How to Make Aluminum Wind Chimes

Wind chimes have existed since 1100 B.C., when the Chinese developed feng-ling chimes for religious ceremonies. Buddhist monks still hang wind chimes on their temples, and bamboo chimes hang in the rice paddies of Bali to charm the spirits with music. Wind chimes made from aluminum pipes most commonly hang in gardens. You can purchase them in home improvement and garden stores for up to a hundred dollars, depending on pipe size. However, you can fabricate them at home at a much cheaper cost.

Things You'll Need

• 3/4- or 1-inch diameter aluminum pipe
• Marker
• Hacksaw or pipe cutter
• Clamp
• Sandpaper rated for metal
• Compression punch
• Drill
• 1/8-inch metal-cutting drill bit
• Medium grit sandpaper
• Scraps from 1-inch hardwood planks, 7 to 11 inches in diameter
• Exterior-grade polyurethane
• Stain or paint
• Jigsaw
• 1/16-inch drill bit
• Heavy nylon fishing cord or 18-gauge copper wire
• Metal washer
• Quick-setting glue

Instructions

1. Measure the desired lengths of each chime on your pipe---6 inches, 8 inches, 12 inches and 16 inches for a four-tone wind chime, for example. Mark each length.

2. Cut the pipe into the marked lengths using a hacksaw or a pipe cutter. If you use a hacksaw, clamp the pipe into place so it doesn't move. If you prefer a pipe cutter, tighten the cutter so it scores the pipe without denting it. Then put a drop of oil into the groove to lubricate the cutting wheel. Tighten the cutter by one quarter turn every time you go completely around the pipe; repeat this process until the pipe is cut. Sand the burrs off the edges of the cut pipe with the metal-rated sandpaper.

3. Mark a point 2 inches from one end of each pipe, and use a compression punch to indent the pipe at your mark. This will allow you to drill a hole into the pipe without the drill bit slipping.

4. Clamp the pipe into place, the dented end up, and drill a hole through the pipe with a 1/8-inch metal-cutting bit. Sand the area down with medium-grit sandpaper.

5. Draw a hexagon with equal sides onto one of your wood scraps, ensuring that the diameter is 7 inches wide (for four to six chimes; 11 inches for eight chimes), and cut it out using a jigsaw. This is the platform from which the wind chimes will hang.

6. Draw a rectangle about 4 inches long, with one end curved out (a convex curve), onto another wood scrap, and cut it out with the jigsaw. This is the weight that will hang down from your platform. Lowes.com offers templates for the platforms and weights (see reference link).

7. Measure and mark a hole in the center of the platform. Drill the center hole out with a 1/16-inch bit. Measure and mark two holes, 2 inches from center, on either side of the center hole. Drill them out using a 1/8-inch bit. These are the pilot holes for the jigsaw.

8. Draw a 2 inch-diameter circle around the center hole, ending it just before the pilot holes. Draw a second circle around it with a diameter of 2-1/8 inches so it touches the outer edge of the pilot holes. Cut both circles out of the platform with the jigsaw. The interior circle is the clapper, which will strike the chimes to make music. Discard the outer circle.

9. Draw a triangle with 4-inch sides on the platform and mark out three sets of two holes at each point of the shape. Drill the holes out using a 1/16-inch bit. These holes are for the suspension cords. Mark four (or six, or eight) pairs of holes near the outer edge of the platform and drill them out with a 1/16-inch bit. These are the holes for the chimes themselves.

10. Drill a hole 1/2 inch from the convex edge of the weight with a 1/16-inch bit.

11. Sand the weight, clapper, and platform, and paint or stain them in the color of your choice.

12. Cut four (or six, or eight) 15-inch lengths of fishing cord or wire. Thread one length through one of the outer holes in the platform, through the hole in the smallest wind chime, then through the hole immediately adjacent to the first hole. Knot both ends of the cord or twist the wire together. Repeat this for each chime, placing the next largest to the right of the smallest wind chime and so on.

13. Cut three 13-inch pieces of cord or wire. Thread one end through a support hole (one of the three pairs in the triangle), through the metal washer on the opposite side of the platform from the chimes, then through the platform again. Knot the cord or twist the wire together under the platform. This holds up the entire assembly.

14. Cut a piece of cord or wire 13-3/4 inches longer than your longest wind chime. For example, if the longest chime measures 12 inches, the cord needs to be 25-3/4 inches long. Tie one end of this cord to the metal washer. Thread it through the center of the platform and slide the clapper halfway up. Tie a knot underneath the clapper large enough for it to rest on. Tie the weight onto the end of the clapper cord.

15. Hang the wind chime to make sure it's level. Adjust the length of the cords if it's not perfect. Once you're satisfied, dab quick-setting glue onto each knot.

Tips & Warnings

• Short pipes (2 to 6 inches long) have a higher, sharper tone than pipes measuring a foot or more. Consider mixing pipe lengths to create a more pleasing melody.

References

• Lowes.com: Making Pipe Wind Chimes
• Making Wind Chimes by James L. Haworth
• Making Wind Chimes by Jim Kirkpatrick