About the service
I hand-throw ceramic wind chime sets to order, built as a small musical instrument for a porch, patio, or garden rather than a mass-produced decoration. Each commission starts with a short conversation about where the chime will hang, the mood you want — deep and mellow or bright and airy — and any color palette that should match your outdoor space.
Every tube or disc is thrown on the wheel from stoneware clay, then trimmed and tuned by adjusting wall thickness and length while the clay is still leather-hard. Thinner walls and longer tubes produce lower, rounder tones; shorter, thicker pieces ring higher and quicker. I test-tap each piece repeatedly during drying to keep the whole set in a pleasing relationship to itself, so the chime sounds like a small scale rather than random clatter.
A typical set includes five to seven hanging tubes or discs, a carved or wheel-thrown top cap that hides the stringing hardware, and a wind-catcher paddle at the bottom that gives the clapper something to push against in a light breeze. All pieces are bisque fired, glazed with food-safe, weather-stable glazes in the palette we agree on, then fired a second time to maturity so the surface is durable outdoors.
Before final assembly I drill and reinforce every suspension hole, thread the set on braided outdoor-rated cord, and knot it so tubes hang at staggered heights for a fuller, layered chord when they strike the central clapper. I finish with a coat of clear outdoor sealant on unglazed foot rings to reduce moisture absorption and extend the piece's life through rain and temperature swings.
Production time runs from the tuning tests through two firings and full cure of the sealant, and I photograph the set drying and mid-glaze so you can see progress and request small adjustments to tone or color before the final firing. The finished chime ships boxed with the tubes individually wrapped and the cord loosely coiled, ready to hang with the included hook.
Every tube or disc is thrown on the wheel from stoneware clay, then trimmed and tuned by adjusting wall thickness and length while the clay is still leather-hard. Thinner walls and longer tubes produce lower, rounder tones; shorter, thicker pieces ring higher and quicker. I test-tap each piece repeatedly during drying to keep the whole set in a pleasing relationship to itself, so the chime sounds like a small scale rather than random clatter.
A typical set includes five to seven hanging tubes or discs, a carved or wheel-thrown top cap that hides the stringing hardware, and a wind-catcher paddle at the bottom that gives the clapper something to push against in a light breeze. All pieces are bisque fired, glazed with food-safe, weather-stable glazes in the palette we agree on, then fired a second time to maturity so the surface is durable outdoors.
Before final assembly I drill and reinforce every suspension hole, thread the set on braided outdoor-rated cord, and knot it so tubes hang at staggered heights for a fuller, layered chord when they strike the central clapper. I finish with a coat of clear outdoor sealant on unglazed foot rings to reduce moisture absorption and extend the piece's life through rain and temperature swings.
Production time runs from the tuning tests through two firings and full cure of the sealant, and I photograph the set drying and mid-glaze so you can see progress and request small adjustments to tone or color before the final firing. The finished chime ships boxed with the tubes individually wrapped and the cord loosely coiled, ready to hang with the included hook.
