chris giorgetti on mon 11 jan 99
Does anyone know a source for large wind chimes? I've only been able to
find thin chimes about 4" long. I need the big stuff!
TIA
Chris at Lotsa Pots! in the foggy, cold Bay Area
David & Diane Chen on thu 1 jul 99
Well, I have been studying feng shui lately and feel a need to attract some =
good
chi. One of the ways I can apparently accomplish this, is to hang wind =
chimes
by my doors. As I was looking at the many wind chimes on the Internet, I =
found
reasons to dislike them all. Either they were too plain, no character, too =
big,
too gaudy, etc.. It occurred to me that perhaps I could make the chimes. I=
did
a search for ceramic wind chimes and didn't really come up with much, so =
here I
am back at the best source. Big lead in to a simple question:
Has anyone ever made windchimes out of clay. If so, please give some =
specifics=21
Thanks,
Diane in
Still in very hot, very very dry like a tinderbox (hoping there are no fires
from fireworks this year) Massachusetts
the Gallaghers on fri 2 jul 99
Diane,
I made a wind chime ages, and ages ago, thinking I had created the first
ceramic wind chime after seeing the glass versions made in Japan. Ha, boy
was I nieve!
Anyway, go for it, varing thickness will change the sound. I've seen them
done using avariety of shapes, I made mine just from strips, flat and
twisted. Remember to add the hole for stringing them up.
Michelle
In Oregon
Cindy Dueringer on fri 2 jul 99
In a message dated 7/1/99 10:04:42 AM Central Daylight Time,
parishrd@netway.com writes:
<< ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Well, I have been studying feng shui lately and feel a need to attract some
good
chi. One of the ways I can apparently accomplish this, is to hang wind
chimes
by my doors. As I was looking at the many wind chimes on the Internet, I
found
reasons to dislike them all. Either they were too plain, no character, too
big,
too gaudy, etc.. It occurred to me that perhaps I could make the chimes. I
did
a search for ceramic wind chimes and didn't really come up with much, so
here I
am back at the best source. Big lead in to a simple question:
Has anyone ever made windchimes out of clay. If so, please give some
specifics!
Thanks,
Diane in
Still in very hot, very very dry like a tinderbox (hoping there are no fires
from fireworks this year) Massachusetts >>
Diane.......wish I could send you some of our friggin RAIN. I have mold
growing on my house.
I've been making wind chimes. BIG FUN! I started using scraps of clay. I
roll them out in different thicknesses from about oh, 1/4" to as thin as I
can roll it. It doesn't seem to matter what type of clay I use. Then I use
cookie cutters to cut out as many as I can, then use a straw to make a hole
to hang them. I sometimes dab on a little underglaze with a sponge, or
detail with brush, or even slip trail for interesting things like bones on
fish shapes. I only bisque them. I worry about using glaze as it might chip
easily. But haven't tried it on the "chimes".
I've found all kinds of neat cookie cutter shapes. My favorite for gifts is
a dog bone shape. I hand sculpt a large 3-d bone out of clay, hand make
holes across the bottom, fire, glaze, fire. (make sure you clean the holes
out real good - DUH) Then fire the flat cookie cutter ones. I put 3-5
little flat bone shapes on each string, tying them at different heights with
a square knot. Make sure you make your holes in the holder part close enough
so your hanging shapes touch. (first one I made made no noise unless you had
a 90 MPH wind) I use about 30 "chimes" on each one. The more the clinky-er.
I've personalized the bones with pet names. Kinda cute. I'm trying to find
a fish cookie cutter to make chimes for my friends with cats.
Just remember to vary the thickness of your "chimes". You can also do
cylinders if you have an extruder.
I've also made interlocking greenware pieces, then after bisqued I fit them
together then glaze them together to form some interesting shapes to hang
chimes from.
The only caveat is to not use shapes with edges that can chip easily.....say
a star shape as it has pointy edges that might break off.
Oddly enough, I've hung chimes in the doorways of my rooms. Didn't know
that was cool to do with Feng Shui! Are there any preferred shapes for that?
KC Cindy
wet, moldy, damp, muggy Kansas
Faye Clarke on fri 2 jul 99
My immediate reaction to your question..... is to perhaps create chimes as
I do- Ones that are very closely related to nature... and I would think
that is the kind of energy you want to attract--
I use a piece of driftwood and attach pieces of clay-- perhaps with ferns,
cedar--etc. rolled onto the clay... removed and then oxides rubbed into the
impression...left..
