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bonsaiTALK Master Craftsman
Join Date: May-2005
Country: The Netherlands
Posts: 983
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Hi DARRELLW,
Here are some tips for working with copper wire.
Although wiring with aluminium or copper wire surves the same purpose, the technics in apliyng the both is somewhat differend!
Copper wire is used by most proffesionals ; because after it is bend it hardens almost instently, this means that it holds a branche better in place with much less thick wire than when you would use aluminium wire to bend the same branche, because Aluminium wire stays flexible! It also after some time turns into a nice darkbrown colour!
This is a plus, but there is also a downside to this, especialy when you use thick copper wire, once you bend it around a branche it has to be don right the first time because it wont bend back anymore!
Also because it is so stiff you have to make sure you support every bend you make along the branche with your thumb and index finger of your free hand, otherwise you will allmost surtenly damage the bark,or put it on to loos or even wurse: to tight!
That is why copper wire should be a little loser applied then aluminium, and there is no room for errors!
I tried to explain in the drawing a other thing that is very important in using copper wire, If you put the wire on before you bend the branche and the wire does not stretch or bend any more, it wil dig in the bark along the red arrows, the opposite wil happen allong the green arrows: there the wire comes together because of the bending and therefor will open up, leaving a space between the wire and the branche! Therefor while you put on the wire with your right hand, the left hand should not only surport the wire like i mentioned before, but your hand should also be bending the branche more or less in the intended possition! So bend the branche, than the next turn with the wire, hold the branche there, and so on!
The copper will harden and wil hold the branche then almost in the right possition without beeing to loos or to tight, and now it is also stil posible to make some small adjustments!
Dowing it in this way the change of damiging or breaking the branch is very small, it also means you can use less wire to hold the branche in its place!
In the case off your tree you can also use a peace of iron bar (see pic), it wil save you a lot of wire, and there is less change off damaging the bark!
I never use copper on a tree that is still in training, only when i need to bend a realy thick branche I will use it! Aluminium is good enough, much cheaper and not so difficold to put on!
Tip: When you use copper wire just before the bonsai goes in a show, the fresh copper collor will be very noticeble, with a small brush and some jinseal you can paint the copper wire, and in a few days it will turn into a darkbrown colour!
Hope this helps some,
Best regards,
Hans van Meer.
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