Here’s a way to straighten short, used pieces of bonsai wire using a hinge. The material consists of a 7″ long, heavy duty gate hinge mounted to a piece of 3/4″ X 5″ X 10″ cabinet grade hardwood plywood using five #12-3/4″ flat head wood screws. A wooden cabinet knob is attached to the end of the hinge with a screw.
How to use it:
Place the kinked wire under the hinge parallel and close to the hinge pin. Press down on the lever knob then release pressure and rotate the wire. Do this repeatedly moving up and down the length of the wire until it is straightened. For the greatest compression strength place the wire against the hinge pin joint.
Use it as a quick release vise to quickly grip the wire end letting you pull and manipulate the other end of the wire with pliers.
Let’s take it up a notch for big wire!
Use a 10″ heavy duty gate hinge, an aluminum or steel bar stock spacer and a knob of your choice. Attach the spacer to the hinge with double sided tape. Temporarily mount the straightener to your work surface with a clamp or mount it permanently with screws.
