Instructions to Make Wind Chimes
Wind chimes provide a musical background noise, but that music can come at a hefty price. Handmade wind chimes bought from artisans can be pricey. By making wind chimes at home, you can have the music at a fraction of the price. While there are many different types of materials that make for good chimes, pipes in aluminum or cooper are one popular selection. You can make your own wind chimes in an afternoon.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Tubes (aluminum or other light material)
- Pipe cutter
- Steel wool
- Drill
- 3/4-inch thick piece of wood, at least 2-by-2-feet
- Pencil
- Measuring tape
- Jigsaw
- Nylon rope
Instructions
-
-
1
Cut the pipes to different lengths with a pipe cutter. For example, cut one piece 8 inches long, another 10 inches, another 12 inches and the last 6 inches. Rub the ends with steel wool to remove burrs.
-
2
Drill a hole in each pipe 2 inches from the top. Use a 1/8 inch bit and remove any burrs around the holes with steel wool.
-
-
3
Draw a circle that is 7 inches in diameter on a piece of 3/4-inch wood. Cut out the circle using a jigsaw. Cut out a 3-by-6 inch rectangle to be used as a weight for the wind chime, and a circle that is 3 1/2 inches in diameter for the clapper from the same piece of wood. The clapper will hit the pipes when the wind blows, creating the musical tones made by the wind chimes.
-
4
Drill holes for the pipe suspension rope. Drill the holes 1/2 inch apart and 1/2 inch from the edge of the 7-inch wooden circle. String the nylon rope through the holes in the pipes and tie the rope to the platform with a basic knot, such as a square knot or bowline. As long as the knot is tight and will not break, any type of knot is acceptable. Attach the pipes in counterclockwise formation with the shortest pipe first then moving up the lengths to finish with the longest pipe.
-
5
Tie the weight to a piece of nylon rope, tie the clapper about halfway up the nylon rope and string through the center of the top piece of wood so that the weight hangs from the bottom of the chime. Attach the wind chime to a tree or porch using a piece of nylon rope tied through the center knot in another basic knot.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