Because of where we live on the West coast (Van. Island)-- I also do clay
starfish....etc..
All of these are attached through holes drilled in the driftwood by fishing
cord... the kind nets are repaired with... very strong.. and durable..
A great way to use up the reclaimed clay..and fired to vitrication make a
wonderful sound..
My ideas are certainly not original.. but then what is... we each take what
we learn from each other and adapt it to our own creativity...
By the way we could send some cold-damp weather your way if I could figure
out a packing and shipping method... hahahahahha-
Good Luck-- and good energy... Faye
t 11:03 AM 7/1/99 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Well, I have been studying feng shui lately and feel a need to attract
some good
>chi. One of the ways I can apparently accomplish this, is to hang wind
chimes
>by my doors. As I was looking at the many wind chimes on the Internet, I
found
>reasons to dislike them all. Either they were too plain, no character,
too big,
>too gaudy, etc.. It occurred to me that perhaps I could make the chimes.
I did
>a search for ceramic wind chimes and didn't really come up with much, so
here I
>am back at the best source. Big lead in to a simple question:
>
>Has anyone ever made windchimes out of clay. If so, please give some
specifics!
>
>Thanks,
>Diane in
>Still in very hot, very very dry like a tinderbox (hoping there are no fires
>from fireworks this year) Massachusetts
>
>
Huske Christina on fri 2 jul 99
Yes, many years ago when I was a ceramic student I made fish wind chimes.
The were nice but my favorit chimes are bamboo. The sound is so relaxing
and more natural than that of metal or glass or even ceramics (which I
adore). Good luck!
-----Original Message-----
From: David & Diane Chen [mailto:parishrd@netway.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 01, 1999 10:03 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Wind Chimes
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Well, I have been studying feng shui lately and feel a need to attract some
good
chi. One of the ways I can apparently accomplish this, is to hang wind
chimes
by my doors. As I was looking at the many wind chimes on the Internet, I
found
reasons to dislike them all. Either they were too plain, no character, too
big,
too gaudy, etc.. It occurred to me that perhaps I could make the chimes. I
did
a search for ceramic wind chimes and didn't really come up with much, so
here I
am back at the best source. Big lead in to a simple question:
Has anyone ever made windchimes out of clay. If so, please give some
specifics!
Thanks,
Diane in
Still in very hot, very very dry like a tinderbox (hoping there are no fires
from fireworks this year) Massachusetts
David & Diane Chen on fri 2 jul 99
Well, based on the responses thus far, I suspect I left the question a bit
too wide open. To clarify the question on making ceramic Wind Chimes:
1. What kind of clay do you use?
2. What glazing problems do you run into, if any. Do you use straight
glazing process or something else? Does glaze run into the hole you punch
at top of object?
3. What do you string the objects on?
4. Any advice on getting different tones? Do for instance more holes in
the object make a difference?
5. Any other advice. . . ..
Thanks,
Diane
Massacusetts
nikom chimnok on sat 3 jul 99
At 11:03 1/7/99 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Has anyone ever made windchimes out of clay. If so, please give some
specifics!
********************************************************
Hello Diane,
I once supported myself for 2 years doing nothing but firing terra
cotta windchimes. I hired other people to pound them into plaster molds,
glaze them (sometimes), and assemble them.
I made nothing but leaves--actually the negatives of leaves. The
real leaf, often trimmed off to suit me, was pressed into clay, then plaster
poured on that, so the plaster was a positive, and the clay pounded into
that was therefore a negative on one side, and smooth on the back, cut off
with a wire. We never made masters--there were always more leaves where that
came from. Used diesel fuel as a release agent and my workers could do about
500 leaves each per day, including bending the edges.
