Thin wire

I haven't found thin lead wire, at least for 1/72 models.

I try to find copper.

Try cooking the alum? Why not, let us know.

pilotjohn

Is it possible to anneal the aluminum wire that I have?

I suspect that even a candle flame will be enough to destroy thin aluminum wire. (It doesn't melt, it actually just falls apart)

You could try stripping some insulation off some speaker wire & extract a filament or two.

Terms like fine or thin do not mean as much as actual diameter or gauge numbers.  Are we talking about ten mil (0.010) or one mil (0.001)?  I have never seen solder as fine as the copper or steel wire I can find.  Butt glue joints of fine wire do not hold well, because the gluing area is miniscule.  The two main techniques for strong attachment of wire are to drill a hole in the material the line is being attached to, or knotting it around a spar or mast.  The second method is indeed hard with stiff wire or some monofilament threads, and for those, the gluing method is often easier.  Drilling small holes in small diameter masts is hard, but it can be done.  One needs a set of small drill bits- range 60 - 80, and a good pin vise (allows you to turn drill bit with fingers). 

Drilling holes in round spars or masts is aided by making a small dimple in the spar with the point of a new, sharp #11 blade in X-acto knife, or a very fine point awl or scriber.

One can indeed anneal (make soft) most metal wire by heating to red hot, then letting it cool.  However, this is hard for aluminum wire, as it will burn in air if you get it just a bit too hot.  So copper, brass, or steel wire is a better material for rigging.

pilotjohn

I had scene a video somewhere in the past about using thin lead wire as it is soft and stays put.  I am unable to find it anywhere.  Any thoughts?  

Go to the Fly Tying department in a sporting goods store like BassPro, Cabellas, or Orvis.   They have fine lead wire in diameters 0.015 mm and up.   It is used for weighting fishing flies.

[While there, look at small fly-tying hooks - size 20 and smaller.   The eyes on the hooks make great tie-off points for antennas, etc.  Cut off the bend,  drill hole in surface & super glue the shank in the hole.]

Hello!

In electronics stores you can find some nice wire and tools to work it with, too. There are tin and silver covered copper wires used to wind coils, there is soldering wire, some of it very thin. That's the lead wire you're lookin' for, perfect for showing flexible hose, pipes and stuff like that. The copper wire is perfect for railings and so on. If a very thin copper wire is needed, you can look for it in high flexibility multi-strand wires and in braided screens found in signal cables. Lots of different stuff and most of the time you can cheaply buy, say a meter of that stuff and it will last you really long.

I hope this helps, good luck with your builds and have a nice day

Paweł

Thanks to everyone for your replies. There is a Cabellas about 30 minutes away, so I will check it out.  Some fine coper may work also, so I will see about stripping out some speaker wire.  I don't know of any electronics stores around.  

John

Look in the beading section at Michaels or hobby Lobby. They have copper wire in many colors and diameters. Also, parawire.com has an amazing array of wire gauges and pre colored wire in brass and copper and steel. I use black to do blocks instead of cordage as I can make the ring and straps of one piece.

EJ

I bought lead wire off of amazon. Some of the sellers sella variety of thicknesses.  It stays put, easy to shape and move, and be cut with a hobby knife

Hi;

     I have read all the replies and I believe Pavel has come closest to a solution .E.Z. line works to a point .Myself , I use fine wire from H.O. train moror windings .

    I wait till the motor needs replacing or upgrading and keep the old wire from them .I also use fine wire from multi stranded computer wiring . 

    What I really like best , and as Don Stauffer said drilling a hole first works , is the finest available " Invisible " thread for sewing that you can buy . When it sags over time you use a freshly blown out match to tighten it  , too .        T.B.