He's Bringing Back Old-Style Weather Vanes

He's Bringing Back Old-Style Weather Vanes FARM HOME Novelty Items 21-5-24 A Regina, Sask., craftsman is trying to re-kindle interest in one of the oldest tools of weather forecasting - the time-honored weather vane. "Even with all the sophisticated equipment used by TV and radio weather forecasters, people enjoy the simplicity and beauty of our ornate weather vanes," says Avery Sahl, who sells a variety of stock and custom-built weather vanes. "Many older farmers have moved off the farm into town and want a weather vane for the top of their garage to remind them of the farm. And younger farmers who aren't old enough to remember the old-style weather vanes want my vanes for their machine sheds." Sahl's interest in weather vanes stems back to his father, who watched them to fore-cast rain in summer and warm and cold periods in winter. "The funny part was, he was quite often right," notes Sahl who's in his late 60's. "As a boy, I was always trying to improve his fore-casts by making little devices to tell which way the wind was blowing. "Once I retired, I again started playing with weather vanes, making them much more attractive. "In the last four or five years, I've made over 2,000 vanes, which have been sold all over North America and one - in the shape of a bison - in France." Stock weather vanes come in four basic groups - game animals, wild birds, domestic animals and farm equipment. Custom vanes range from ostriches to llamas to cattle brands and even an occasional wild boar. The weather vanes are built out of steel and are coated with a special plastic for durability. They're 30 in. high with 30 in. long arrows. Stock weather vanes sell for $95 (Canadian), while custom vanes are slightly more. Sahl also makes metal farm and ranch signs, light fixtures, and hat and boot racks. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Avery K. Sahl, 3823 Shera Bay, Regina, Sask., Canada S4S 7E5 (ph 306 586-8149).

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