Material Thinking:
lectrical Wire
Hand Weaving Single Strand Copper Cables Without Casing
This experiment built on the previous one by attempting to weave single-strand copper cables instead of fully cased wires. While weaving was theoretically possible, the extreme fragility of the strands made it impractical. The strands frequently broke, making the process unfeasible for creating a textile-like material.
I secured the copper strands to the table and began interweaving them in a grid-like pattern, similar to textile weaving. Unlike the cased wires, the copper strands were more flexible but also significantly weaker. The strands often bent or snapped under minimal tension, preventing any stable structure from forming. Even when handled delicately, the fragility of the material made weaving a frustrating challenge.
While copper strands have better flexibility than cased wires, their fragility makes weaving impractical. One possible next step is to combine copper strands with yarn to provide additional support. Alternatively, using thicker copper strands or treating them in a way that increases their durability could make weaving feasible.