Specifics. The clay needs to be cooked close to maturity, otherwise
it makes a dull clunky sound. Small pieces produce a high tinkly note, while
bigger ones move toward the bass. Glaze seems to make them noisier, but
plain terra cotta sold well too, especially if I did a little reduction at
the end and turned them half red and half black. My best trick was a sort of
semi-matte, immature slip glaze that didn't stick to itself very much, so
that I could just stack them up in the kiln, glazed on both sides, without
using shelves. They'd come out of the kiln in a mass of a hundred or so
leaves, but could be pried apart, leaving almost unnoticable marks. I also
sometimes used more traditional glazes, hanging the leaves from nichrome
wires in the kiln. If making them for my own enjoyment I'd probably do it
that way, but I found that customers didn't want to pay the extra price for
the greatly reduced number of pieces I could fit in a kilnload. Nowadays I'm
on to other things, but still make a few windchimes of stoneware merely
dipped in a mix of water and iron oxide, lying on shelves to fill up the
spaces between pots.
For hangers I use hoops or sticks of clay, or sometimes leaves
something like a maple leaf. The chimes are assembled with nylon
monofilament, and hooks of galvanized wire.
And that's about all I know.
Nikom in Thailand, in the midst of the rainy season, waiting for the pots to
dry.
Claudia C Maciel on sat 3 jul 99
Hi Diane, Having just returned from MA-(Cohasset-camping in Wompatuck and
my son's graduation from the Landing School in Kennebunk-((anyone looking
for a wooden boat craftsman?-talk about following your dreams))Yikes the
humidity. . . I thought I could see the rain hanging 50 feet off the
ground but it never fell!! About the wind chimes-I made some years ago
throwing a narrow cylinder and at the leather hard stage sliced it into
segments on the wheel-(looked like a bunch of bangle bracelets) -put a
small hole in the side of each for the string, and made a bunch of
interesting bead shapes to hang within the circle or independent of
it-the hanger was a large upside down mug shape with a flared rim where
pairs of holes were made so that each "chime" was looped up through on
part of the pair and down through the other part of the pair-this created
an adjustable pair of chimes on one long string-lots of flexibility with
it that way-by sliding the chimes you could create a spiral effect, or
two layers of chimes, on above the other etc-I used terra cotta clay and
gave a couple of "spare rings" to the customer just in case one of those
tree branches smacked one good and broke the chime! Got the string for
hanging at "Building 19 or was it 19 1/2?" : ) My "prototype" chime
(about 10yrs old) is hanging by my front door here in CA-and has brought
abundant good "chi"-yours will also!
Enjoy the day, Claudia Maciel
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Carolynn Palmer on sat 3 jul 99
I have been making and selling windchimes as a very successful part of my
pottery display at art fairs for over 25 years, after stumbling upon an old
porcelain chime (that obviously had pieces missing) at an antique dealer in
London. He claimed it was ancient Chinese. (Probably not.) When I got it
home and strung it together, I was enchanted with the sound it made and this
led to trying my hand at chimes.
The most difficult part of creating these chimes has been the development of
a clay body that could take the abuse of swinging and banging in the wind and
not crack all up, while at the same time sound pleasant and melodious. No
purchased clay was able to stand up over the years of hanging out and banging
together in wind and rain, etc. The closest I ever came was some of the very
high fired porcelains offered by US clay suppliers. So I would advise you to
start with the porcelains you have available to you. Use a grogless clay to
make the chiming pieces from because, in my experience, grog weakens the
pieces and accelerates cracking and breaking. And most importantly, no glaze
on the chiming pieces.
Also, stringing them together sounds so simple, but I experimented for years
with various lines, strings, and mono filaments (like fish lines.) The
string must not act as a muffler when the pieces swing and hit each other in
the wind, so anything soft or the least bit 'fuzzy' is out. Then just when I
thought I had found the perfect string in the form of a mono filament fishing
line, the company, Auto Chem Corporation moved to Europe and stopped selling
to the US market! And to top it all off, the American manufacturers of
similar fishline, started leaving out the UV protection in the fishing line
so that it would rot naturally in the sun and be environmentally friendly.
The last thing I need is string on my chimes that will rot in the sun and let
all of the pieces fall to the ground! But, mono filament still is the best
thing I can find.
The design of the chime can be anything that is pleasing to you. Each
chiming piece is going to sound different depending on thickness, suface
area, and whether or not it has a hollow space within it and also, how high
it has been fired.
In my hippy days, we gathered driftwood, drilled many holes into it and hung
the chiming pieces from it.
