How to Make Your Own Wind Chime and Have Music in Your Yard

How to Make Your Own Wind Chime and Have Music in Your Yard

One of my most loved and prized organery accessories is a wind chime that I bought at a craft festival over 25 years ago. It has followed me to three different homes, adding its musical notes to the yard's ambiance every time the air stirs. Made with copper plumber's pipe and small pieces of smoked acrylic, it hangs near my front door and plays a musical hello to all visitors.

It is easy to make your own great sounding wind chimes at a fraction of the cost. Although literally fine chimes, mine included, are designed to play chords, even untuned wind chimes sound great. The pitch or note of each pipe is determined by its distance and diameter. Longer pipes have a lower pitch, as do pipes with larger diameters.

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By using easy tools and off-the-shelf hardware, you can assemble a wind chime of your own in three to four hours. You will need an 8 foot piece of copper pipe, a roll of nylon string and a piece of quarter inch plywood or acrylic sheeting. For tools, you will wish a drill and bits, a pipe cutter, a small file, sandpaper, a jigsaw, scissors 5 small eye hooks and a pair of pliers.

First cut the pipe into 6 lengths, from 10 to 16 inches long, each an inch longer than the previous one. Drill a hole through each pipe, piercing both sides and about an inch from one end. Smooth off any burrs from the drilling and cutting with the file and sandpaper. Make sure you get rid of burrs inside the pipe as well, or your strings will be cut. Now sand the pipes to get rid of any printing and to burnish the copper.

Cut two circles, one 4 inches in diameter and one 3 inches in diameter from the wood or acrylic. Also cut a sail to hang below to catch the wind. It can be any shape you choose, as long as it has a flat wide surface. Sand any rough edges, and colse to the 4 inch circle and drill 6 evenly spaced holes near the edge for attaching the chimes. Mark centers of each circle and insert an eye hook in each, on both sides. Also put an eye hook in the town of the top of the sail.

Cut 6 pieces of nylon string, each 24 inches long and knot them securely to the 6 pipes. Insert the strings through the holes in the large circle, and tie them securely so the pipes hang from it, in order of size and 10 inches below. Now string the smaller circle (the clacker) and the sail together, about 15 inches apart. Attach these to the large sustain circle with an additional one distance of string, so that the clacker is situated between the 6 pipes, about 4 inches below the top of them and the sail hangs freely where it can catch the air currents.

Using the upper eyelet on the large circle, hang your chime and kick back and enjoy its soothing music!

How to Make Your Own Wind Chime and Have Music in Your Yard

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