I have stripped plastic coatings from electrical wire. However, I now just use the right size wire. Once you paint it, it can be any material you wish it to be, by the color you paint it. The thing I like about wire is that you can get it in so many sizes from large diameter to tiny.
I used to get it from electronics supply stores and online vendors, but lately I have been picking it up at a Michaels craft store. The jewelry section sells a wide variety of sizes, materials, and colors. The already-colored ones seem to hold paint very well without priming. By that I mean the ones not in a brass or silver color, but red, blue, purple, etc. The silver and brass coated stuff needs to be primed before painting.
You have to be careful with vinyl- some paints affect it, and it stays sticky forever after painting.