B.Y.O. Wind Chimes

[SteveJ34]

So Christmas is around the corner and in recent years I have taken a path of making/building a number of gifts rather than trudging through the mall.

This year I think I will build/make wind chimes for a number of family on my list. I have found a couple of plans online that I will use as a starting point.

Most of these designs call for just using EMT (electrical pipe) of varying diameters and lengths. With the exposure this type of pipe will receive from the weather elements in combination with the lackluster finish it will have, I was contemplating whether I could paint it in some way.

Isn't standard EMT conduit you find at Home Depot etc  galvanized steel with Zinc coating to reduce rust rather than say like aluminum?

Any suggestions for applying a finish (spray paint or otherwise) short of paying someone to powder coat finish the things that will improve the look and aid reduction of wear from the elements of nature?

I look forward to any and all replies.

Steve

[whammoed]

When painting zinc/galvanized material make sure to use a primer that is meant for it first.  They are latex and you will likely have to brush it on since I've haven't seen it in a spray.  Otherwise your paint will peel off.  Powdercoating may not come out too well by the way.  The galvanization tends to emit gas when curing and cause bubbles in the finish.

[SteveJ34]

Thanks for the response.

Undestood on the powder coating option...wasn't planning on taking that approach anyway as it would be cost prohibitive in combination with my having a lack of a resource for that.

If I were to incur that expense I could source pipe that was already painted, bronzed, coated etc instead of using EMT from the hardware store.

The purpose of using EMT keeps the cost of the total project down so i can build multiple units at < $20 that in theory produce tones that are comparable to $60-80 store bought units.

[Stingray]

I've never found anything that sticks well to galvanized metal.

-S

[whammoed]

What about using some copper plumbing pipe?  Its not too expensive either, you could leave it unfinished and let it take on that greenish color with age.  It also takes spray enamel well with no primer.

[Stingray]

Copper would certainly look better than galvanized steel. Not sure what kind of sound you could expect out of it though.

-S

[Zakk]

No one mentioned the fact that everyone hates windchimes, except for the person that put them up?  Gaaaa, it makes my flesh crawl just thinking of them.  Kind of like giving tickle me Elmo dolls to other people's kids: Funny for you, tortuous for the kid's parents (Rock n' Roll Elmo was particularly nasty).

[whammoed]

No one mentioned the fact that everyone hates windchimes, except for the person that put them up?

[Stingray]

*****wow, thats one of those words that stops sounding like a word after a few times...chime chime chime chime chime chime chime

Skipped your meds this morning, did ya?

-S

[Ed_McCarron]

"The Chimeless Wind Chime."

Wouldn't that just be "Wind?"

[Stingray]

"The Chimeless Wind Chime."

Wouldn't that just be "Wind?"

If we can only figure out how to bottle it, we may have the next "pet rock" on our hands.

No, I'm not interested in investing in a "jump to conclusions mat".

-S

[Zakk]

That would be a good product:  Buy one for all your closeby neighbours, and then say, "well this is the hottest new thing, you wouldn't want to be the last person on the block with one of those old-style ones that makes noise would you?!?"

I've actually done late night commando raids on closeby houses with windchimes. 

[Stingray]

There's only one house close enough to me for me to tell if they have wind chimes and of course they do.

Honestly I don't even notice them most of the time, but they drive my wife batty.

-S

[Zakk]

Don't you have a sniper rifle or some TNT in your fallout shelter?  What kind of hillbilly are you?

[DrewKaree]

Don't you have a sniper rifle or some TNT in your fallout shelter?  What kind of hillbilly are you?

He has that trebuchet, but I think he just built that for show.

I dunno what sound copper makes when fashioned into windchimes, but I DO know that stuffing copper tubing into chunks of old cut up pieces of garden hose and thrown into a campfire make REALLY pretty colors, as well as advancing my agenda of speeding up global warming to make Wisconsin winters more like Florida's.  Oh, and as an added bonus, burning the copper/garden hose combo doesn't stink like the old tires we tried at first. 

We save the tire-burning for ozone action days now.

[SteveJ34]

First, thanks for the responses from those that had some input on painting galvanized steel. I have located some primer designed specifically for this situation that in combination with prep recommendations that I'm planning to test.

Copper is certainly an option but that does have some issues of difficulty in terms of being able to create the 'tuned' notes one can  accomplish with steel and/or aluminnum.

Second, thanks for the levity this topic has generated. The responses received that stray from the question at hand reconfirm that I am not alone in this world in terms of how my mind works and the things that I find humor within.

Finally, apologies to those for which this subject matter drums up sounds of something akin to "nails on a chalkboard". At least I now know what not to give you for Christmas this year.

Cheers!

[Zakk]

No THAT would be a cool windchime:  A little chalkboard with a bunch of nails dangling around it.  This year's hottest seller!

[nostrebor]

First, thanks for the responses from those that had some input on painting galvanized steel. I have located some primer designed specifically for this situation that in combination with prep recommendations that I'm planning to test.

Copper is certainly an option but that does have some issues of difficulty in terms of being able to create the 'tuned' notes one can  accomplish with steel and/or aluminnum.

Second, thanks for the levity this topic has generated. The responses received that stray from the question at hand reconfirm that I am not alone in this world in terms of how my mind works and the things that I find humor within.

Finally, apologies to those for which this subject matter drums up sounds of something akin to "nails on a chalkboard". At least I now know what not to give you for Christmas this year.

Cheers!

This is like the most formal reply ever! Add a "Dear Sir or Madam," and a "Sincerely, SteveJ34" and it would be formality perfection.

Oh, and your on the right track with your painting experiment. (back on topic)

[Stingray]

Here's a thought. Won't the paint dull the sound that the chimes make?

-S

[Zakk]

You could only hope and pray it would.

[Stingray]

Well if it doesn't you could always wrap them in foam rubber and duct tape.

-S

[Zakk]

Same could be done with the people putting up said wind chimes.

[DrewKaree]

Same could be done with the people putting up said wind chimes.

Would you have to primer them before painting too?

[SteveJ34]

Had 2 out of 3 kids home sick from school today so decided to take the day off and tinker with the wind chime project.

I decided that the effort to jerk with trying to prime and then paint EMT was probably more hassle than what it was worth and in all likelihood would in fact dull the sound.

I picked up a short piece of EMT and 10ft of 1" copper. I constructed one note from the plans I had with the EMT and then used a set of formulas found in yahoo group which allows you to determine the same for other types of metals, widths, and thicknesses to make modifications based on different material.

I then tested the resulting sounds, one against the other. This worked out quite well and I was pleased with the result of this first test piece so I fashioned the remaining notes for set one.

Further, I've decided not to paint the copper at all....cleaned up my first set of pieces with mineral spirits and then gentle scrub with some extra fine steel wool. The finish looks great though it will weather over time but I think I will go this path.

I'm making several so I cut what remaining copper I had for what will become the second set and then went to task cutting out all the tops, strikers from some nice red oak and made sails for the bottom.

I'll trek back to hardware store this weekend and get the balance of copper I need....

...oh, yes, less I forget....

....and some foam insulation and duct tape for the set I am shipping to Zakk.

Cheers!

[Zakk]

Good God man, you must be stopped!  Isn't there a neighborhood watch program in place in your area?