- 6 or 8 gauge copper wire
- Thin copper wire for wrapping
- Black polyester cording for hanging everything
- Glass-like christmas tree ornaments
- 6"-inch metal ring to suspend decorative material
- Small key ring
- Pliers for bending wire
- Wire cutters
- Spray paint can to shape copper into tear drop shape
- A lampshade to use as prep surface for your suspension ring
- Rolling clothes rack to hang your sun catcher while you work on it
What is a sun catcher?
- Sun catcher is hanging art meant to reflect the sun.
- Creates beautiful shadow patterns on walls and floors.
- Often made of reflective glass as well as acrylic and plastic.
- "Visual" equivalent to the sound of wind chime.
The sun catcher looks the same as the wind chime that's hanging here, why doesn't it sound the same?
- Sun catcher made from solid copper metal which gives it a dull, dense, sound.
- Musical quality of copper wind chime comes from hollow tube.
- The notes on a musical wind chime depends on thickness of metal wall, length of metal and amount of air inside tubes.
- You can "tune" your wind chime to play specific notes. more complicated to do but do-able.
Start by making your copper and glass pendants.
- Cut 10'-inch strips of 6-8 gauge copper wire.
- Wrap wire around a can of spray paint, squeezing sides to create the tear drop shape.
- Push the open metal ends towards each other and ends with pliers so that they touch.
- Score the end of metal with pliers so they have slight grooves for traction.
- Wrap these ends together with light gauge copper thread and attach glass pendant while wrapping.
- Once copper and glass are together, tie black string to pendant, which you will later tie to suspension ring.
- Assemble more pendants and tie black string at different lengths.
Now it's time to assemble the suspension ring which we will hang the pendents from
- Use a lamp shade to set your metal suspension ring on.
- Grab your small metal key ring and tie long, black string that has been folded in half and then one more time.
- Tie the balck string to the key ring and cut ends to same length.
- Hold the metal key ring and strings with one hand and tie one end to the suspension ring, pull tight so string has no slack.
- Continue pulling key ring with strings tightly as you tie end of the four strings to suspension ring.
- When all strings are on suspension ring, hang suspension ring from clothes rack and start tying your prepared pendants to it.
How much does it cost?
- Between 10- 15 dollars but you can save money by repurposing your tree ornament.
How do you take care of it?
- Copper will weather to nice patina.
- Re-tie pendants with new string as it frays.
- Hang from tree branch or from your house eves by a window you look out of to enjoy reflection and shadows.
Check out Shirley Bovshow’s Garden Designing Expertise at EdenMakers.com, and follow her on Twitter @EdenMaker.
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