There are fewer things in life more beautiful to see and hear than windchimes. These items can be made out of virtually anything, and are fastened to porches, trees, poles, and trellises.
In past centuries, windchimes were hung in trees and the noise was thought to drive away evil spirits. Today, these accessories are for purely aesthetic purposes, as well as for the music that they make in the wind.
If you wish to make your own chimes at home, you can construct them out of bamboo or strands of crystal beads. Typically, you will need a base, string, the chimes, and any decorative items, such as beads, bells or charms.
You can either create a base from scratch, or re-purpose other items to use as a support for the chimes. To make your own base, you will need a circle, square or even an octagonal shape that is cut out of wood. The wood is generally about ½ inch thick. To make a set of windchimes, use these simple directions:
- Cut out the base and then drill five holes in your base. It’s important to make sure that the holes are equal distances from one another.
- Two of the holes will be used for the windchime handle, so use twine or fishing line to tie your string onto holes that are on opposite sides, making sure your knots are secure.
- If possible, hang the windchimes from that string so it’s easier to work on your windchime
- Gather whatever kinds of rods you will be using as chimes, making sure that they are not the same length. If the rods do not have holes drilled through them at the top, you need to do so.
Run fishing line through the holes in the rods, and then run the fishing line through the holes in the base, leaving six to eight inches of line between the base and the chimes. Tie the line at the top of the base. As you add each chime, be sure they are the correct length to strike one another as the wind blows. Repeat with all of the chimes.
Once the chimes are placed in the base, you can then begin the decoration process. Use glue to add charms, butterflies or jewelry. You can also simply paint the base of your windchimes any way you wish. It is not recommended that you paint the rods, as it can sometimes affect the sound quality.
Repurposing will follow the same basic steps as above, only instead of cutting out a wood base, you may wish to use a vintage bronze lantern, silverware, gourds, or any other solid object that will allow you to drill hole in.
You can make the chimes out of many different kinds of things; you may want to experiment to hear how the sound quality is for that particular object before you drill holes in it, however. Copper pipes are excellent chimes, and you can use many different types of metal for the chimes. Just remember to think outside the box. Use your creativity and you’ll have no problems creating a fantastic set of windchimes for your outdoor arts and crafts.
Garage sales, auctions, online bidding sites, and craft stores are all excellent places to find materials for this kind of project. By visiting a variety of places, you may find some surprisingly fitting materials that can be easily repurposed for your outdoor art project. And remember, an easy way to add some pleasing background sound is to put up a wind chime in your yard.
About the author: Karen Schmidt loves to teach children how to make their own wind chimes using easy to acquire items.
Credits: Photo courtesy of Katy Warner.