I am looking for ‘stiff’ cable necklaces for some of my work. In the
past, for viewing purposes, I made chokers out of bass guitar
strings. They were wonderful-- however the strings are made out of
steel and nickel. Not interested in selling my work on these. So–of
course someone is interested in 3 pieces for an upcoming gallery
show and wants them on something similar.
The multi strand chokers I’ve looked at don’t hold their shape. Know
there’s Chris’ Cable business but for this venue their prices won’t
work.
Surely I am not alone with this. Anybody got a stainless steel
vendor they’d be willing to point me to?
You might try these people for stainless steel wire, Liane. They sell
one pound canisters - not sure if they would sell less and have many
diameters of wire. Lots of choice there.
There are some wound classical guitar strings that are bronze. You
can choose your thickness, depending on pitch. If you want stainless,
I’ve acquired 7 X 7 stainless cable in the past from Small Parts,
Inc. However, Amazon bought them at some point and they no longer
seem to carry all the inventory they once did. Try a search on Amazon
and see what comes up. Also, if you want a warmer color than gray
steel, you can heat the stainless in a kiln. It will color up nicely
at about 600 F. The longer you hold it, the deeper the color. I’ve
made everything from straw gold to dark rust brown. The heat treated
colors are very stable and don’t further oxidize in the air or rub
off.
You might try Allcraft. A few years ago, I bought some really nice
cables from Tevel at a show. I don’t think he has a web site-- you
have to look them up, and call, and ask for Tevel. He doesn’t come
in until at least mid-morning, sometimes 1pm or so, New York time.
You could try the Worth Company they do lots of stainless steel
mainly for the fishing industry but think they might be able to help
you out.
You might also try Bass Pro Shops or any deep see fishing supply
store for stainless steel rigging wire in smaller quantities… they
have it in stainless steel color as well as a brown and sometimes
black finish.
Comes in different thicknesses/lbs ratings for fisherman.
McMaster-Carr sells stainless steel wire rope in a variety of
constructions and thicknesses, and in less than industrial
quantities. Here’s a link to their stainless steel cables.
bought them at some point and they no longer