Wind Chimes

I had the idea of trying to make wind chimes. I wondered if the stoneware clay I use would make a nice sound, how thick the pieces should be, should they be glazed or unglazed...

So I experimented.

I drew up different ideas in my sketchbook and went with the idea of using old keys. I made sprig molds out of clay by pressing the keys into a lump of clay with a pulled handle, like a rubber stamp. When these were fired I pressed them into 1/4 inch thick rolled clay shapes that were a bit thinner around the edges. That way they were sticking out in relief just like the original keys. I glazed half of them with neutral colored glaze and left the other half the natural red clay color.

The hanger was simply an antique key (I was told it was made by my great-grandfather) pressed into the slab and trimmed. Of course holes were punched in all pieces before firing.

The result is that yes, stoneware fired to cone 5 makes a nice sounding wind chime. It's pretty heavy though, especially with the heavy hanger also of clay, but it hangs on a sturdy branch of the magnolia tree with the other wind chimes. It just needs a wind strong enough to give it a shake.