Wire that is already straight (not in a roll) is hard to find. There’s also a table on Wikipedia that shows various data including the gauge, diameter and more of the various wire gauges. The 76 foot (23 meters) mobile by Alexander Calder at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, is made with hollow honeycomb-type structures designed by Paul Matisse (grandson of Henri Matisse and son of Pierre Matisse) and covered with paper-thin aluminum, and aluminum and steel bars, with the stress points being strengthened with molybdenum. Despite its size, the mobile ended up weighing only about 100 pounds (45 kg). So for a large mobile (33 feet in height) that I made, I used hollow aluminum pipes and aluminum sheet. You want the mobile to move with the air currents. Alexander Calder‘s giant mobile sculpture White Cascade, which measures 100 feet in height, was made with steel and weighs close to 10 tons (!). If you’re going even bigger, using solid metal rounds makes the mobile too heavy, especially when using steel. You can get them at a smaller metal retailer such as Metal Supermarkets, or from a large commercial metal supplier like this one. If you’re planning on making a really large mobile, I recommend you use steel or aluminum rods (rounds) instead of wire, starting with 1/8 inch thick ones. Or take a look at these instructions on how to make a hook bender, and there are videos on YouTube that show how to make your own rod bending tool. Di-Acro benders are quality tools in the higher price range ( The Art of Bending PDF by Di-Acro can be a useful resource). There’s a variety of rod and pipe bending tools that can be applied to certain aspects of making mobiles (if you’re willing to spend the money for one). Especially if you start using solid metal rods (rounds), you’ll need to figure out how to bend it in ways other than just with your hands and a pair of pliers. If you’re planning on a mobile that’s a little bigger and a little heavier, you will have to get 12 or even 9 gauge wire, but when you go to that thickness it’s becoming increasingly hard to bend. 16 gauge is sort of in the middle, and 14 gauge works good for a little heavier attachments (I use mostly 14 and 16 gauge for my two to three feet sized mobiles where the shapes are made of sheet metal). 18 gauge is very easy to bend and works fine if you’re attaching lightweight things to it like paper shapes. Wire comes in different gauges, the smaller the gauge number the thicker the wire. If you can’t find them in any stores near you, you can get them online at a place like McMaster-Carr. Any place that has fencing supplies can be a good source too. Two tips: if you can’t find it in the regular hardware section: sometimes hardware stores have wire in the dropped ceiling section and I’ve also seen wire sold in the household section as clothing line. It usually comes in a roll (see image below), usually 100 feet long and costs around $6 a roll. Most of the time I use galvanized wire for my smaller mobiles which you can get at most hardware stores. I just got one again and I figured I’ll just turn it into a post on my blog here. I get an email once in a while asking what kind of wire I suggest to use to make a hanging mobile and where to buy it. What Wire to Use to Make a Hanging Mobile and Where to Buy It
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