I've done this two different ways. The first was forging the chandelier arms out of solid stock and then hiding the wire on the outside by gluing it on the opposite side of where it was going to be viewed. This meant having to drill small holes at different curves and passing the wire through to the back side.

A better solution is to forge heavy wall tubing lightly as to not to crimp it. This can be done by not heating past a dull red heat and striking fast, light blows on the tubing. You can actually taper the tubing or simply texturing it so that it looks hand forged.

I hope that I'm answering your question and not that I am way off track with the answer.

bpfink / Depending on what media you want to use, here is one option I've used successfully with many variations.   While most of my work is via casting bronze, it would work for forging as well. 

Take a pipe to start with, I usually use copper and find a small size such as 1/4 inch ID or whatever size needed for the wire size with a little play left.  Then fill it with a fine graded sand and cap the ends. Do the forging, bending, twisting or whatever (In my case it is bent and shaped and then coated with the wax that is to be the final cast form) and proceed to get it to it's final end.

When done (in my case cast into metal which is a whole long process here so am omitting that part), take a fine plastic, flexible tube, hook it to an air compressed line and insert it in the tube while it back blows out all the sand.  I use a tube that is gotten from the throw outs of a hospital used for a drip line.  Doing this takes only a minute, will go around any curves or twists and makes for a hollowed line easy to wire when done.

To put the wire or wires in, pull don't push.  First take a fine strong string (such as a fishing line) and put a knot with a small cotton wad at the end.  Insert it in the tube and then either blow it through or suck it through using a vacumn cleaner.  This gives you a line that can pull the wires.  I have used this for runs from 7 feet in the case of sculpture castings, to 250 feet in the case of underground electrical conduit buried in the yard of a new home where the string first pulled the ends of a rope which then pulled the very stiff wire runs. Many steps omitted here, but maybe you get the point.  Hope it helps.  bpfink

.

If it were me I would sleep better(as artist or patron) if the metal frame was grounded, a simple step often neglected on metal lamps.

I just finished the first part of my chandelier project and posted a video of forging tubing on YouTube. Check out "The Marci Chandelier - Hot Forging Tubing."