like cord. The most important factor with thin wire (also with thicker wire, but we’ll get into that later) is kinking. If your wire folds and pinches, those kinks in the wire will likely always be there. Straightening wire only works so well. Similarly if you end up making little bends in the wire those bends are exceedingly difficult to get out and leave ugly tool marks on the wire even if you do.<br clear="all" /><br />
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<p><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/supplies/pliers.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/supplies/pliers-stamp.jpg" alt="round nosed pliers" align="left" /></a> <a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/supplies/hemostat.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/supplies/hemostat-stamp.jpg" alt="hemostat" align="right" /></a> So, the goal is to touch your wire a little as possible and move it into it’s final position when you do. To achieve this, you’ll want a jig (framework, template, tool) that guides the wire into it’s final shape (freehanding is usually a bad idea with wire knots) and use your pliers and hemostat only on the working end of your wire if you can manage it. The pliers help with guiding the wire into the knot as you are forming it, and the hemostat is good for pulling the wire through the knot. What you generally want to avoid (but is clear on the above mystic knot) is forcing the hemostat through your knot in an effort to grab the wire end and warping the heck out of the wires already in place. The missing tool that would have prevented this tragedy was the needle tool that was part of my workshop kit when I took a class from <a href="http://www.golden-knots.com/">Loren Damewood</a>.<a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/supplies/needle-tool.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/supplies/needle-tool-stamp.jpg" alt="needle tool" align="left" /></a> <a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/supplies/needle-tool-tip.jpg" title="bigger"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/supplies/needle-tool-tip-stamp.jpg" alt="needle tool tip" align="right" /></a></p>
<p>The tool is fairly simple in construction: take a crewel or yarn needle and bend the tip slightly and put a blob of something (polymer clay, a cork, etc.) on the end for better grip and to prevent blunt end stabbing when applying force to the tool. Of course, as soon as I gave up searching for my tool and bought a collection of needles for experimental construction purposes, I found my whole kit along with my needle tool. The needle being steel is of sterner stuff than what you’re tying your knot out of (silver, copper, etc.) so it is more effective than trying to force the working end of your wire through your knot. Also the slightly bent tip allows it to navigate overs and unders with minimal distortion of the wires already in place. Finally being a needle (albeit large in the scheme of sewing needles) it is still smaller than just about any pliers, hemostat or other gripping tool to assist your wire on it’s desired path.</p>
<p>When I am tying certain knots in cord and frequently when teaching, I will use paper templates the guide the cord. Paper templates will obviously not help with wire, but I experimented for a while with plastic sheets recycled from random packaging with holes created with a sharp awl. The problem with my first round of experimentation was inexperience with wire. Not knowing how to most effectively apply force and interlacement methods. Lacking confidence and dishearted by the sharp and poke-y mess I was creating, I set things aside until I could attend one of Loren’s workshops. I highly recommend Loren’s workshops and if you can’t attend one, he’s also working on <a href="http://www.golden-knots.com/kits_tools_order.html">kits</a> and instructional DVDs that you can order. Loren recommends and uses <a href="http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/carrick_mat_knot.htm">wood with nail jigs</a> but to me, at least, this seems like a lot of work for rapid prototyping and experimental purposes, especially with the number of knots I might want to tie. Thinking on the problem and remembering how very firm a knot tied in <a href="http://www.daoofsilk.com/catalog/cord/satin/">nylon satin cord</a> can be when tightened to an extreme degree, I thought: why not use a knot as a jig for a knot? As an added bonus, both the sizing of a properly tightened knot and the pattern of the knot in question (very useful for the more complicated knots) are already there. When you get towards the end of the knot and the wire and cord are crowding each other, simply untie the cord knot and remove it from the space in question (this can be done progressively as needs dictate). Voilà!</p>Carol WangTying knots in wire is a lot like tying knots in cord in higher gauges. That is to say when the wire is thin, it handles somewhat like cord.Mystic Wire2009-01-01T00:00:00-08:002009-01-01T00:00:00-08:00http://localhost:4000/project%20diary/wire/mystic-wire<p><a href="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/wire-mystic-small.jpg" title="bigger image"><img src="http://www.chineseknotting.org/mystic/wire/wire-mystic-stamp.jpg" align="left" alt="mystic charm" /></a> I’ve been obsessing about wire for a while now. If you tie your knots in wire you could make all sorts of interesting and unique findings like a chandelier/filigree finding or a stone/bead setting. This mystic charm was tied in 24ga copper wire. I first made a template with 1mm cord and ran the wire through as if I were adding a sideline embellishment thread. When the cord and wire start crowding each other, I removed the cord where wire had already passed. The image is enlarged for easier viewing. The actual item is less than 2cm along a side.</p>Carol WangI've been obsessing about wire for a while now. If you tie your knots in wire you could make all sorts of interesting and unique findings like a chandelier/filigree finding or a stone/bead setting. This mystic charm was tied in 24ga copper wire. I first made a template with 1mm cord and ran the wire through as if I were adding a sideline embellishment thread.Carol Wang