Select a wire that's either easily or moderately bendable for your first wire bending project. You can experiment with more difficult-to-manipulate wire types later. Good wires for your first project include: copper, silver and brass jewelry wire; colorful telephone wire (plastic-coated three-ply copper wire); aluminum wire from the hardware store; and even stiffer types of steel wire, including old wire coat hangers. You may use a particular wire type for its strength and durability, or its ability to be manipulated into intricate shapes. But consider combining two types of wire in one project for added visual effect.
There are both traditional and experimental techniques for bending wire. You may use traditional bending tools, such as jewelry or needle-nosed pliers, sometimes in combination with a vise. Or try techniques such as wrapping the wire around a small object with your hands, stomping the wire over a curb with your foot, or flattening one edge of the wire with a hammer until it curves. In wire artworks, the method of creating the art can be just as important to the meaning of the project as the idea or thing it visually depicts. If you're bending wire for a household or garden project, however, you may choose conventional tools for a predictable outcome.
Bending wire can provide a spark to the imagination or be a practical way to make something for your home or garden. In the world of art, wire bending can be used in anything from animal sculpture to self-portraits to jewelry settings. In your home or garden, bent wire can become a frame for a paper lantern, a basket for hanging fruits and vegetables, a rack for magazines or a structure for bean stalks to climb. Add spiral embellishments or twist two kinds of wire together for beautiful touches on almost any wire bending project.
Kids can play with wire, too. Have them wrap semi-precious stones in jewelry wire for necklaces at a birthday party, or ask them to create abstract wire sculpture art on a rainy afternoon. Create an open-ended puzzle by having children design kinetic sculpture out of wire. You can also have them decorate outdoor structures with wire--such as mailboxes or fence posts--to help them develop a sense of participation in outdoor maintenance. Be sure to file smooth any sharp wire ends for younger children, and supervise them at all times.