Bike Out of Wire

How to make a wire sculpture

This is not a complete step by step Instructable for you to follow, it will guide you to make a bike out of wire. I learned how to do this in Senegal, and this Instructable is me learning by doing.

if you have something to add, please do so, this Instructable is made for collaboration.

First tips:

You should start with a thick long wire.
You should not cut the wire
the whole point is that you turn it to the right or to the left side to build the bike

Materials & tools

Wire - thin and a bit thicker wire

the more flexible the wire the easier it will be for you to build the bike.
the more stable you want the sculpture to be the thicker the wire that you should use.

Needle-nose pliers
Wire cutters (needle-nose pliers and wire cutters are sometimes combined in a single tool)
large nails or pens
scissors
Cans
wire
1 pair of wire-cutters
1 pair of needlenose pliers
Useful: real models for inspiration, such us your own bike, or old toy cars.

Step 1: Turning the Wire

Using the pliers twist the wire to the opposite side,

Step 2: More Turning

repeat the step twice towards the opposite side to make a bike seat!

Step 3: Making the Fist Step

Using a tense long wire calculate more or less how big you want the seat to be and then twist the wire to your opposite side.

Step 4: More Turning- Holding the Shape

You should hold the wire firmly while you are twisting it so that you are able to maintain the shape of the seat.

Step 5: An Example

It should look like this

Step 6: Making Small Curves

Now you are going to to turn the wire down to start making the bottom side of the bike.

After you turn it down ( calculating the length of the bike) using a pencil or a nail you can make the round shape as seen in the picture.

Step 7: Repeat the Step

repeat the step, you want to to create a spiral shape, for that reason the more you use the pencil to keep the width of the spiral shape the easier that it will be for you and the better it will look.

Step 8: Twisting Example

twisting example, use any circular object to help you

Step 9: The Spiral Shape

so here you can see that even my bike is not that straight but I am getting the shape right and the spiral shape as well.


Then you continue with the thick wire twisting it down and then up to make a triangular shape as seen in the picture.

Step 10: Connecting the Shape

Now you use the thin wire, that is very flexible, to connect the shape.

Step 11: Making the Right Connections

The idea is that you want to make your connections in a way that they are going to look good.

usually people do it exactly one after the other wire ended, leaving no space in between the wires

Step 12: Almost Ready

The bike should look like this.

You are able to see how the thin wire was used.

You are able to see how the long wire is being constantly twisted to make the right shape.

Step 13: Making the Steering

you should start like this and the you should twist the sides to make the steering that you want.

Step 14: Steering

Tips to make the steering

Step 15: More Steering Tips

more steering tips

Step 16: Steering Details

Close up of the steering

Step 17: Connecting Parts

This is how you should connect the bike with the steering

Step 18: Getting Ready for the Tires

Here is the set up to insert the wheels into the bike

Step 19: To Make the Tires

to make perfect circles you can use a coca-cola can

Step 20: Making the Tires

To make the circle you can use any soda can to get the perfect circular shape.

Then using the thin wire you can connect the tire to the bike.

Step 21: Detail.

Detail.

Step 22: Detail

Detail.

Step 23: Connect the Tires to the Steering

make sure you leave some space to attach the wire that will connect the tires to the steering.

you can now cut the wire extra wire

Step 24: Wheel Detail

more inspiration for the tires

Step 25: Finishing Up the Bike

make sure the tires are turning.

Step 26: Detail

Detail

Step 27: Making the Pedal

The pedal

Step 28: Using Cans for Style

cut the upper side

cut the rest of the can to cover the shapes.

In this case I cut the body of the can into small strips to add some color into the bike.

Be careful the edges can cut you quite easily

Step 29: Stylish Bike

for bike decorations you can use fabric or cans to add some style to your bike

Step 30: Future Ideas

Now you can create cars or other objects and decorate them with can left overs.