I too have used rolled up/scrunched up newspaper to cover the wire with great results. You can tape the newspaper on with masking tape and it works fine. I use brown paper bags in my paper mache to cover that though, as it is tougher and takes less "coats" to form a durable surface. It also cuts down on ink from the newspapers on your hands. If you tear the brown paper bags into smaller pieces and work them with your fingers they become "felt like-leather like" and work really great.