"Launched in 2005, Home-Dzine was created to realise a dream; to express my love of home DIY and decor and share with other South Africans. As a non-commercial website I am free to express my own opinions and pass on valuable information to readers.
I feel that more people can benefit by being able to DIY home improvement and home repairs. And we're not talking about major DIY home repairs, but those that anyone with a bit of DIY savvy can do themselves."
Recycled craft wind chimes
Why not take some time out and make these pretty metal windchimes for your home? The charming tinkling sounds that these windchimes make will really add to the atmosphere of any home or garden at any time of year.
You will need:
Dremel® 300 Series with Engraver
Cutter 107 and Drill Bit Set 628
Empty, washed tin cans
Tracing paper
Cutting mat or thick card
Strong cotton
Assorted beads
Old belt buckle
Masking tape
Metal wind chimes
Here's how:
1. Use a Dremel MultiTool and cutting disk to remove the top and bottom sections of the aluminium can and then slit from top to bottom.
DO wear safety glasses when performing any cutting with a cutting disk.
Fold and bend the can flat and fasten to a piece of card with masking tape.
Safety First: Keep you fingers away from the sharp edges.
2. Draw an egg and heart shape, each
about 6.5cm high on tracing paper.
Draw dots on the egg and swirls on the heart. Then tape a sheet of metal onto a piece of thick card.
Next, tape the tracing
paper with your designs over the
metal. Draw over the design with
a ballpoint pen. You’ll need to mark
out one egg shape and four hearts.
3. Remove the tracing paper. Set the
Dremel 300 Series fitted with a carbide
engraving point on speed 1.
Hold as upright as possible and go over the designs on the metal. We suggest practising on a scrap of metal first. You’ll soon be able to gauge the correct pressure to use.
Cut out the eggs and hearts using the Dremel 300 Series fitted with the engraving cutter and pierce a hole through the top and bottom of each one using one of the drill bits.
4. Start by threading and knotting strong
cotton to three of your cut out eggs
and heart windchimes.
Thread a
couple of beads onto each length
of cotton. Thread and knot one of
the lengths to the bottom of the egg
and the remaining two lengths to the
bottom of the hearts.
Thread and knot cotton through the top of the egg and hearts, then thread with a few beads and tie to a mobile hanger.
Thread the remaining hearts with cotton and again tie to the mobile hanger.