How to Make Glass Windchimes

A wind chime is a beautiful thing. It has certain calming properties, but it's also pleasing to the eye and an attractive addition to any garden or yard. Many craft stores and home garden centers sell glass wind chimes, but they are usually cheaply made and overpriced. Making your own glass wind chime is less expensive and more fun. It's a pretty easy process, and once you get the hang of it and purchase the necessary materials, you can expertly create and craft a variety of beautiful wind chimes for your family and friends.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pre-cut pieces of glass Fishing line Small piece of 4-by-4-by-2 inch wood Glass cutter Shape cutouts Handheld drill with diamond-coated bit 150-grit sandpaper

1. Plan out your wind chime by choosing the pieces of precut glass you are going to use. Make sure to choose pieces that are similar in size and weight.

2. Choose the shape cutouts you are most fond of and tape each pattern piece to a piece of glass.

3. Using the glass cutter, apply gentle pressure to the glass along the pattern. Once you've done this around the length of the glass, it should break away along the stress points you've created, revealing your newly shaped piece of glass. If there are any rough edges, carefully sand until smooth.

4. Drill a hole near the top of each glass piece using the handheld drill with a diamond-coated bit. Pass a moderately sized piece of fishing line through the hole, tying a knot snugly to the top. Each piece of glass should have a different length of fishing line.

5. Hold all of the stringed glass up to the wood base so you can determine what glass pieces will be touching.

6. Drill several small holes in the wood base equivalent to the number of strings of glass you'll be using; these holes will be where all of the stringed glass hangs from. Pass the fishing line end of the glass pieces through the holes in the base and tie knots to keep the glass pieces in place. Now, drill two small holes in close proximity to each other in the center of the wood base. Pass a 6-inch piece of fishing line through the holes making a loop, which you will tie into a knot.

7. Hang your new glass wind chime from your porch or a tree.

Tips & Warnings

• Painting the glass pieces with stained glass paint can be a beautiful addition to your glass wind chime. Or use stained glass to start with. Shape cutouts can easily be printed out online. Glass cutters and precut glass can be found at any local craft store.
• Never pair very large pieces of glass with very small pieces of glass in your wind chime. The large pieces will crash into the small ones, causing them to shatter in mid-air.

References

• Make Glass Wind Chimes
• How to Make Stained Glass Wind Chimes

Resources

• Pre-Cut Glass Supplier
• Craft Supplies