Make your own wind chimes

Use scrap items at home to create these musical instruments

Wind chimes add beauty and warmth to every space. There are many fancy and elaborate options to choose from online and offline stores. However, if you feel strongly about sustainability, here are some quick DIY methods to create this simple musical charm.

To start off, make a base. According to the items that will be hanging from it, make a strong base — this could be anything ranging from a crochet hoop to plastic/metal lids used on mason jars. Drill holes in the chosen base (at least 6 to 8), pass the twine/threads through the holes and secure them in knots. Tie them all together into one knot at the top.

Seashell

Remember all the different seashells you stocked away from the different beaches you visited over the years? Clean those shells thoroughly with soap and water and let them dry. If you have a dried starfish with you, use it for the base.

“Drill some holes in the shells carefully. For a glossy finish, paint each of them with transparent nail polish or use varnish,” say Catherine Souza, a waste recyclist from Goa. Make sure you air dry the shells after this.

Use a cream or white crochet or woollen thread to string the shells at different lengths. “You can tie them to the base according to shape and size/length of the shell,” she says.

Cutlery

You will need some cutlery — old forks, spoons and butter knives. Make sure you clean them thoroughly.

After making or finding a strong base (use a wooden one or even an old tea pot), make holes in the cutlery via a drilling machine and string it.

“If you have an old set of cutlery which has plastic handles lying around, even those can be used. Sets that come with a stand often have holes in them,” says Joe SK, curator of a sustainable arts and crafts store online.

Spray paint the cutlery with metallic colours if needed. “After stringing the cutlery one by one, tie them to the base. Make sure the string is not too long and doesn’t touch other items around, as the cutlery will be longer then other items,”
he says.

Metal cans

This one will need a strong base too, preferably a wooden one. Using a plastic rope or coir would be ideal to tie them too. There must be multiple metal cans lying around at home — check for the smaller ones, as big cans will be difficult to hang from a base.

“Remove the labels on them and paint them in varied bright colours or metallic shades. Make a tiny hole at the bottom of each can and hang them with a rope or thread. After they are dry, string them and tie them to the base,” says Joe.

When using metal cans, be careful when pulling lids off and cutting edges. “Use a sandpaper to sand off the edges,” he adds.

Beer bottle caps

Don’t let caps from beer bottles go waste. Don’t worry if they are twisted or a bit stretched out. You can use a plastic lid base for this wind chime as caps aren’t too heavy.

“Clean the caps well and drill holes in the centre. You can paint them too. Thread them and add as many of them as possible. This will allow the wind to run through them and create sounds,” says Catherine.

You can also use instant drying glue or a hot glue gun to fix two caps together. “If using this method, place the thread/twine between them and stick them,” she says. Stick or tie to the base as usual.