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Is there a reason why you don't want to buy some ready made wire spears?
Consider using guitar strings, free if you've got a guitarist chum of course. Smooth wound bass strings should be big enough.
Guitar strings are too thin, and not stiff enough, and the bass strings are wound, which will look odd.Every time I change the strings on my guitar I think I ought to be able to use the old strings for something, but they are not that useful for modelling.
Piano wire is not good as it is *very* hard.Cutting it requires a lot of force and usually the cut bit pings off at high speed and cannot be found until you impale your foot on it weeks later.