MAKE RECYCLED-GLASS WIND CHIMES

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For five years now—probably because I still remember the competition that brought about my lean New England days— I've jealously guarded the secrets of my craft. I was afraid, you see, that too many chimemakers would flood the market and put me out of business . . . but I've finally decided that this area of ceramics has more than enough room for others. So, if you'd like to try your hand at a creative craft and help to clean up the environment while you do so, here's how to go about it.

EQUIP YOURSELF

First, I strongly recommend that you buy, borrow, or barter for an electric kiln. A gas, wood, or coal burner can be used for the process, but—with such a device—you'll have to bake in a muffle (an inner chamber which protects the glass from flames and gases). Fortunately, your kiln doesn't have to be a particularly costly unit, because it has to reach only 1500°F (pottery requires higher temperatures). You'll also need several shelves and some four-inch posts . . . which can be cut from soft firebrick.

And, while a kiln may cost you a bit of money, the only other piece of equipment needed is a bottle cutter. I was lucky enough to be given an electric unit made by American Handicrafts, which—I'm sorry to say—is no longer produced. There are, however, still a few stocked in some stores, so you might want to write the company (American Handicrafts and Merribee Needle Arts, Dept. TMEN, P.O. Box 791, Fort Worth, Texas 76107) for a list of its dealers. (Since the tool is a discontinued item, you may be able to purchase it for less than the regular $17.95 retail price.) Otherwise, you can simply buy a manual bottle-cutter kit at most any crafts store for around $10 or $12.

(If you do happen to get hold of an electric glass cutter, your hot-wire will—eventually—burn out. It can be spliced back together once by twisting the two broken ends tightly around each other. When it burns out a second time, however, get a new one ... some outlets have put the wires on sale for 39¢ apiece. Occasionally, you'll also have to take the cutter apart and clean the electrical connections, but the job can be avoided if you replace all the nuts and bolts with noncorroding brass parts.)

Then, besides the free-for-the-gathering bottles, you'll need a spool of 12-pound-test monofilament fishing line to tie your chimes together with, and calcium carbonate (also known as "whiting") to prevent them from fusing to the kiln shelves as they're fired. The powdery substance can be used over and over again indefinitely, and is available from stained glass suppliers. (For example, Whittemore-Durgin—Dept. TMEN, 825 Market Street, Rockland, Massachusetts 02307—sells two pounds for $2.31 plus postage.)

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