HOW TO: bicycle wheel weathervane windmill kinetic art DIY sculptures

This tutorial will walk you through my method for creating long-lasting windmill-type weather vanes from bicycle parts that can be used for simple "yard-art", or even for larger public art installations (some of which are featured in the video).

I wanted to add a couple notes for you, or anyone else reading this later, that might have gotten glossed over in the video… APPLYING SECOND LAYER OF TAPE: On each pair of spokes, the first layer of foil tape is applied perpendicular or square with the spokes (as shown in the video), but what may not have been obvious was what was next. That first layer will create a nice surface on one side of the wheel/spokes, but the other surface will still be the sticky underside of the tape. And it is on that sticky underside that the second layer of tape is applied, but at a 45° to the spokes. That way each pair of spokes has tape applied from both sides, leaving no sticky side exposed, and strengthening the tape by increasing the layers and overlapping the pieces, and making sure tape edges/seams are all spread out in both space and angulation. Of course, there are other ways to lay the tape on the spokes, but that method described above and shown in the video is what I find to be the most efficient use of both tape and time. BURNISHING: After all the tape was applied over the entire wheel, I burnish all the foil tape by rubbing it with the backside of a wooden kitchen spoon with moderate pressure (don’t tear the tape). That gets out many of the wrinkles in the foil tape, puts a shiny finish on the tape, and gives a little curve or scoop to the tape to better catch the wind. Burnish both sides of the tape, starting with the back (leeward) side first, and then burnish the front (windward) side last so that the curve in the foil that is created will catch the wind better. It’s not a necessary step, but it does give the face of the wheel a more finished look and maybe catches wind better.

For other examples of my kinetic, bicycle-inspired artwork, check this out:
http://www.inmanparkdentistry.com/whe...

("Why is your artwork featured on a dentist's website?" you may ask... Well, because I am a full-time dentist, a father of two amazing kids, a daily bicycle commuter, and only a part-time artist).

A special thanks goes out to my amazing wife, Tashia. It was her support and encouragement that was the impetus to start creating this type of artwork for the public.