Continuing quest for straightened music wire
With the demise of A2Z, I began searching for a source of straight music wire in the sizes we need.
Coiled music wire typically has a single set, a curve. It isn’t easy to straighten completely, but you can do a reasonable job of it with pliers.For the amount of effort required, the wire sold by A2Z was a great deal.
One product that came up was made by Dubro for the fishing market – A small wire straightener that could fit into a tackle box made to straighten wire leaders.
http://dubrofishing.com/collections/fishing-accessories/products/small-wire-straightener
The reviews seemed positive. I reached out to several other fliers but no one had ever heard of it or tried it. So I bit the bullet and bought one to try it out.
Unfortunately it doesn’t work. I tried using light pressure, medium pressure, high pressure. I tried using tension on the wire and varied the amount of pressure.
No matter. What you end up with is wire bent into a helix-shape. Absolutely none of it was usable, afterwards it all got binned.
This unit has been tossed into my tackle box for now. Hopefully it will work for straightening out any kinked Little Joe Heart-Of-Steel leaders next time I go Pike fishing.
Another way suggested online is to stretch the wire until breaking point. I calculated this and tried suspending the weight from a ceiling beam in my basement. What I ended up with was a mangled ball of wire when it broke. Another bit binned.
I’m still searching for a way to easily straighten music wire. Until then, pliers seem to be the only alternative.
Mike Kirda 12.28.15
Indoor News and Views 
Why not use Amazon Business (formerly smallparts)? They have straightened spring-temper music wire.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CNLXNW6?keywords=spring%20temper%20music%20wire%20.013&qid=1452301856&ref_=sr_1_fkmr0_1&sr=8-1-fkmr0
McMaster Carr has several types of straightened music wire on their web site. Several kinds of steel, in either 1 ft or 3 ft lengths.
Also, guitar strings uncoil straight when you remove them from the package and come in useful sizes. At least the unwrapped ones that I’ve messed with.
I’ve had some success straightening wire just by pulling on it until it yields. This may require some force. Mine was weaker than music wire, but it was 1mm wire. If I wrapped it around a bar and gave it a hard two handed pull, it would yield. Straightening .018″ wire should only take, very roughly, around 60 or 80 lbs of pull. If that’s too much, use a lever or something. I used a lug wrench on one end and a trailer ball (on the car) for the straightening I did. Also, you can reduce the diameter a bit if you keep going. At some point, of course, it will neck down and break. I’ll admit I don’t know how if music wire behaves itself when abused this way, or how much thinner you can get it. You can harden soft wire this way, too, but I don’t know which alloy works best, whether it can get as strong as music wire, and how much thinner it ends up.
-McMaster Carr carries straightened music wire of many sizes and several different types.
-guitar strings, or at least the ones I’ve messed with, are straight when you undo the coil. Used are ok, though I’m not sure whether they’re stronger or weaker than new.
-I’ve straightened 1mm softer wire by just pulling it until it starts to give. I imagine this would also work with music wire. It DOES take some force. I calculate that .018″ music wire might take 60 or 80 pounds of pull. I wound the 1mm wire around a lug wrench on one end and the trailer ball on my car at the other. Fortunately, it wasn’t as strong as music wire, or it would have taken several hundred pounds of force to stretch!