How to Make a Rainstick for a Project
A rainstick is a musical instrument that originated in Chile centuries ago. Chilean tribesmen made music with rainsticks as an offering to the gods for rain. Rainsticks are long, hollow tubes filled with small objects. When the rainstick moves, the small inserts flow from one side to the other to make the music. You can make your own rainstick for a project using items you may already have in your craft room and in your kitchen.
Things You'll Need
- Gift wrapping tube
- Duct tape
- Aluminum foil
- Uncooked rice, beans or popcorn
- Acrylic paint
- Paint sponge
- Upholstery nails
- Hammer
- Artist’s brushes
Instructions
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1
Wrap duct tape around the spiral seam on the gift wrapping tube to reinforce it. This step may not be necessary if the tube is made from thick cardboard.
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2
Cover one end of the tube with aluminum foil. Hold the foil securely in place with duct tape.
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3
Fill the tube 1/4 of the way full with uncooked rice, beans or popcorn, depending on the preferred noise level of the rainstick. Rice makes a softer sound than popcorn; popcorn is softer than beans.
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4
Seal the opposite end of the tube with aluminum foil and secure it with duct tape.
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5
Decorate the rainstick with a base color of acrylic paint. Allow the paint to dry. One or two additional coats may be necessary to cover the cardboard tube and the duct tape.
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6
Insert decorative upholstery nails along the duct tape covering the spiral seam. Space the upholstery nails 1 inch apart along the length of the spiral seam. The nails inside the tube impede the rice/popcorn/bean movement so that they trickle down the tube rather than slide down the tube. The trickling effect sounds more like rain. Ancient Chileans hammered cactus spines into cactus branches to create a similar effect in their rainsticks.
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7
Decorate the painted background of the rainstick as you like with acrylics. Embellish the rainstick with feathers, flat-back rhinestones, stickers and vinyl rub-ons.
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Tips & Warnings
Insert pipe cleaners or scrunched-up bits of aluminum foil inside the rainstick instead of nails to slow the rice movement.
