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If you are just getting into bonsai plants then you should know that you need a good wire for sculpting, shaping, and styling your bonsai plant. It also helps you firmly anchor your bonsai plant deep into the soil so it won’t fall off.
Many bonsai plant owners ask us which wire is best for bonsai plants and our answer is always the same to everyone.
Annealed copper wire is the perfect and best choice for your cute bonsai plants. It has all those qualities that a good wire should have – which make it perfect for use on bonsai plants.
This article is a complete review of annealed copper wire where you will learn about all the pros and cons of this wire and reasons why you should use it for your bonsai plant.
Pros and cons of annealed copper wire
Annealed copper wire is widely used for wiring bonsai plants all across the world. It has most of the good features that a good wire should have and that’s the reason why it is used everywhere.
Here we are going to take a detailed look at the pros and cons of annealed copper wire that will help you understand things better.
Pros of annealed copper wire
Following are all the pros of using an annealed copper wire for bonsai plant:
1. Annealed copper wire is more strong
When you are wiring your bonsai plant, you need to make sure that the wire is strong and stable enough to do the job it is supposed to do.
If you will use a weak and unstable wire then it will break easily. This way you won’t be able to style your plant as per your desire.
Annealed copper wire is extremely strong, stable, and durable. It can withstand a high amount of force and pressure and won’t break easily. It will smoothly do the job you want it to do. Whether you want to use it for styling or anchoring – the annealed copper wire will do it perfectly.
2. Annealed copper has greater holding power
One unique characteristic of annealed copper wire is that it starts getting harder once you bend it. This phenomenon boosts the holding power of annealed copper wire as compared to the other wires.
It means that annealed copper wire will be able to strongly hold the bonsai tree and do an extremely good job.
This is the reason why annealed copper wires are used for conifer trunks because they can strongly hold them.
3. Annealed copper wire is aesthetically pleasing
Will you like to put an extremely ugly-looking wire on your bonsai plant? No, right? Because it will also make your bonsai plant look ugly.
The good thing about annealed copper wire is that it is aesthetically pleasing. Once you put it on your bonsai plants, its look will only get better with time and weather.
This way you’ll be able to give an aesthetically attractive look to your plant as well.
4. Annealed copper wire is more economical
Everyone wants to spend less money but get a good quality product.
If you also want to spend less money but get a good quality wire then annealed copper wire is the way to go.
It is economical and affordable.
5. Annealed copper wire can prevent permanent scarring of bonsai
There are some PVC-coated annealed copper wires available in the market.
You can use them without removing the PVC covering and it will help you prevent permanent scars on your bonsai plant.
This way you can customize the style of your bonsai plant without leaving any permanent scars.
Cons of annealed copper wire
Annealed copper wire also has some drawbacks that you should know about. Here are all the cons of a copper wire:
1. PVC coated copper wire has bright colors
The main problem with PVC-coated copper wires is that they are too much visible. They have bright colors due to which you can see them from distance.
So, they can disturb the natural look of your plant. This is the exact reason why many experts prefer to use copper wires for training their bonsai plant and not on those for display.
Therefore, you need to keep this factor in mind.
2. Annealed copper wire is difficult toshape
As we were talking above that once you bend the annealed copper wire, it starts getting harder and harder.
Therefore, once you have applied the copper wire somewhere, it’ll be very difficult to reshape again.
Thus, if you are a complete beginner then you may face difficulty while applying and shaping the annealed copper wire on your bonsai.
3. Annealed copper wire can damage the soft branches
We told you in the above section that annealed copper wires are very strong and hard.
If you’ll use it on baby bonsai plants with soft branches then chances are that the copper wire will cut through the branches or damage them. It can also leave permanent scars behind.
So, this is a point to keep in mind.
You can use the annealed copper wire on the plants with harder trunks such as conifers. It will offer a stronger grip and won’t damage them as well.
Is copper wire good for bonsai
Yes, copper wire is one of the best options for bonsai.
It is very strong, stable, and also works excellently on harder trunks like conifers.
However, it can be a bit difficult to shape so keep that in mind.
How do you anneal copper wire for bonsai
Annealing the copper wire for bonsai means heating the copper wire to reduce its hardness and increase its ductility. It helps make the copper wire softer so that it is easy to bend and shape.
Method 1: You can anneal the copper wire by burning it in the kiln at a suitable temperature.
Method 2: Another effective method is to wrap a newspaper around the copper wire and start burning the newspaper. The heat emitted during the process will help make the copper wire softer.
Therefore, you can use any of these 2 methods to increase the ductility of copper wire to make it softer and easy to bend. It will help you increase the workability of the copper wire.
Does annealing increase the hardness of copper wire
No, annealing doesn’t increase the hardness of the copper wire.
Instead, it helps you reduce the hardness of copper wire, and increase its ductility.
After annealing, the copper wire becomes soft and easy to bend. Its workability improves significantly and it becomes easier to use.
Conclusion
This was our complete guide and review for the annealed copper bonsai wire.
We hope it answers all the questions in your mind and now you are more educated about this matter than before.
