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Dolls N DreamsHi, had this post in General but moved it to here.....
I'm wanting to play around with some wire armatures, I went to home depot but was faced with a ton of different copper wiring. And so many gauges. I know you need something with some stiffness, what size gauge would you know to buy???????? The bigger the wire got it was almost impossible to bend it.
I'm using the terminal rings under the bolt , but what do you do with the other end? And how far do you stop it from the paw?
Sorry but this is something I have not really researched but wanting to get my feet wet!
hugzzzzzz
Tami,
I can't tell you what size wire I use, but I just go to the hardware store (we have a small local one) and just feel and touch and bend all the available gauges til I find the one I think will work. It has to be stiff enough to hold the shape but pliable enough to move the arms/legs.
I bend the paw end over on itself so the end is not sharp and then wrap it with electrical tape or duct tape and then pad the whole wire armature with polyfil before putting it in the arm. I don't have the wire going directly to the end of the paw, maybe just into the paw because I usually just have the arm to bend, not the paw itsself. Course you could extend the wire further into the paw, but I'm always a little careful about doing this as I don't want to poke a hole accidentally in the paw pad.
Remember to lightly stuff the arm so you will be able to bend the wire. If you stuff too tightly, it won't bend.
Hugs,
Wanda
WienTami, I have been lurking on these spinelike plastikthingies that can be connected for bending, but honestly I think, this is too expensive.
I have tried FLOROFIX ( honestly, I cannot tell you if you get it in USA) which is used also by florists :
It´s basically thin wire covered in a foamy substance; I htought it worked quite well.
But I am pretty sure, that you can find half a ton of other even better stuff in US! :)
Gaby 
I do what Wanda does, just about exactly. Put one end at the ring terminal, and turn the paw end into a loop. Wrap it around the arm wire part and cover that wrap with floral tape. Wrap the length of the wire with polyfil (which I secure using fishing line) and insert in limb. Stuff lightly so it will bend.
I use plastic-coated copper wire; it just somehow felt like the right thing to choose. Can't give you a good reason why. I guess I thought it would help prevent discoloration from copper decay (verdigris/patina) but I have no evidence of that happening.
