Introduction: Wire Animals

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About: You will not find one specific thing being made by me. I make a wide range of things. Ross

Hello Instructablers, humans, dogs on the internet and aliens doing reconnaissance on the earth.

In this Instructable I will be telling and showing you how to make the adorable animals pictured below.

As usual I like to include a short story of how this Instructable came to happen, a while back I saw these amazing sculptures of animals made from wire and for months wanted to make them, one day I bought a pack of wire to make earring findings only to find out it was not suitable for this purpose. DAMN! But being the non wasteful so and so that I am I decided to make these small animals.

I hope you enjoy and let's get started!

(I first spotted this on an etsy store the link to which is below)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/wireanimals

Step 1: What You Will Need!

For this project there is very little that you will need, namely:
  • A drill- optional- If you would like the spiral on the wire that mine has you will need the drill
  • Wire-  The cheapest will do here no need to break the bank, I'm using 22 Gauge garden wire
  • A variety of cylindrical object with ascending circumferences- For example a small round file, a pencil, a hot glue stick, a pen
  • A way of cutting the wire- I used my multi-tool
  • Needle nose pliers

Step 2: Spiralling the Wire

If you are not using the drill then feel free to skip this step but if you would like to practise your reading skills you may also stay.

Anyways, to achieve a nice constant spiral pattern follow the pictures and instructions which follow:
  1. Cut a length of wire around 5 feet long
  2. Put both ends of the wire in the drill chuck and secure them tightly
  3. Find the half way point and put a pencil on the inside and hold it as shown in the second picture to prevent the wire slipping
  4. Put the drill on and watch the spirally magic
  5. Chop off the loop at the end

Step 3: The Stag

The male Bambi, Harry Potter's patronus the list goes on, there are many names for the noble stag and today he shall be brought to life via wire.

I would like to apologise in advance for the next step, unfortunately I made the Buffalo without the intention to write an Instructable so it shall be mainly worded, but it is much like the Stag so should be rather easy.

Onwards with the animals.
  1. Start with your smallest cylindrical object and wrap the wire round it twice
  2. Take your next smallest cylindrical object and wrap the wire round it twice too, you now have a tail
  3. Next you will bend the back legs, point the wire down and use your needle nose pliers to bend legs like in the third picture, the procedure should be self explanatory
  4. Once you wire is back pointing upwards, take your second largest cylindrical object and wrap the wire around once
  5. After this take your largest and wrap the wire around twice
  6. Repeat step four and you now have your body
  7. Bend the front legs the same as the back
  8. Using your biggest object bend another loop and have your wire pointing upwards
  9. Look at pictures five and six and use them and your needle nose pliers to bend antlers
  10. Do exactly what you did for the tail but for the face and you have a stag!

Step 4: The Buffalo

Do not be tricked by the term buffalo wings these creature do not have wings.

As I explained in the last step "unfortunately I made the Buffalo without the intention to write an Instructable so it shall be mainly worded, but it is much like the Stag so should be rather easy"
  1. Start with a tail as shown in the images
  2. Repeat steps 3-7 of the stag tutorial
  3. Copy the face show in the images by bending a semi circle with your largest circular object then bending the horns, again pretty obvious
  4. You now have a buffalo who loves cucumber, mine never stops eating the stuff

Step 5: Giraffe

The giraffe was by far the trickiest of all three of my animals
  1. Follow the steps of the buffalo all the way to and including step 7
  2. Then bend two loops using each of your cylindrical object going in descending thickness i.e Largest to smallest
  3. Curve this long spiral into a neck shape
  4. For the face make a medium sized semicircle then bend ears much like that of a kitty cat, then finish the face as you have with all the other with a descending sized spiral.

Step 6: Thank You

I hope you have enjoyed this Instructable and I would love to see your own creations!

If I have made any mistakes or I have been unclear do not hesitate to tell me or ask.

As the old proverb goes "He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever"

Thank you and good day!

Ross

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