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Post by rockyraccoon on Nov 20, 2004 17:47:23 GMT -5
my rings were delivered friday and i could not wait to drill some holes with my new dremel bits but learned a lesson - stain the rings before you drill or apparently each hole absorbs more stain and you have dark spots at each hole. but i only did that on one so this can be my windchime to keep. i started with this ring in case i messed up. i've got 2 sizes ready for drilling now.  tied the seven 24" (had no reasoning for this length just suited me) pieces of fishing line to the hanger part i found at walmart in a pack of several different kinds. was concerned that the knot would slip so used my handy dandy epoxy glue to keep that knot secured, ran my line through the holes in the ring and every other line went around and back through which keeps the ring from moving and you can adjust and level it easily  then i started tying the agate slices on and you can see i've gotten helpers - you can only see bobo in the pic but believe me this intriguing project is attracting the others too  so here i've done a little shooing and yelling to get my helpers away so i can continue  and here i've completed tying them and fixing to use nail clippers to snip off the extra line and put a drop of glue on each of these knots too  and here completed and fixing to be moved to a safer cat proof spot  now off to make some more! kim |
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JKowalski33
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 451
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Post by JKowalski33 on Nov 20, 2004 18:27:50 GMT -5
awesome!!! does it sound nice when the slabs knock each other?
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Post by docone31 on Nov 20, 2004 18:43:36 GMT -5
wonderful! I bet it sounds great.
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Post by rockyraccoon on Nov 20, 2004 18:57:51 GMT -5
this link lets you hear how they sound - they have several chimes in action not just one but you can get the idea druzygeodes.homestead.com/windchimes.htmlgive the sound time to download kim ps - i just noticed in the pics that you can see all my beading stuff all over the table - we use to be able to eat there lol. |
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Post by Cher on Nov 20, 2004 19:15:40 GMT -5
Wow Kim, very very nice. I have a question or maybe a suggestion you might try instead of having to tie 7 different strings on the top. If you tied one on at 24 inches then cut 3 strings at 48 inches and run them through the hook halfway. Gather all 7 stings then and tie them in an overhand knot. The weight of the rocks would keep the knot tight, although putting some glue on them wouldn't hurt either. You wouldn't have to deal with the string ends that way.
Wish my speakers worked so I could hear them, bet they sound really neat. I love windchimes, you did a great job there.
Cher
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Post by cookie3rocks on Nov 20, 2004 19:57:13 GMT -5
Hey Kim, Excellent job! Where did you finally find the rings? I like yours much better than the "color enhanced" version on that site. I couldn't get the sound to work  Here's my table:  We honestly prefer eating on TV tables and watching a show, so it works for us. cookie |
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Post by rockyraccoon on Nov 20, 2004 21:48:10 GMT -5
rofl cookie at our tables - does everyone elses table look like ours? this is where i got the rings finally - got 100 of the small ones and only 10 of the big ones and of course i'm liking the big ones better but if i am using smaller agate slices i will need the smaller ones to make sure they chime against each other. and i have some smaller ones in that box on the table but i like the natural bigger ones better. www.craftparts.com/mall/page39.asphere's the one i just finished - i gave up trying to make all the slices turn for the camera so the top one is turned sideways but everytime i touched it they all start swinging and swaying and chiming  kim |
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Nov 20, 2004 22:06:37 GMT -5
Hey Kim, that is great! Nothing can beat the sounds of nature (unless maybe it's "Th' Legendary Shack Shakers"). I think maybe I'll have to try one of those.
Ron
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bwalters
has rocks in the head
Member since March 2004
Posts: 557
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Post by bwalters on Nov 20, 2004 22:21:50 GMT -5
Kim.
Your windchimes are gorgeous! Great job! If I ever complete any that I've polished the stones for, you will probably laugh. Mine will be TINY windchimes made of various shaped stones.
Cookie,
I can still see parts of your table showing under your craft stuff. It looks like a lovely dining set. My table doesn't show at all underneath all the rocks and craft crap that's piled on top of it. Sure am glad that I'm not the only one that uses the dining table for other purposes!
