What wire to buy?

[shadowazure]

Hi I am new to bonsai and I want to buy some wire for the coming months, what wire sizes will i need the most and what sizes should i buy. 1.5-6? Anodised aluminium?

[Gerard]

Anodised aluminium
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
will be used most, if you anticipate some strong bending of thicker branches
4.0
5.0
6.0
I prefer to use other methods for heavy bends and do not use a lot of the thicker wire (but I do need some)

[shadowazure]

Thank you for sharing this information it means a lot.

[Damian Bee]

It may be a bit of a hike but bonsai north west stock some good stuff at each meeting

[Haydenmc]

No doubt start with aluminium wire, don't even bother with the very fine stuff - 1mm is almost useless.
I'm finding myself reaching for the rolls of copper more nowadays, but is certainly not the cheap option to start and practice with - but buying through the club (BNW) is cheaper than trying to import it.


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[Andrew Legg]

Do yourself a favour and watch Graham Potter's wiring videos. They are on You Tube. Goods habits from day one help a lot! Also googe "thoughts on bonsai wiring" and give that a read.

I'd go for 2 to 4 mm aluminium for most wiring jobs, but it depends entirely on the stiffness of what you are trying to wire. You can always run two wires parallel if you need a bit extra.

Think of wiring as an art, and not a chore and you'll enjoy it so much more.

[kcpoole]

I use Aluminium anodised wire and have the following sizes in my box all the time
1.0 ( I find it great for new foliage wiring on Azaleas and junipers)
1.5
2.5
3.5
5.0
6.0

Never bothered with other sizes as these have served me ok for what i need to do.
Similar to golf. When I play I only use about 6 clubs out of the bag. A professional will use them all, but I lack the finesse to require the intermediate sizes.

Ken

[Rory]

I use Aluminium anodised wire and have the following sizes in my box all the time
1.0 ( I find it great for new foliage wiring on Azaleas and junipers)
1.5
2.5
3.5
5.0
6.0

Never bothered with other sizes as these have served me ok for what i need to do.
Similar to golf. When I play I only use about 6 clubs out of the bag. A professional will use them all, but I lack the finesse to require the intermediate sizes.

Ken

Hahaha, well said kc, very well said. I must be a better golfer than you because I use 7 clubs. (joking). Though, my handicap is my swing. But to be honest, I too am just not that good, and I can't be bothered carrying a full set, similar to bonsai, I think I use 2 or 3 thicknesses for wiring bonsai, as I just improvise with what I've got. Similarly in golf, a lob wedge is a beautiful tool when used well, but in the hands of anyone with a handicap over 10, it is just a status symbol

It is amazing how many practical uses you can use for a putter. Funny you should mention golf... I was playing the Springs in Peats Ridge, Central Coast, NSW last weekend, and I noticed all their native plantings, and you'd swear they've just gone to a bonsai farm as they all have these gnarly thick trunks to them, then about 20cm up, they just taper into these little beauties. It was somewhat distracting looking at all the beautiful stock.

Seriously though, I don't even use the finer wiring, as I just don't have the time to set very new growth. I wish I did, but with 2 kids and 2 jobs, it is a luxury I cannot afford.

[shadowazure]

Thank you for your feed back I really appreciateit. You are all very nice. I have seen Graham Potters video on wiring and pretty much all of his videos . I think wiring is fun because you get to spend time with your tree, I have heard a lot of people seem not to like it although.