MUSIC

chimegarden windchimes are incomparably SUPER MELLO & offer soothing, relaxing & healing MUSIC.  My chimes will always remain SOFT sounding because the wood that strikes the metal is SOFT wood. Each chime is an arrangement of specific aluminum (& copper) notes that together vibrate into a pentatonic scale. Each pipe is a note that corresponds to a key on the piano by its length, diameter, wall thickness & drilled-hole placement. All the chimes blend & harmonize with each other, that is aluminum with aluminum chimes (& copper likewise,) SO ANY combination sounds great!

WOOD

I appreciate the value & gift of all trees but want to make & offer the most weather resistant NATURAL windchimes, SO, I make every effort to RECYCLE shorts & scraps of redwood & redcedar.  I use only these 2 woods to assure chime wood longevity to at least 10 years.  Recycling recycling is time consuming & increases my labor of an already labor-intensive product.   

Redwood & red cedar are SOFT, oil-based woods that do NOT rot and will weather into a grayish-blue color.  I select only clear, all-heart, rough redwood to plane, cut, shape, drill, rough sand, finish sand & linseed oil into wood chime tops.  I recycle redwood & redcedar scraps & shorts to work into the middle wood & windcatcher pieces of each chime.  Upon receipt of your chime, some wood parts may be tacky due to climate changes when I was applying the oil; consider this extra weather protection.  The wood is NOT impervious to the weather so I recommend that you retreat the wood parts once or twice a year with linseed oil, beeswax, or any type of water-sealant.

METAL

I cut & drill specific grade 1"OD, 1 1/2"OD & 2 1/2"OD aluminum alloy tubing anodized "brite dip" & 1/2"ID copper to measurements specific for different notes.  I insert nylon eyelets into each drilled hole of every aluminum note to increase longevity in rope suspension.  I debur both ends & the drilled holes of all notes to eliminate buzzing & thus, ensure sound quality & protect against the wearing of the windcatcher rope. 

Anodized aluminum does NOT rust nor oxidize.  Rain spots will clean off with a 'Windex' product & paper towel; a .0000wt. steel wool will remove hardened oil, bird doo & salt.  To minimize waste, I try to use all the aluminum I receive; thus, some aluminum notes may have scratches.  I try to strategically drill the notes so that the 'prettier side' hangs facing you.  Scratches in NO way affect the note; the only way to alter the note would be to drill another hole, cut & or dent the aluminum. 

STONE

My flagstone tops are striking & represent cutting edge artistry as well as give away the fact that I am slightly crazy!  I work huge pieces of Pennsylvania Blue flagstone & Minnesota limestone, varying in color & thickness, down to approximate sizes specific for each chime top using my hands first & then a small chisel.  I wash, slow-drill in a waterbath, wash again, & seal each stone top.  This work is strenuous, slow & requires great patience BUT is, I think, visually well worth it and results in a more weather-resistant chime top.

ROPE

Hand-tied knots using the highest-grade braided nylon rope available suspend all chime parts.   I engineered this UNIQUE method of suspension in 1997 & it is my trademark today.  This technique increases the longevity of the rope, eliminates the need and expense for hardware & makes repairs easy. (Just in the last couple years, a few large automated chimes companies have copied my technique--YEA! i am flattered.) Hey!  Restring that beloved-grandpa-made, had-forever-chime that has been moved around the garage 50 times using my method; call me for help. 

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