I am going crazy. I have looked all over the net for an explanation
and nothing. Could you please tell me how a harmony chime ball
pendant works and looks inside. I would really like to make one and
need to know how it produces its sound. All i know is that it has
something to do with pellets inside the sphere. any help would be
appreciated, thank you.
First make a smaller ball for the inside and before soldering the 2
halves together cut them so they have tines of different lengths. Put
the pellets inside this ball and this ball inside the main piece.
Hope this helps Candy who had a friend dissect one.
The chime balls are made with some kind of spring inside that
reverberates and causes the chime. I do not know the mechanics. You
should saw one in half and find out. I have thought about it but I
don’t have one.
The chiming ball that I cut open a number of years ago had what
looked like a blob of lead adhered somehow to the inside wall of the
ball and different lengths of what looked like music wire or guitar
string stuck into the lead. The music wire was struck by loose ball
bearings that were enclosed inside the ball. The sound was very
pleasing. I’m looking forward to hearing other people who have cut
them open to see what other methods might be used.
Jima Abbott
For a more impressive sound, make the outside ball at least 2 1/2"
to 3" in diameter. The inside sound board is made by shallow doming
2 discs of very thin (but sturdy) brass (hardware or craft store).
Saw multiple slots across each brass dome, cutting nearly to the
rim. Solder each brass dome at the rim to the inside of each of the
larger outside domes. The inside brass should only touch the outside
dome at the rim. Add one or more steel ball bearings (hardware
store). Drill a small air hole in the outside dome. Solder the
outside domes together. Before pickling, place a wire into the air
hole and solder it shut.
Nancy
I sent you a private e-mail, but in case anybody else is wondering on
this - I have notes and sketches from when we had a visiting artist
during my undergrad studies who did a demo on this, and would be
happy to scan them and send them to anyone interested.
Hi Jen, I would really like to see those notes and sketches, could
you send them to orchid please? Thanks a billion.