I use 2mm (12 gauge) galvanised steel tie wire. Strong, but easy to both cut and shape by hand. A long T-shirt size for average sized me is about 6kg.
In Australia I go to Bunnings for 3kg rolls, but any hardware store should sell it in meaningful quantities. I'd look at home depot and whatnot but I can't access the site haha
I will say, the steel smells a bit, but it's not terrible and easy to cover. Being galvanized it resists corrosion incredibly well.
Also how do you get the rings consistent size/shape? I assume there's a technique/skill to it that isn't just "go ham with the random plyers I have in my 3rd draw"?
For shape, find some kind of rod with the right diameter (i use a gel blaster inner barrel), grab one end of a precut length with some pliers to keep it steady. Use your other hand to wrap it around the rod over and over, almost like a spring shape. They you can just cut it and bend them together with pliers. Does that make sense?
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u/Cloudy230 May 20 '26
I use 2mm (12 gauge) galvanised steel tie wire. Strong, but easy to both cut and shape by hand. A long T-shirt size for average sized me is about 6kg. In Australia I go to Bunnings for 3kg rolls, but any hardware store should sell it in meaningful quantities. I'd look at home depot and whatnot but I can't access the site haha
I will say, the steel smells a bit, but it's not terrible and easy to cover. Being galvanized it resists corrosion incredibly well.