Alright, let me confess on my first line in this project! This was my first wire craft project, and I used the wrong type of wire. I used aluminum 1mm wire craft. This wire is too soft and also too flexible for such a project.
I found this the hard way! I started my craft, and when I was trying to craft the cube structure, I noticed the wire was too soft for a lantern structure.
To be honest, I could have just stopped there, called it a day, learned the lesson, and moved on. But I decided to continue and finish the project to have something to show for my day! And also share this failed experience with you too!
Tools and materials
01 Tools
- Pliers that you already have in your toolbox
02 Materials
- Iron/steel/galvanized wire craft 1mm to 1.5mm
- Tea lights candles
Build process
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Step 1: Prepare your table
The first step is to prepare your table and put everything in its proper place and be ready to craft 😌
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Step 2: Ideas collection / Research Ideas
The next step is the idea collection; for this, you can search the web or use the AI!
I used ChatGPT for creating a visual idea and I used the following prompt + the image generation tool
I want to use craft wire 1mm aluminum to create a nice-looking lantern – give me all the necessary cuts and parts, and how to assemble them together – without any soldering iron or glue, only the wire.
And after a few times back and forward, it gave me this idea:
Fig. 01 -
Step 3: Start crafting
Now that you know what type of lantern you want, start cutting, twisting, and shaping the wires and craft what is on your head!
Heads up
The AI ideas can be unreal and a mix of doable and undoable things in a project, so be careful and first check out the whole idea before starting to craft!
What I would change
I think you already know this one! I would not use aluminum wire craft for such a structure. I would use iron, steel, or galvanized wire craft, 1 mm to 1.5mm. The 1.5mm for the parts that need more stability, like the body, and the 1 or 1.2mm wires for the more elegant parts like the handle.
Mistake
I would definitely not use aluminum wire craft for such projects anymore.
Final result
In the end, the final result was not as bad as I thought it would be. As you can see in the screenshots of the final lantern, it looks nice and beautiful 😊. Spatially, due to the gold color of the wire craft, it looks like an antique lantern 😃. What do you think?
