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Nova Scotia,CanadaCould someone please tell me what you use to "wire' the arms of mini bears(say 4-6 inches) Do you fasten the wire to your joint in some way?I know that you stuff less but I need to know what wire works best and how to attach.I'm making two little bears and I want them to be able to "hug" and cuddle.Thanks so much for your help and advice. 
Hugging you all in advance,Shari.
Posts: 8,574I use pipe cleaners.....now......also known as Chennillle stems or something like that you can pull the fuzz out of one end and wrap them around your screw or cotterpin and probably you will want to bend the other end up on itself.
I noticed in a catalog that there are several different thicknesses of these little gems.....
dilu
Back Road BearsYup, pipe cleaners!!
You could also use a medium guage florist wire, again, make a loop in the ends - to go around your bolt or through your cotter pin and at the other end so the end doesn't poke through the paw. Florist wire can be bought at craft stores usally. Similar wire can be bought at hardware stores on a spool.
Daphne
Winneybears and FriendsHmmm, I have found florist wire to break too easy....later when it gets too old.
Florist wire does rust . I don't know about pipe cleaners...
I use a galvanized steel wire I got on a roll ( spool like Daphne says ) from Lowes hardware..it comes in several gauges, I had bought it to make a loop on the back of my Fimo noses ( since found a better way for noses )...
My friend who is making a small 8" bear use some of my wire
(she doubled it ) for the arm and went thru the cotter pin.. then back down on its self. That worked great ! I suppose you could also wrap a bit of plummers tape around it and the end like I do for bigger home made armatures....that keeps the wires together real well and keeps the end from poking out of the fabric.... Winney
Delartful BearsOh, instead of using florist wire, you could use the lovely cake dec wire which comes in a billion different thickness'.. it's designed not to rust - because it's going into food.
Then, if you think you need a thicker wire, grab some florist tape and tape some wire stems together.
I think you can buy armetures that would suit that size bear, you just need to cut them down...
Good luck, and of course, we want to see a photo of your finished peice!
Danni
MerBear OriginalsI use a coated copper wire that my husband gave me. He joins it to a thingey that goes over the cotter pin. Sorry - my description leaves a lot to be desired. If you want I will ask him for a more comprehensive description and send it to you. The wire is light and bends anywhichway and depending on the size of the bear I use it doubled or single. I believe it is very cheap to obtain at RadioShack or whatever.
Marion
Nova Scotia,CanadaThanks girls,I do have some wire that I use in bigger bears but I wondered if I should just use chennille(pipe cleaners) I know I can buy armatures but really didn't want to for this scale.
Marion,thank-you. I'm pretty sure I know what you mean and I have some thingy's but wondered if they were too big but I think I can get smaller ones also.:)
Thanks girls,I'll post the bears when I finish,hugs,Shari.
Hi Shari,
These are the tools I use to make my armatures. I use the method suggested in Nancy Tillberg's book. I buy the electrical wire at the hardware store off the big rolls that comes in different thicknesses. (This type had 3 plastic coated wires inside the plastic casing). I then bought Ring Terminals in the electrical sections also - They are in the package and also come in different sizes.
1) Strip the plastic off the ring terminal ( the blue part in this case) so it is then all silver with a round opening for the wire.
2) Insert the coated wire into the ring terminal.
3) Crimp ( squish) the ring terminal to secure the wire. - That red tool is a crimper. but pliers would work well too.
4) I cover the bottom end of the wire with tape so it doesn't poke thru the paw.
Sounds complicated but it is soooooo easy and soooooooo cheap !!!!!!
Nova Scotia,CanadaThanks Tammy.I have all that for my big bears and thought it would work for small but just wanted to check with everyone else.I need to get smaller ring terminals for these little guys and in earlier posts I learned that I should sauder the ring terminal on.Thanks girls
Shari.
Tammy, that pictures is fabulous. Thank you so much for taking the time to photograph and edit it so we can all see, with ease, how this idea gets going.
Any chance I can persuade you to post this under a new thread called something like, "How to make custom wire armatures" or something like that? I'm sure over time this photo will be very useful to TEDDY TALK visitors.
You're a rock star; Thanks in advance,
Gee Shelli, I always wanted to be a rock star LOL 
Actually I'm just happy when I can actually contribute something useful once in awhile 
I learn by seeing things so I thought a visual might be easier for some.
I reposted this under tips. Should I delete it from here ???
No need to delete, as it answers the thread question posed here, which will remain. I saw your post in tips&techniques; thank you!
fribbles, ltd...I use a galvanized steel wire I got on a roll ( spool like Daphne says ) from Lowes hardware..it comes in several gauges, I had bought it to make a loop on the back of my Fimo noses ( since found a better way for noses )...
Winney, this may've been asked before [I'm going through the Miniatures section first, then I'm going to go through the Tips & Techniques section] but what is the better way for noses? I make a circle and then bend both ends at 90 degrees to the circle, embedding the circle into the clay and making sure it's securely covered, with the ends sticking out.
*is very interested to know better ways!!* Thank you! = )
Amelia
Pandy Potter BearsI use pipe cleaners too, bending the ends in. The other thing I have just bought is tiny magnets so that is another option in the end of the arms to get that cuddle grip!
Kim-Bee Bears*off to buy chenille stems and magnets*
Winneybears and FriendsAmelia...Your way sounds like it may work just fine . I since found a better way from reading some of the other posts on making fimo noses...use a glass eye already on a wire or loop....then bake the nose on...
I have some eyes that have flaws like bubbles or flecks of something in the glass , even litle glass bumps stuck on top of the glass...these will all become Fimo noses....simple solution onhow to use up these flawed eyes and get a great Fimo nose made...Winney
Terries BearsI use chenille stems folded in half, the ends securely twisted together and placed in the middle so that there is no sharp wire at either end. Then the top loop can be placed under the cotter pin.
Wild Thyme OriginalsYou know what... we have another tread on this very topic... somewhere... I'll look around! Something that I love using.... and I know that someone else had suggested it too... Helena maybe...you know those clear plastic coated wires that are laying all over the floor after a child's birthday or Christmas.... the toy industry uses them to tie in all manner of toys & toy parts into the card board boxes.... Those things work fabulously for miniatures.
Kim Basta
Wild tHyme Originals
