How many out their use size 14 wire in their pheasant wings?
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I believe you hit the guage right on the head..sounds good depending upon pose eh?
For flying pheasants, I'd never think of using anything smaller than #10 wire. I use #12 for the legs, but I don't want my bird "flopping" in the wind with that small a wire. I firmly believe you should always use the largest wire you can get to work in a bird so the mount will be solid.
on this one, I use the the heaviest possible to still allow posing and having a solid mount.
14 gu doesn't bother me on flying mounts so long as the wings are also caulked up to give added strength. I like the ability to shape my inner wire therefore a smaller gu is more suited.. however.. like George stated.. the heaviest wire possible is the way to go if you don't plan on caulking
j~
i use 14 in the wings as well. i dont caulk the entire wing on my birds, but i do give a couple of pumps at the junction of the humerous and the body. once that sets, its not going anywhere.
i cant even imagine using 10 gauge in pheasant wings unless it was that black annealed wire that some places sell. you know, the kind that bends easy and holds its shape. it has no spring to it. i havent tried that kind, but i have heard it is easier to bend but still holds its strength.
you can definately get by with 14. and when i used to be able to find 13, thats what i used.
I'm with Jon! It's hard enough to shape wings with 14 guage, let alone 10? Use caulk or glue and your wings will be plenty sturdy!
The real issue is how well the wire is secured to the wing bones. If the wire is inserted into the ulna bone and wrapped with electrical tape there is only a tiny area where the wire is exposed. Than caulking the joint as Jon said will give it added strength. Positioning the wings naturally is more difficult with heavy wire.