Carolynn Palmer, Somerset Center, Michigan
Cindy Dueringer on sun 4 jul 99
In a message dated 7/2/99 3:16:16 PM Central Daylight Time,
parishrd@netway.com writes:
<< ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Well, based on the responses thus far, I suspect I left the question a bit
too wide open. To clarify the question on making ceramic Wind Chimes:
1. What kind of clay do you use?
2. What glazing problems do you run into, if any. Do you use straight
glazing process or something else? Does glaze run into the hole you punch
at top of object?
3. What do you string the objects on?
4. Any advice on getting different tones? Do for instance more holes in
the object make a difference?
5. Any other advice. . . ..
>>
Well in my response, you'll note I wrote 'any' clay. Start with leftovers.
If you don't have leftovers get some regular old earthenware white, (^04 -
06) and start with that.
I only glaze the hanging portion and I make that by hand. But I suppose
anything will work from a pipe to a branch, from a brick to an old
keyboard....as long as it has someplace to hang string from. String is very
important in windchime making. someone mentioned fishing cord which should
work great, but don't mix it up with nylon fishing filament, the clear stuff,
as the clay holes wear through it pretty quick. And I also read about using
the stuff they use to make fish netting. I've looked at the chimes in the
stores and they have a very thin multi-filament white cord that I'm trying to
find. I've used hemp that you can buy from bead stores or jewelry making
sections of Michael's or Hobby Lobby. You might try an upholstery store as
they have some pretty stout cord for making ...um....upholstery! You can get
that in different colors too.
For colors on the chimes I use only underglaze and bisque the chime pieces, I
don't glaze them as I worry about it chipping and leaving tiny shards of
glass. Using underglazes you can sponge it on, brush it on, spray it on.
You can also use slip trailing on the greenware for decorating or writing.
Before firing I use an old drill bit to clean out the holes to make sure they
are free of any obstructing clay or glaze bits. I try to use glaze that
doesn't run so much. I only use commercial glazes so maybe someone else can
steer you in the right direction on that. Sometimes some glaze gets into a
hole during the firing and you have to drill it out. I find that wet
drilling at a slow speed works great. There are special glass/ceramic drill
bits you can buy, but I usually use a regular carbide tip drill bit and take
my time.
The size and thickness of your hanging chimes determines the sound you get.
I use small pieces, nothing much bigger than a credit card, and I use a LOT
of them.....2 to 3 dozen hanging pieces. Fatter pieces have a higher pitch
clink, thinner pieces have a lower clink.....quite the opposite of what you'd
think. Oh the things you can think. I made big golf balls on one chime, it
sounds terrible....they don't do anything but clunk so I stay away from
really big fat "chimes".
I haven't experimented with making my chimes look like swiss cheese to see if
that changes the tone, but I'm sure it would.....it might also weaken them.
We have some stiff winds here in Kansas so I try to make my chimes
weather-worthy so I keep them small and compact. LOL, swiss cheese
pieces....hanging from a mouse....cute idea!!!
hope this helps...
KC Cindy......summer blew across the prairie at about 50mph and landed today
Sheron Roberts on sun 4 jul 99
OK, I can't stand it anymore, LOL, I have to put in my two cents worth on =
the
windchimes. I too, have been hanging chimes and crystals all over the house=
for
years, didn't know it was the thing to do, other than they were pretty and
pleasing to my inner self. And like one of the other clayarters mentioned I
prefer bamboo, especially around my studio. I have two outside my bedroom
window, beautiful to say the least. When I became involved in ceramics I
immediately set to work making windchimes utilizing all the curly branches
pruned from my kiwi vines. I made little ceramic bells, with ceramic =
clappers
shaped like people(ok it was a weird idea, especially since they were =
hanging
upside down). I strung all this together with hemp and beads. People =
loved
them. They were more interesting to look at than to listen to. Soooo, I =
moved
on to disks and flat pieces twisted in spirals, still using kiwi vine,
driftwood, bones, etc. Good way to use scrap clay and all the fun things I =
find
on my walks through the woods or at the beach.
Sheron Roberts, in NC, where we went from rainforest to desert in just one =
day
and tomorrow promises to be even hotter. :(
gemini53=40weblnk.net
Lori Lynn & Robert J on sun 4 jul 99
Diane,
I have been making and selling chimes for many years now. I found Porcelain
clay to have the most pleasing tones. I do not glaze so I cannot help you
there I just texture and use and oxide wash (stain), which I brush on then
wipe off. It leaves the wash in the textured areas which gives them a nice
look. Everything makes a difference in the sound, the size, the thickness
and the shape. We use fish line to string them. Hope this helps.
