Who among y'all has done an authentic wire wrap? I need tips on technique, materials, etc. I think I can figure out the wrapping and securing, but I'm stumped for ideas about the wire. Where can I find steel wire (non-stainless) of the appropriate gauge? Can I find it pre-twisted? If not, should I make some sort of rotating paddle for twisting the wire? Has anybody seen non-twisted wire on 16th-17th c. swords? Any refs?
Thanks in advance for the advice/ideas!

Hi Sean,
Where to find the wire: hardware stores frequently have spools of steel wire in guages from 22 or so to 28. Craft stores have similar, but you can find wire there down to 32 or 34 guage. Sometimes you'll find it blackened. Avoid the galvanized stuff (unless you experiment and find something that blackens it). I've never seen pre-twisted wire.

What I use for twisting the wire ropes is a hook made from a clothes hanger that can be mounted in an electric or hand drill chuck. If I have a long strand to twist, I use the electric. If I need a shorter one that requires a very even or complex twist, I use the hand drill.

You sometimes see untwisted wire on grips of Saxon rapier hilts of the latter half of the 1500s, but they are always used in conjunction with a twisted strand. You can also find a strand or two of fine plain wire on many grips of the 16 and 1700s. I've never seen an original that only had untwisted strands.

What sort of sword are you doing the grip for?

--ElJay

Ah! A drill! I think I stole the paddle idea from some book about wilderness survival (making cord). I guess I'll make the great leap forward into the industrial age. My Dremel might work well since it has adjustable speeds. This is exactly the info I needed, ElJay. Many thanks!
I'm going to try this on the MRL "Scottish Backsword" I distressed. The original leather grip just didn't seem right for a munitions-grade sword of the era. I stripped off the leather and added some torn thicker pieces of leather under badly-done faux turks heads to simulate age, but later ditched the THs and leather bits. The piece looks much better than in the crummy old image shown below. The rust is now inactive and very dark. Overall, the weapon has developed a darker, richer patina, and I'll be distressing the wire grip, too. This is one case in which a less-than-perfect wire wrap will be a plus. If it turns out perfectly, I'll have to bash it with a stick a few times. I'm not sure how I'll be attaching the free ends of the wire. This grip has small holes, one at each end, that held the faux THs in place, so that and some JB Weld might do the trick. Otherwise I'll have to--gulp--figure out how to tie a genuine TH. I've been avoiding that. Ferrules are pretty much out of the question due to my non-existent metallurgical skills.
Now I need to wind a thick string around the grip to get some idea how long a piece of wire I'll need. I'll have to remember that twisting will shorten the wire....
Again, many thanks!

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UPDATE: Lowe's didn't have anything even close to what I needed, but Hobby Lobby had 10 yd spools of 20ga. steel beading wire for $1.99 each. That may be just the thing. Thanks for the great tip, ElJay.

Hi Sean,
What I should have mentioned is that the smaller mom & pop stores are the ones where you'll find the wire. The "True Value" and "Ace" franchises will also usually have it.

When you do your grip you may want to try using two wire ropes twisted in opposite directions. This will give you a nice herringbone type effect, and is appropriate for both high end and low end swords.

--ElJay

Yeah, I want to do the typical herringbone pattern. I considered a pattern of two twisted to one untwisted, but that may prove to be too ambitious for my first wire wrap project, especially since I'm not sure yet how I'll secure the ends of the wire. Three strands might complicate that process. I'll see how the herringbone works out.

. . . hope i got this posting thing right. . .

if you are looking for an easy set of instructions for doing a turk's head knot, check out the book Braiding and Knotting Techniques and Projects by Constantine A. Belash, pp. 111-113 [isbn 0-486-23059-7]. has also come in handy for some other leather projects. got it at borders a while back for about six bucks.

trying to help with my own two cents. . .

Jon

UPDATE: The beading wire seems to be either stainless or galvanized. I believe in my heart that it WILL rust given the right circumstances! One spool is getting the vinegar/salt treatment now, so I should know by the end of the day if this wire is a viable option for my project.

Jonathon: Thanks for the tip! The Turks Heads are daunting, and all advice helps. I've noticed that the THs oftern are missing from antiques, so I do have an option to leave them off.

BAILING WIRE! It's 20 ga., unpolished and $3.49 for spool of 350 ft. at ACE.

Sean, What does the vinegar/salt treatment do? Is it to give an antique appearance or does it do something else?
D

The vinegar & salt has a powerful effect on non-stainless steel. Wipe down non-lacquered, non-stainless steel with this stuff and the rust will form VERY quickly. It seems that the beading wire must be nylon-coated stainless, as this treatment had almost no effect. The bailing wire should work well, although it's a bit thicker than I'd like--perhaps closer to 18 ga.. The twisting went well, anyway. Four strands in two groups, one group twisted clockwise, the other counterclockwise. Second group is more challenging because you have to match the twist of the first. I'm second-guessing myself now, wondering if I got the twist tight enough...I may have to modify lower end of the grip so wire won't be significantly higher than the quillon block.

You may have seen a lot of these -- but here's a web page with instructions on how to tie a Turk's Head knot.

http://www.northnet.org/ropeworks/archive/turkhed.html

It seems do-able, and I'll probably try it myself when I get home.