Iron Uses

Part of Wire Drawing

Applications of iron wire in fencing, springs, fasteners, tools, and dozens of other survival-critical uses.

Why This Matters

Iron wire is one of the most versatile materials a rebuilding civilization can produce. While copper wire serves electrical needs, iron wire fills hundreds of structural, mechanical, and agricultural roles that no other material can match at scale. A single draw plate producing iron wire unlocks capabilities ranging from animal containment to surgical sutures to musical instruments.

The ability to make iron wire separates a community stuck in the stone-and-wood age from one that can build fences, manufacture nails and screws, create springs for mechanisms, and fabricate tools that would otherwise require a skilled blacksmith for every individual piece. Wire is, in essence, a way to mass-produce metal components from a single setup.

Understanding what iron wire can do shapes how you prioritize production. A community that knows it needs 14-gauge for fencing, 20-gauge for binding, and 10-gauge for springs can plan its draw plate dies and annealing schedules accordingly rather than producing wire blindly.

Fencing and Enclosures

Fencing is typically the highest-volume use for iron wire in any agricultural community. A single hectare of crop land requires roughly 300-400 meters of perimeter fencing to keep out livestock and large wildlife.

Wire Gauge Selection for Fencing

Application	Gauge (SWG)	Diameter (mm)	Notes
Top and bottom line wires	8-10	3.2-4.0	Must bear tension across spans
Vertical stays	12-14	2.0-2.6	Spaced every 15-30 cm
Tie wires	16-18	1.2-1.6	Wrapping stays to line wires
Poultry netting	20-22	0.7-0.9	Hexagonal weave for small birds

Building a Wire Fence

1. Set corner posts — hardwood or stone, buried at least 60 cm deep, braced at 45 degrees back along the fence line.
2. String the top line wire — attach to corner post with three tight wraps, pull taut using a lever or windlass, attach to far corner post.
3. String the bottom line wire — 10-15 cm above ground level, same tension method.
4. Attach vertical stays — cut lengths of lighter wire, wrap top and bottom around the line wires with three twists each.
5. Add intermediate line wires — for livestock, add 2-3 horizontal wires evenly spaced between top and bottom.

Rust Protection

Iron wire fencing lasts 3-5 years unprotected, 10-15 years with a linseed oil or tallow coating applied annually, and 20+ years if you can manage hot-dip tinning or lead coating.

Springs and Elastic Components

Springs transform iron wire from a passive structural material into an active mechanical component. Any device that needs to store and release energy — latches, clocks, traps, triggers, valves — depends on spring wire.

Types of Springs from Wire

• Compression springs — coiled wire that resists being pushed together. Used in valves, door latches, and shock absorption.
• Extension springs — coiled wire with hooks at each end that resists being pulled apart. Used in screen doors, balance scales, and return mechanisms.
• Torsion springs — wire coiled so that twisting the ends stores energy. Used in clothespins, mousetraps, and hinges.
• Leaf springs (flat wire) — hammered flat and stacked. Used in vehicle suspension and heavy mechanisms.

Making a Compression Spring

1. Select 12-14 gauge wire that has been work-hardened by drawing (do not anneal after final draw).
2. Wind tightly around a mandrel (steel rod) whose diameter equals the desired inner diameter of the spring.
3. Keep coils touching for a close-wound spring, or space them evenly for an open-wound spring.
4. Cut the wire and grind both ends flat against a stone so the spring sits level.
5. Test by compressing and releasing — the spring should return to its original length without permanent deformation.

Spring Temper

Springs require wire that is hard and elastic, not soft and bendable. Use wire from the final drawing pass without annealing. If the wire bends and stays bent, it is too soft for spring use — draw it through one more die size to work-harden it.

Fasteners: Nails, Staples, and Pins

Before wire drawing, every nail had to be individually forged by a blacksmith — a slow, labor-intensive process. Wire nails changed construction forever by allowing rapid production of uniform fasteners.

Wire Nails

1. Cut a length of drawn wire (typically 10-14 gauge for structural nails).
2. Flatten one end with two hammer blows to form the head.
3. Cut to length and sharpen the opposite end on a grinding stone or by cutting at an angle with a chisel.
4. A skilled worker can produce 200-400 nails per hour from pre-drawn wire.

Staples

Cut short lengths of heavy wire (10-12 gauge), bend into U-shapes around a jig. Used for attaching wire to fence posts, securing hasps, and fastening mesh to frames.

Pins and Rivets

Fine wire (18-22 gauge) produces straight pins for textiles, cotter pins for mechanical assemblies, and small rivets for sheet metal work.

Fastener	Wire Gauge	Length	Production Rate
Structural nail	10-12	50-100 mm	200-300/hour
Finishing nail	14-16	25-50 mm	300-400/hour
Fence staple	10-12	30-40 mm	400-500/hour
Straight pin	20-22	25-30 mm	500-800/hour

Tools and Implements

Iron wire serves as raw material for a surprising range of tools that would otherwise require forging from bar stock.

Wire Brushes

Bundle short lengths of stiff 18-20 gauge wire, fold in half, and bind the fold into a wooden handle with wrapping wire. Wire brushes clean rust, remove scale from forgings, prepare surfaces for soldering, and card fibers.

Snares and Traps

Braided or twisted wire creates snares for small game. Three strands of 20-gauge wire twisted together produce a snare strong enough for rabbits but flexible enough to form a running noose.

Fish Hooks

Bend 16-18 gauge wire around a nail to form the curve, sharpen the point on a stone, and file a small barb with a knife edge. Harden by heating cherry-red and quenching in water.

Saw Blades

Twisted wire stretched in a frame and coated with abrasive grit (sand bonded with pine resin) creates a crude but functional wire saw for cutting stone, bone, and antler.

Agricultural Tools

• Hay rakes — heavy wire tines set into a wooden crossbar
• Seed dibbles — wire loops for making planting holes at consistent depths
• Grafting clips — small wire springs that hold grafted branches in place

Binding, Structural, and Specialty Uses

Binding Wire

Soft-annealed 16-20 gauge wire serves as the universal fastener for any situation where rope would rot or stretch. Binding wire secures thatch to roof frames, bundles rebar for concrete, ties rattan furniture joints, and wraps tool handles for grip.

Reinforcement

Iron wire embedded in clay, plaster, or early concrete provides tensile reinforcement. A grid of 10-12 gauge wire spaced 10 cm apart dramatically increases the crack resistance of plaster walls and concrete slabs.

Chain and Chain Mail

Links of 14-16 gauge wire, each bent into a ring and either welded or riveted shut, produce chain for lifting, restraint, and armor. A riveted mail shirt requires approximately 20,000-30,000 individual rings.

Musical Instrument Strings

Fine-drawn iron wire (22-28 gauge) produces strings for harps, dulcimers, and early keyboard instruments. The wire must be very uniform in diameter to produce consistent pitch.

Surgical and Medical Uses

The finest iron wire (26-30 gauge) serves as suture material for closing wounds, and stiffer wire creates splints, dental appliances, and surgical probes. These applications demand the cleanest, most uniform wire your draw plate can produce.

Prioritizing Production

For a new settlement, prioritize production in this order: (1) fencing wire for agriculture, (2) nail wire for construction, (3) binding wire for general use, (4) spring wire for mechanisms. Specialty uses like musical strings and surgical wire can wait until your drawing operation is well-established and producing consistent gauges.