I was wondering if I bumped this if the original poster or anyone still had the pics, or if anyone else has used barbed (or "barbless") wire? I have an entire spool of it (barbless as not to scratch horses) and will be learning to forge weld with junk and scraps like in Goddard's $50 Knife Shop book. I have done lapidary (jade, agates, local jaspers etc.) and currently, partially support myself making archery bows, all of which had their beginnings in jury-rigged McGyver-type setups, grown piecemeal from dumpster dives to modest, yet semi-professional shop areas, so I think I'll enjoy it and pick it up in an acceptable enough fashion ^_^
I guess a thin layer of galvanize zinc just scales/burns off?