Wire? What? Where?

j_rob101

I want to shape my juniper I know I need wire. Also, I know that I need either aluminum or copper wire. What I do not know is where to buy it? I have looked at Home Depot and Lowe’s and at a craft store, Hobby Lobby and Michael's. Oh yes, I also went to ACE Hardware. None of those stores carries the wire. They tell me this copper is for electric installation. Plus they measure in "gauge" not in "mm". Can you please help me? How do I search or buy wire?
Please help me this is my big dilemma. Also, What size wire do I need?

Here is my tree (Juniperus x Media 'Lemon Hill')
Before repot: http://photos.gardenweb.com/garden/...ainer_gardening

After repot: http://photos.gardenweb.com/garden/...ainer_gardening

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eBay . . . .

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irene_b

www.shadysidebonsai.com
this is tachigi (Tom Brown) from our site here.
He has every size you would need and his prices are fair.
Irene

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music_surf

I have found copper wire at two different ace hardware locations. Bare in 18 and 24 guage 25' rolls. And insulated in 12 guage, you just have to strip the insulation off. From what I can see aluminum is easier to work with, but that is just an opinion

tachigi

Most (not all) professionals opt to use copper for conifers due to its superior holding capacity. Copper is sized usually as gauge and aluminum is sized as mm.

Telling you what size you need is pretty tough due to the trees specific characteristics, and what type of wire your opting for.

You might want to check out this article on wire which should answer some of your questions

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Shady Side Bonsai
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Mcspeed

Proper bonsai wire is easier to work with for a lot of reasons, search around there has definately been a bunch of discussion on where and how to get wire.

Another props to Shady Side, most bonsai supply vendors sell it but Toms prices are some of the best. I should be placing an order with him soon.

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Graydon

OK - here is where this hobby can get expensive. Bonsai wire is proprietary as in you need a "special" wire to do it. Mind you it's wire but it is treated in a way to be more useful for bonsai. The aluminum is coated so it's not so bright and shiny and is always sold by MM. Get a metric ruler to judge sizes or use a conversion chart if you are good with decimal fractions. The copper is regular copper wire but it has been annealed. Annealing softens the copper so it is easier to apply to the branches. The act of applying it actually hardens it a bit - copper is one of the few metals that actually gets stiffer and stronger as you work it. Copper is always referred to in gauges but a quick search online will reveal a conversion chart to both MM and decimal fractions.

The expensive part comes in when you need to purchase many rolls of various sizes so you have the proper diameter you need. One size does not fit all in this case and there are specific suggestions for what size wire for what branch. Each roll has a lot of wire on it, even more so with smaller gauges or MM. Copper varies by seller or maker as to the amount of wire on a coil. Aluminum does too but generally it is offered in three sizes of rolls (an example here).

Aluminum or copper? That choice is really up to you. I bet most novices start with aluminum as it is more often available, can be purchased in smaller quantity and is easier to apply. I can tell you that if you learn to wire with copper you will be happy in the future. Based on the holding power of copper over aluminum you can use a smaller dimeter vs aluminum.

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Mcspeed

Great answer Graydon.

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waltr

Once you buy wire and apply it you will need to remove it at some point.
I would highly recommend buying a Japanese style wire cutter. There is not another tool that can get close to a branch to cut the wire without damage.