First off I would like to thank those of you for ansering my question on wiring birds. I'm having trouble getting the wire into the form after I have taped and bent the wire into the shape of the contour of the wing. When the wire is secured to the wing bone how do I slide the wire into the form? Sorry I tried to explain simple as possible. Thanks ED
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Pre-drill holes for the wire. I have used bird forms that were so tough that I had no other option.
If you are using fine wire (closed wing) you can pull it through with a long cape needle.
Tony
Are you cutting your wire at a sharp angle (so it has a very sharp point? Instead of just cutting the wire straight off?
Also-if you are buying commercial bird bodies, they use a mold release that makes the outer shell of the body really hard. You can pre-drill into your insertion point (1/8 inch or so is as deep as you have to go) and it should not be a problem. A sharp wire and a pre-drilled hole and you should not have any problems.
Riley
What I do is run a piece of smaller gauge wire through the bird body.
Not only is it easier to feed the wire through that you are using on the bird, you know where it will come out. When all the wire is in place, I curl the extra into the body to secure it. I also put a sharp point on both ends with the grinder. You can cut it at an angle instead but I prefer the grinder because there are no burrs.
Pre-drillinf works, a good sharp point helps, lots of tricks. Some forms are tough and light wire is tough to push through. Another thing that might help is grabbing the wire with a linemans pliers or even a vice grip and pushing a bit at a time. Sometimes it takes a little grunting to get it done!
what I meant was a smaller wire so I guess it would be a larger gauge. Pliers do help to.
What I'm trying to say i guess is when the wire is tied to the wing bones how do I slide the wire back down into the body? Like on the legs how you can back the wire out thru the foot to make room for the form.what I do is push the wire all the way out to the end of the wing finger then make room for the form then slide the wire into my pre-drilled holes is this ok?
Same as the above responses and it's always ok if it works for you. There is no "right" way. I still run the neck wire all the way through the skull, leaving extra wire. By doing this I can slide the neck and head up and down the wire giving me room where I need it to insert the wings. After the wing wire is through the body, I slide the head and neck in place. At this time check and see that the breast, wings ect. are where they should be. If you need more room to insert the leg wire into the body fold the wing wire at the base toward the legs. You shouldn't need to have the wire come out of the feet on a flying bird. Hope I didn't confuse you.