BE
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WarrenA
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2003
Posts: 1,530
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Post by WarrenA on Nov 20, 2004 22:43:24 GMT -5
next time you drill and then stain use a little pre-stain first then stain it helps even out the stain so it doesn't get blotchy the holes will be stained then and won't show through especially is the base wood is white and the stain is dark I use it alot when I stain birch wood work for new homes
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Nov 20, 2004 22:51:15 GMT -5
BE, wait til ya' get a drill press set up, then you will have even less room!  Kim, thought I had already responded to this thread and said KEWL windchimes, but apparently didn't! So, great windchimes! You are one talented lady, I tell ya'! And I still don't know how you do it all! You must have taken a time management course and passed! llana |
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Post by Toad on Nov 20, 2004 23:08:28 GMT -5
Wow! I like, I like. But aren't you afraid the slabs will chip each other over time?
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Post by rockyraccoon on Nov 20, 2004 23:24:47 GMT -5
barbara i would not laugh at yours! i saw somewhere where they used an agate slice in the middle hanging off one of these rings and then hung tumbled stones all around it. toad on that link above they say " These agates are very hard, and if they survive the cutting and polishing, they will survive the wind." but on another site that sells them i saw where they suggested to bring them in during storms and strong wind. my daughter was giving them a real workout earlier and they survived her. that was a good test though  . warren i will try that. i was so lost in the stain dept at walmart. needed assistance but they didn't know any more than i knew. got some "polyshades" with stain and polyurethane together and i do not like it. found some "wood sheen oil stain and finish" up in my cabinet that is so old that when i squeezed the bottle the side cracked and i've taped that up lol. so any advice here will be greatly appreciated. kim |
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Nov 21, 2004 0:06:47 GMT -5
Kim,those doodoo birds at WalMart couldn't find their way out of a paint can with both ends open! Got an Ace or True Value hardware store close? If so, go there and they will be able to give ya' a lowdown on stain. I use either Minwax or the Ace hardward brand, satin finish. The secret to a killer finish on anything wood is to mix equal amounts of tung oil (I use Fornby's) and polyurethane and apply it with a brush for polyurethanes. Anything that will be outside needs at least three, preferably four coats of finish to protect the wood from the elements. It dries fast. I usually wait about an hour between coats on my walking sticks and sand with fine sand paper before applying the last coat. Gives a beautiful finish.
llana
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James
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 876
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Post by James on Nov 21, 2004 1:14:40 GMT -5
Those are really cool!  Brazilian agate? What kind of noise do they make? |
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Post by rockyraccoon on Nov 21, 2004 1:47:37 GMT -5
i'm fixing to quit bugging y'all with these lol but this is my favorite so far and was the most difficult to photograph - it is the longest one so far and the 2nd agate from the bottom has the most beautiful sound - i don't know why it would have a different tone from the rest - it's the same thickness and size - but it does   and llana it just a matter of time before i help myself to that microphone in the paint dept at walmart and holler out that everything in that dept is free and for everybody to come help themselves and see if somebody will come to help out in that dept then. in the craft dept i rang that little bell until the other customers were laughing with me. finally i gathered up all my stuff and a pair of scissors too and carried it all to the front and told them i couldn't get any assistance back there so i brought them some scissors to cut my stuff with. they told me i would have to go back there and wait for assistance and i told them i was through back there, they could go back there but i was not, she called a manager and both of them went back there and did not return for a long time. when she returned she said that employee had called in sick and there was nobody working back there but now the manager was stuck back there with all the other customers that were laughing when i was ringing that bell lol. kim |
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Post by stoner on Nov 21, 2004 2:07:31 GMT -5
Hey Kim. Very nice. I love wind chimes. They are so nice to listen to, and yours are eye-catching as well.
Bring the polyshades back to the store and throw the wood sheen away. Minwax makes the most fool-proof error-free stain. And anything that is to be used outdoors should be finished with a marine spar varnish. Even then, if it is in direct sunlight all the time, it will need to be re-coated every 2-3 years.
I like the clean look of them. Awesome job.
Ed
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Post by Cher on Nov 21, 2004 9:33:57 GMT -5
Kim, did you buy the slabs too or were those some that you cut yourself?
Cher
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Post by sandsman1 on Nov 21, 2004 9:42:15 GMT -5
kim those are very cool looking and i just went and herd them on that site very cool,, those slabs are fantastic
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Post by hermatite on Nov 21, 2004 9:42:41 GMT -5
I'm really liking this idea. It'd look good indoors or out...great concept. It occurs to me that so often it seems that the women look at the rocks and think "what can I make with these" ...men seem to like the rocks themselves ...Some sort of hunter gatherer thing I guess. Very cool.
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Brazilian agate? What kind of noise do they make?
