Page 18 - Lindsey Philpott "The Ultimate Book of Decorative Knots"

12 THE ULTIMATE book of dEcorATIvE knoTs

metal and physically pulling (drawing) it through a
set of dies to make it progressively thinner, until the
desired thickness is achieved. As you might imagine,
this is a very heat-intensive process and the wire
becomes softer for having been drawn in this way.
However, after treatment, it is usually much stiffer
than regular cord. After you’ve cut a length of wire,
beware of the sharp edge left on its end. Using a
piece of coarse emery paper, fold it in two and grip
the end with the paper. Then rotate the wire in
the fold of the emery paper, making a temporary
bend in the wire to act as a handle if needed – don’t
use pliers to grip it unless you have a pair with flat
surfaces and no teeth, otherwise you may mar the
surface of the wire.

What works
Pulling (or pushing) wire with rubber gloves or line
leather gloves works well, as does using flat-bladed If cord is a fibre bundle that is less than 5mm thick,
pliers, cutting by working to and fro at a bend, and line is every other long, fibre-based flexible bundle.
having sharp cutting nippers. This includes rope, braided line, laid line, and
more. You can find most lines in marine hardware
What doesn’t work shops, regular hardware shops, ironmongers and,
Wire does not take well to bending. Once bent, a sometimes, craft stores. There is a terrific variety
piece of wire will seldom go back to being perfectly of lines available, from the hemp shown previously
straight again. Similarly, scratches in the surface of to manila available almost everywhere you look, to
a piece of wire can very seldom be smoothed away. jute, sisal, inorganic fibres (such as nylon, polyester,
Coloured wire will lose its anodised colour surface and polypropylene), and more. Below left is a
if you twist it too much. Coloured wire has a painted photograph of a hank of coir (pronounced cawr)
or oxidised surface that may or may not be able to which is made from the husk of the coconut seed. It
take some rough treatment. If the colour of a piece is the only natural fibre to float without treatment.
of wire you’re using is important, try to treat the The cells are hollow, to help the seed float the
wire with kid gloves (literally) so that you do not world’s Southern and Indian Oceans.
abrade the surface and so that bent pieces can be The photograph of natural fibres (right, below)
gently massaged back into a reasonable shape. is of a hank of raw sisal. Sisal fibres are very white