Wire Wefts
Wire wefts are very useful for creating large hair pieces much quicker than producing a fully knotted wig. Wefts can be added to pre-existing hair to create a volumous look or add length. Wire wefts contain a small piece of wire within the weft so that the piece can be bent and moulded into shape and hold its position. This allows for the creation of many types of hair work. An example of the use of a wire weft is in the creation of a circular piece that can be added to preexisting hair, this is similar to a ballet dancer's bun. An example of the the design and layout for this circular placing can be seen below. Also further experiments into the creation of a wire weft have been conducted, on a small scale.
Wefts can be used to create various hair products from eyelashes to large pieces for insertion in huge wigs. For eyelashes it is necessary to weft one hair at a time to create a thin edge which looks realistic and effective. It is also due to the fact that eyelids are relatively weak, the muscle is not strong therefore a large weight would cause issues with opening the eye upon application.
The method for creating wefts is diaplyed below on these sheets. The hairs are passed through the wire and thread in a certain direction and movement in order to keep the hairs attached and evenly lengthed. There are many different types of wire weft that can be created, a honeycomb mesh is a ciruclar shaped pattern that is displayed below. A diamond mesh is rectangularly shaped, this can be used for historical work.It can be placed in the hair to give volume in certain areas. As the wefts have been created with pliable wire it means that the weft will fit perfectly to whoever's head it is being applied and can be altered accordingly.
 Setting Up the StationThis photograph shows the set up for creating a wire weft. T poles are attached to the surface via the clamps. The poles are then inserted into these clamps, the left with the nail and the right with the ridges. The wires and thread are then attached. |  Right Pole Set UpTo attach the wire and thread, the thread must be tied onto a piece of paper with a rip, this is then wrapped around the pole in an anti-clockwise direction, make sure that both threads are wrapped in the same direction. If not the weft will not work. The wire is then wrapped around the central segment of the pole also in the same direction, wrap it tightly in order to make sure that it stays on the pole. |
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 Weft PatternThis image shows the initial design for the wire weft template, it has four petals around the inner circle and ten around the middle circle. This provides an even surface coverage when it is finally put together. It is important to make sure that these petals are all roughly the same size as each other. |  Weft Pattern Pinned on BlockIn order to measure out how long the length of weft must be for the piece, one must insert pins into the block at the points around the petal and wrap a piece of string around this to get a precise and accurate marking of the lengths. It should be marked at the circumference of the outer circle so that it is possible to see which area needs to have the neatest weft. If the length of the weft is too short it could cause serious problems when putting the piece together. |  Wire WeftThis is an example of a fully finished wire weft in a honeycomb mesh, with a clip attached to the piece. The pattern can clearly been seen in this picture, showing the importance of making it right in the first place to build upon. |
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Materials and Equipment
There are a few materials and pieces of equipment that are needed in order to create a wire weft. The following list depicts the neccessary materials.
- Strong Thread - the thread needs to be strong in order to hole the wire and the hair together. It should be at least 3 ply made from weaving silk, which is covered in beeswax which makes it shiny. This creates strength for the wire and creates grip. Weaving silk comes in four colours, grey, blond, brown and dark brown.
Wire - 0.7mm it should not be too thick that it is difficult to bend, or equally too thin that it may snap under movement. The wire should be copper coated in tin inorder that the wire does not rust. As the weft will be put through various tasks, from heating and bending, also washing the hair. This therefore means that it is essential that it does not rust, as it will ruin the hairpiece in which it is being used.
Hair - The desired hair that is being used for the weft, this an be human, synthetic and any colour of the spectrum, it should be long enough to pass through the various threads and wires, it can then be cut shorter if necessary.
Equipment
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To create the template for a circular chingon honeycomb mesh, wrap clingfilm around a block. Use a ciruclar object of the desired size (e.g. a coffee cup) draw around the edge of this piece onto the clingfilm. Draw two inner circles within this outer ring. Begin to draw the 'petals' of the weft design, making sure that they are all evenly sized. The sheet below describes the process in greater detail, including setting up the frame for creating a weft.
The final step of the process, once having created the weft it to remove it from the frame and get it ready for use is detailed below in this sheet. It mentions all the necessary processes in order to achieve a successful wire weft. The way in which a wire weft is sewn together is shown on the left hand side of the page. It details the points at which a stitch is needed to secure the piece. If these sheets and diagrams are followed the weft will be successful and create a good piece for use in the hair.
This segment in Wig Making ans Styling, A complete guide for Theatre and Film depicts the process of creating a weft with three strands of thread. This is exactly the same as producing a wire weft, except the strand that would be wire is thread. It shows throroughly the process of getting the materials ready for use to create the weft and details helpful information that gives a better understanding of everything involved in the process. A helpful tip that I picked up on was the use of a saucer and sponge to wet the hair for ease of use. It compacts the hair creating a tighter weft when pulled together. It is important to make sure that it is antibacterialised so that there is no dirt passed onto the hair. The images on the page display the steps to take in order to create the weft, which direction the hairs should be wefted in order to get the root facing the correct way. It has been ver helpful to note the techniques and hints given in this book as it will hopefully help to achieve a more successful weft at the end.
The second sheet titled, 'Types of Weaving' displayes in pictures the entire process of creating a wire weft, it also has information concerning different knots, such as the starting and finishing knots which begin and complete the weft. This sheet has proved slightly easier to understand as the visual cues are placed well, displaying the direction of the hairs, whereas the images in Wig making, although helpful and understandable, the pictures are simple and layed out on various pages, similarly it only displays the standard weft technique, ignoring the starting and finishing knots.
This is a very small segment of a wire weft that i created. It uses the technique to create a full wire weft, however in a smaller length. The hair is wrapped around neatly in order to create a smooth piece that has even covereage all along.
Ruskai, M. and Lowery.A (2010) Wig Making and Styling: A complete Guide for Theatre and Film. United Kigdom: Focal Press pg 116-118
This photograph shows a different wire weft created for experimentation into the techniques of the process. It is much longer with more hair involved in the weft. There were points where too much hair was threaded therefore the thickness increased a lot as it went. Once you have threaded a thick batch of hair do not go smaller again as this will create a wavy line in the weft, keep wefting at the thickness that it is now at. Overall this experiment went well, it helped to understand the technique and get a good practise in so that it will be easier to create one in the future.
Makeup, Hair and Costume for Film and Televsion has a small segment on the use of wefts and how they are put together. It displays three different results of the use of a weft. Although this information is helpful, there is not a lot of detail and therefore it is not a particualrly helpful book. The images of the weaving process are very simplistic with little direction and can therefore not be relied upon. Overall this book is not helpful in the processes of creating a weft, however it displays some uses of a weft which were previously unknown to me.