«Previous    Next»
"Oxygen Cylinder" Wind Chimes
They produce a unique sound you won't hear anywhere else. What's more, we'll customize them with your farm name, favorite equipment manufacturer, etc.," says Brad Miller of Ridgeville Corners, Ohio, who recently called FARM SHOW to tell us about the wind chimes he makes from used welding oxygen cylinders.
    The wind chimes measure anywhere from 2 in. dia, 12 in. long to 7 in. dia., 5 ft. long. The biggest ones can weigh up to 180 lbs. The chimes are equipped with an eye-bolt hook on top and a wooden paddle at the end of a chain that runs up inside the cylinder.
    To make the chimes, Miller cuts off the bottom part of the cylinder. He then drills a hole on top the size of the eye-bolt and taps threads into it. The chain which attaches to the eye-bolt runs through a small wood ball. As wood catches the wood flapper at the bottom of the chain, the ball strikes the walls of the cylinder.
    "It makes a nice conversation piece and produces a unique sound," says Miller. "The sound it makes depends on the cylinder's diameter. The biggest ones sound like a ship's bells as it comes into harbor. All of the tones will be substantially lower than what you hear with commercial pipe chimes. Most people like the lower tones.
    "I started out making them for neighbors and family members. I've custom made chimes with Bobcat, Case-IH, and Deere logos on them. My brother-in-law is a hog producer so I made one for him that shows a pig eating snacks out of a bowl.
    "The smallest cylinders that I use were designed for use in hospitals. I usually cut one or two inches off the bottom of the cylinder, but the length depends on what people want. Sometimes people want the bigger cylinders to be only about 12 in. long. The cost depends on the size and number of custom graphics. Generally the cost for a cylinder under 18 in. long will be less than $100." Miller also makes desk chimes out of small cylinders that he mounts inside a large steel ring. They mount on a stand.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Brad Miller, Box 222, Ridgeville Corners, Ohio 43555 (ph 419 267-3819; E-mail: kjvman@quixnet.net).


  Click here to download page story appeared in.



  Click here to read entire issue




To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.
Order the Issue Containing This Story
2002 - Volume #26, Issue #2