Soldering Surgical Steel Earring Posts

[ps_bond]

316L wire is available in 0.8mm diameter, 0.7kg spools in most welding supplies shops... It'll be hard drawn though and can be a bit brittle (too brittle to use as binding wire, for example).

[Dennis]

Jules this company has a good range of stainless steel wires, used for making retaining clasps for dentures and aligning teeth for orthodontics. The wire is hard, but would be easily bent to make ear wires, or straightened for posts.

http://www.bracon.co.uk/search.php?Q=wire

You might like to browse their other products, some of which are relevant, Dennis.

[Petal]

Many thanks Peter and Dennis.

BTW, is there a difference between surgical steel and stainless steel wires?

[mizgeorge]

I also use dental grade surgical steel, usually from KC Smith (though they don't have an online ordering system). It takes a bit of bending, but comes in straight lengths, which are ideal for making ear posts. I have no experience with using regular stainless, but it comes in so many different grades that I've always just stuck to surgical, which I know is safe for anything that's going to be worn in a piercing.