Lori Lynn Rejzek
In the AZ desert, where the hot hot sun meets the cool Colorado.
Lee Jaffe on sun 4 jul 99
At the studio where I work, some of the people have gotten into
making wind chimes from the clay they scrape off their bats after
they've removed the piece with a cutoff wire. You, know, that
thin disc of clay left behind. If you use a wide metal scraper to
remove it while it is still leather hard, it curls up. Make a little
hole at one end for a wire or nylon line before you fire it. Hanging
a few together makes a chime. And they are light enough that
they can actually move in a light breeze.
-- Lee Jaffe
Sharon R Pemberton on sun 4 jul 99
1. any clay will do, fire to maturity
2. why glaze?
3. anything
4. different sizes, this is not a wind instrument and holes can make it weak
5. just sit down, or stand, and make them....this is not rocket science, do
not
forget your imagination! This is perhaps the second easiest project
after pinch pots
Pax tecum
Donald G. Goldsobel on sun 4 jul 99
Carolyn,
If you favor mono filament to hang your chimes, I suggest you go to an
awning manufacturer. They use a weather resistant thread to sew the canvas.
It is UV resistant and lasts longer than the canvas.
Donald Goldsobel in the San Fernando Valley where the weather is
unseasonably cool and I love it.
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>
Carol Jackaway on sun 4 jul 99
When making windchimes I string them with strong heavy fish line, I glaze
them as I would a pot, cleaning out the whole after the glaze is dry. Do not
use a "runny" glaze or you will lose the wholes. When firing the individual
peices (if glazed) you can use stilts are even a bead rod. you can different
sounds just by making some peices a different length, keep in mind that if
you make some peices thicker then other this can through off the balance of
the finished peice.
Good Luck
Carol Jackaway
CoilLady
Parkside Pa.
Hot, Muggy, Sat. morning.
Carolynn Palmer on tue 6 jul 99
Thank you! A thousand thank yous if this works out for me! I will let you
know - if this is available in the quantities I need it - I have been calling
every mono filament manufacturer I can find looking for one with UV
protection. You're the answer to my prayer. It pays to ask on Clayart.
Somewhere some Clayarter must know just about everything! I swear it!
Thanks again, Carolynn Palmer
David & Diane Chen on fri 9 jul 99
THANK YOU, for all the wind chimes responses that are still coming in fast
and furious. Let's see, I already have the clay, now I need to rent the
movie Body Heat and start calling Awning Companies. That'll keep me busy.
And, of course, if I were Martha Stewart I could just make my own
interesting cookie cutters!
Oh, for those who asked specifics about feng shui, I'm a newbie at this too.
It seems you can make small changes around your house and either attract
wealth, or smooth out relationships--basically good health, wealth and
prosperity. Apparently ch'i is good energy that you can "encourage" to
stick around by using pleasing balancing things like wind chimes, crystals,
or plants hung in strategic locations. I figured I'd try it and see if I
noticed anything changing. I'll keep you posted!
Thanks again,
Diane in finally normal Massachusetts
Debra Wills on sun 11 jul 99
We will be waiting to hear when you win the *lottery*...LOL
I have chimes, plants, & crystals hanging too...:-)
am I rich--- not yet!
The Good Lord - hasn't seen to bless me in that way,,..yet...but - I'm
waiting...
Debra~~it's been raining here for days---unusual!
>>>>>>>
THANK YOU, for all the wind chimes responses that are still coming in fast
and furious. Let's see, I already have the clay, now I need to rent the
movie Body Heat and start calling Awning Companies. That'll keep me busy.
And, of course, if I were Martha Stewart I could just make my own
interesting cookie cutters!
Oh, for those who asked specifics about feng shui, I'm a newbie at this too.
It seems you can make small changes around your house and either attract
wealth, or smooth out relationships--basically good health, wealth and
prosperity. Apparently ch'i is good energy that you can "encourage" to
stick around by using pleasing balancing things like wind chimes, crystals,
or plants hung in strategic locations. I figured I'd try it and see if I
noticed anything changing. I'll keep you posted!
Thanks again,
Diane in finally normal Massachusetts
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