How to Make a Metal Ocarina
The ocarina is a type of small flute – small enough to be carried in a pocket – that can play between three and five notes. You blow in through one hole, cover one or all the others to make the notes, and the sound emerges through another, uncovered hole. Although ocarinas are usually made of clay, you can construct one out of metal.
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Things You'll Need
- Brass sheet, 8-inches by 8-inches
- Blowtorch
- Safety glasses
- Heavy gloves
- Pliers
- Multicore solder
- Soldering iron
- Drill
- 1/4-inch drill bit
- Awl
- Sandpaper
Instructions
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Shaping The Ocarina
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1
Put on safety glasses and heavy gloves. Light a blowtorch and gently heat the brass sheet.
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2
Bend the heated brass, using pliers, bringing one half over the other, but don’t press it down on the other half – leave a gap of about ½-inch between the two halves. Bend the two outside edges toward each other so you end up with something resembling a rectangle.
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3
Continue to heat the open edges of the brass and fold them over toward each other. By the time you’ve finished, the brass should have taken on the shape of a pillow, with the edges on three sides very close together; the fourth side will be where you folded the brass over. Leave to cool.
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4
Heat up a soldering iron; you’ll achieve the best results by using the highest power on the soldering iron and allowing it to warm up completely.
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5
Melt multicore solder and run along all three open edges of the brass “pillow” to make a seam all the way around and join up with the folded edge; be generous with the solder and work slowly to make sure you leave no gaps.
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6
Leave to cool and check your work, adding more solder if the seam appears weak in any areas.
Completing The Ocarina
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7
Fit a 1/4-inch bit suitable to penetrate metal into your drill. Drill a hole through the brass along the curved edge; this will be the mouthpiece for your ocarina. Remove any metal burrs with an awl and sandpaper the edges of the holes to eliminate any rough spots. Blow gently into the hole.
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8
Drill three holes through the top of the brass pillow. Place the holes in the top right-hand corner, the bottom right-hand corner and the bottom left-hand corner. Run an awl through each of the holes to remove metal burrs and spurs, then sandpaper the rough edges from all the holes.
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9
Turn the ocarina over. Drill a hole through the brass in the center of the underside, then clean away any debris.
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10
Blow into the mouthpiece of the ocarina and play the notes by using your fingers to cover the holes in different combinations.
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References
- Photo Credit Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
