What gauge wire should I train my bonsai branches with?

Question

I want to train my bonsai branches down to give the appearance of an old, tired tree.It's about 20cm high and the trunk is around 8mm thick and the branches tapper from around 5 to about 3mm.

I want to know what gauge or (or diameter) wire I should use, but it would be most useful to the community if there was a "rule of thumb".

Is there a general rule for the thickness of wire one should use to train a bonsai? ie. the thickness of the branch at the thickest or thinnest place.

Answer 1

I did some research and came up with this answer:

The gauge of wire depends on the strength of the branch you want to train. Give the branch a bit of a bit or bend and note how much force you need, then bend the wire you have. If it takes more force to bend the wire than the branch you have the right gauge wire.

Branch > Wire = Bad

Branch < Wire = Good

If you can bend the wire with less force than the branch, you can "double wire" the branch.

Its better to wire with too thick wire than with too thin wire.

I got the answer mostly from here.

Here is some good info on wiring, including gauge, technique and "double wiring".

Here is a video on wiring technique.