Creating Your Own Wind Chimes

Making your own wind chimes is the perfect way to achieve relaxation in any location. Not to mention, it's always satisfying to make something with your own two hands.

Materials you will need There are a variety of materials you can use to make a wind chime. First, you will need to choose a metal or hardwood to make the clapper (or striker), which can be made from any number of shapes. Strikers can be made from natural stones or beads as well. Second, for the string, you will need to use something that is thick enough to hold the weight of the chime pieces, but thin enough to be knotted. Monofilament line (sold with fishing supplies) is always a fine choice. Plastic line for weed trimmers works great as well. Lastly, for the chime tubes, you can choose bamboo, metal, or hollow ceramic pieces. The choice is completely yours. Tips It is important to note that the tone your chime will have depends on what type of metal you choose "aluminum, copper, brass, or steel" and on the thickness, length, and hollowness of the tubes, as well as the hardness or softness of the clapper.

Tone and sound
It's best to experiment with several different types of metal. This will allow you to decide which sound you like best. Each material has its own unique tone and sound. Softer metals, such as copper create milder tones; while harder metals, such as steel and aluminum alloys result in sharper tones. Another tip to note is that smaller metal wind chimes are usually more sharply toned than larger wind chimes.

Arranging your chime
The clapper and the chimes should not be so placed so close together that the clapper strikes more than one or two chimes at once. Arranging the chimes in the right order will keep them from hanging crookedly and produces a beautiful sound when two chimes are struck simultaneously by the clapper.

Stringing the chimes
Monofilament line (fishing line) works perfect for stringing metal wind chimes. Use the line that you prefer the most. The line packages will list how much weight the line will hold before breaking, this is always something good to note. Make sure that the suspension holes in the metal tubes are extremely smooth or they may cut right through the line.

Wind chimes are fun to make. After you've created your masterpiece, you can enjoy its beauty and sound with those you love.