>Hi folks!
>this is my first attempt at making a
>wire-wrapped board.
>
>Please tell me:
>do we need to use special IC sockets, if so,
>what are they called?

They are just called "wire-wrap sockets." They have square pins about
0.025" and there are two lengths, depending on how many wraps they accept.
You want the longer ones, about an inch long. They will accept two separate
connections, so you can branch or daisy-chain.

>how much do wire-wrapping tools cost ?

The professional wire-wrap guns probably cost USD50-100, but you can buy a
hand tool for only a few dollars. It's slower and less consistent, but with
a little practice, you can do a perfectly acceptable job. The other end of
the tool is an UN-wrapping tool, which you will also need, unless you never
make mistakes  :-)

Wire-wrap uses special wire. It's solid, silver-plated 28 ga. wire with
kynar insulation. You should get red for Vcc, Black for ground, and at
least a couple of other colors, as the colors make it easier to trace
connections when you're troubleshooting. You should use a special stripping
tool which prevents nicking the wire. It's also possible to buy packets of
wire of various lengths, that have been prestripped on both ends.

>has anybody used a bread-board for prototyping a PIC ?

Sure. At low frequencies it's the simplest approach.
>
Good Luck!

Reg Neale