Bart: The wire from Home Depot and other building supply outlets will work just
fine, but as you note it must be annealed to make it pliable for use in training
branches. That is not a very hard thing to do. Basically you just heat it up to
cherry red in a kiln or a barbecue pit. You can let it cool slowly or use tongs to
pick it up and douse it in water. The second way tends to leave a cleaner wire.
The confusion can come from the fact that the labels on the Home Depot or
Lowe's wire often describes it as annealed. They are using the term very loosely,
because it is not pliable enough for bonsai use as is.
By the way, copper wire is measured in gauges, not mm.
Alan Walker, Lake Charles, LA, USA
http://LCBSBonsai.org http://bonsai-bci.com
================================
Is copper wire in 1.5mm to 2.5mm suitable for wiring branch styles? -
its a lot cheaper than the bronzed aluminium sold for styling, but
would it corrode on the tree and damage it?
========
Bart Thomas wrote:
If you're talking about the kind of copper wire (electrician's) that you buy
in Home Depot, the short answer is NO.
Corrosion isn't the problem. Copper wire is used regularly in Bonsai, but it
must be annealed, so that it is very flexible, but work hardens (gets much stiffer
as you bend it). In short, the wire goes on easily, but then holds
its position and must be cut off.
For a great fuller discussion, See the articles at Evergreen Gardenworks:
http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/copperwi2.htm
http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/copperwi.htm
Regards,
Bart

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