Daily Wire Tip July 20: How to Use a Wire Gauge
Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
July 20, 2010
Question:
Is there a gauge for wire that is not round?
-Mary in Santa Rosa, California
Answer:
I am not sure if there is a gauge for just square wire, however at this time I would like to explain how to use a wire gauge.
If you hover over this picture of a wire gauge tool, you will notice that the top of the slit between each number/size is straight on each side. This is where your wire is placed to determine its size. Simply fit the wire between the slits until the wire rubs against them: not too tight, but still snug.
You can measure round, half round, and square wire with this tool. For half round, make sure you measure across the widest point of the wire. For square wire, place the flat sides of the wire between the metal slits.
Here’s an image of the Wire-Sculpture staff measuring a 14-gauge round piece of copper wire.
Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong
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I believe that any wire, whether round, square, half-round, triangle, etc. is subject to having an assigned wire gauge “size” to it. Checking in the front of most jewelry supply catalogs will give you a breakdown on types of wire as well as gauges, etc.
I don’t agree with this tutorial. To the best of my knowledge this type of gage is for measuring round wire only. Many of these gages will have wire gage on one side and decimal measurements on the other side. You can determine the thickness of a cross section of the wire by putting the wire between the flats, but for other than round wire it is not a true measurement of wire gage.