To make wire frames there are a couple tools that are necessary and some that make things faster and easier.
A welder is a necessity. There are several types to choose from however I would reccommend a MIG welder for making wireframes.
MIG stands for Metal Inert Gas. This welder is a wire feed type that feeds filler material wire into the weld as it's made. Also while the weld is being made the gun of the welder delivers a shielding gas around the weld. This keeps oxygen from penetrating the weld, leaving a less porous, nicer looking, stronger weld. This gas for steel is a mix of carbon dioxide and argon. There are many brands of welders. I own a Miller, however there are other good brands like Lincoln and Hobart. When buying a welder you really get what you pay for, so be careful of the cheap stuff.
A few tools that are nice to have are a heavy duty welding table, bolt cutters, 4" angle grinder, a 6" table or pedestal grinder, a table or pedestal belt sander, a conduit bender, ring roller, bench vise
A welding table is nice as a base to weld your projects on. Also You can drill a couple of holes in it and it will help with the bending process. for sharp bends you just drop the wire to the desired point then drop a loose fitting pipe over the rest of the wire and bend to the desired angle. I made all the star bends (50) in about 15 minutes, using this technique.
Bolt cutters are the easiest way to cut 1/4 wire to length. Simply measure and cut almost like a set of huge diagonal snips. I cut all 50 pieces of wire for the stars in about 15 minutes, using one as a template for length.
I also use a conduit bender for bending larger arcs in the wire. The conduit bender has a long handle for leverage and is designed to keep hollow tubing from collapsing or kinking. This makes for some nice bends in 1/4 wire as long as you take your time and work up to the bend radius you want.
A ring roller is the ultimate tool for making large arcs and rings. I don't have one but someday I will!!!
Maybe I'll make one.
A bench vise is a very useful tool for manipulating the wire into shape or holding parts tight. I think almost every wireframe part I've made has touched my vise for some reason or another.
The grinders and sanders are nice for smoothing any shrp or rough edges. You can also fine tune lengths as well.
To be Continued............
