THE OISHI TECHNIQUE
I had been searching for an easy, clean and inexpensive way to do wire sculpture. I first tried brazing. This is the state of the art technique requiring a torch and acetylene and oxygen tanks. I bought a small outfit and played around with it for a while and realized that besides150 burns on my hands and arms this was not the look for which I was searching.
I bought a small TIG welder, welding helmet, stand, gloves, clamps, magnetic holders and a welding table. I knew well, from a construction job I had in college, that when you are welding those beautiful sparks that fly off into the air don’t just disappear. They burn holes thru your shoes and clothes and eventually send you dancing and slapping trying to quench your flaming pant legs. So in my wonderful, well equipped studio I tried a few TIG welds. Lifting my hood to inspect the quality of my welds I was surprised to see about twenty five mini fires all over my carpeted work bench some ten feet away from where I was welding – Look for that whole outfit on Craig’s List.
A Little Disappointed, I Searched On…
I often suffer thru, sometimes terrible, “how to” videos on YouTube looking for new techniques and tips to better my own art and often to introduce new techniques at my sons ART101 art instruction school. Here is where I was so blessed to find Clyde Oishi’s awesome wire sculpture technique. I knew this was the look I was looking for the second I saw it!
I immediately emailed Mr. Oishi who lives on a tiny island in Honolulu and prayed he would get back to me. When he did he was so gracious and instructive and shared his simple and beautiful technique with me.
- Simply buy some footage of copper wire from any home goods store (About $15).
- Pick up a roll of lead free electrical solder ($10).
- Next, go to a crafts store and buy a soldering iron like those used with stained glass windows ($20).
- And a roll of copper tape and flux, again as used with stained glass windows ($15).
About $60 total – half the cost of just my welders helmet!
Learn To Solder – It’s Not That Difficult
Go to YouTube and search “how to solder wire” and “how to solder stained glass”. Within ten minutes of internet instructions you will know all you need to know to get started. Coupled with creativity and inspiration the rest is in your head and hands .
Meet Clyde Oishi
This Oishi technique is so controlled, so clean and easy that you can even do it at the kitchen table. Now watch the video that I saw that so inspired and excited me.
Now Get Sculpting!
This sculpture “Corvus” of a raven/crow is my first attempt and I am already working on several other pieces and loving it. So far I haven’t set my pants on fire or even ignited anything else near by in the room. Burns? Oh yes! You will soon find that when you are soldering one end of a copper wire the end you are holding heats up really fast!
I hope you’re inspired by this. Feel free to send me photos or links to your work in the comments section below. I’d love to see what you’re working on!
What a marvelous story and happy ending. You rock in my book.