Weather vane

[buzzy bee]

Hi

I am planning to make a weathervane, with something I have got hold of. This is quite large, 3 foot long, and 1 foot high, but that wil be the cut out for the top if you see what I mean.

Scrolls and forging isn't a great problem, we have the welders, steel, and the plasma if I want to use that, but the thing that is holding me up, is how to fix it to the wall, so it can be moved round to suit the direction etc, will nuts clamping through a tube be enough, or will they rotate on the rod?

Next is how the top cut out is mounted onto the central rod, and made sure it doesn't come off, yet still be free to turn etc? I wouldn't like the thing to come off, as it is going to be a big thing!

Any ideas, or pictures might be good, if anyone has any? Pictures allways work with me better than words for some reason!

Cheers

Dave

 

[the snooper]

have a look here there are some really good examples

 

[chunkolini]

uuurgh, sorry not my scene.
I have to be quick, pivot mechanism is very simple, A mate showed me an old weathervane he was restoring.
A piece of tube full of grease and a bar that is a slightly loose fit pushed up inside it, the bar is fixed and the vane is mounted on the tube. Oh! I said is that it. Brillint and simple, water cant get in because the open end opf the tube ponts down and is full of grease. No fancy pants linkages or bearings.

Must be off Chunko.

 

[buzzy bee]

Hi

Thanks to both of you.

I was thinking along the same lines, but a ball bearing at the top of the tube in addition to the grease, but does it nees some way to stop it coming up and off?

I know the weight should hold it on, but the size it is, if it did come off, it would do some damage if it hit anyone/thing!

The cut out I have is from a factory wall, made by aprentices, that was in a works making road steam engines, around 1910, I have used that as a stensil, and done a copy off it with the plasma, as I didn't want to put the orriginal out in the weather! I think with some heavy hand formed ironwork, it should look quite good. I am going to be giving it to someone who has 2 steam engines.

Cheers

Dave

 

[the snooper]

if you really want to make sure it wont come off you could make something similar to the crude diagram below

 

[wyn]

The one in the pic below is made with taper roller bearings top and bottom and a threaded bit at the bottom to stop it coming off. It does move around in the slightest of breezes.
To get the orientation of the letters i checked out the building with a compass before welding on the brackets. It's about 4' across the lettering.

I have made a couple where the lettering bit can turn on the main pole and then locked in position in the right place.

 

[Barney1973]

Made 2 weather vanes a couple of weeks ago although not as big as you are intending!Design was cut on the laser and the pivot is just a bit of tube over a solid bar with a point ground on the end.

 

[buzzy bee]

Thanks for all the help guys!

So many replies, much apriciated, and will draw a plan today, allong side making it! hehe

I think todays lunch hour will be spent making the 4 letters! :-)

Cheers

Dave

 

[wyn]

The one thing i haven't really sussed out or found much info on is which way the lettering should be facing.

I have seen examples of many different ways......The "S" facing inwards or outwards, the diagonal on the "N" facing in or out, the"W" if it has skinny and thick diagonal bits (not sure on the name of that type of script).
I think the"S"on mine is the wrong way round in the pic, but if you view it from the other side of the building it "reads" right. (where it's usually seen from).

I think i read somewhere that they should read in an anticlockwise or clockwise direction. Can't remember which?

Does anyone know if there is a definitve sort of convention with the lettering?

 

[madkayaker]

you have far to much free time wyn. but i know what you meen. Back on the piviT point the one at mums is just a tube that goes over a round bar with a bering and greese

 

[gordon stephenson]

A thing that has always intrigued me is why do weather vanes always point towards where the wind is coming from and not in the direction that the wind is actually going.we all know that they work on surface area for the actuation but it is quite simple to configure the vane to operate in the opposite manner. I'd be very interested to know if there is any particular reason for pointing onto the wind.
I have built a couple a long time ago and just relied on the old grease filled tube over a decent sized rod but with a couple of ball bearings popped into the tube first,didn't bother with any locking device and never had a problem.

 

[chunkolini]

I pondered this for years, then one day Aha!! I understood it.
the North wind is coming from the North, South from the South etc.
no doubt there was some confusion until somebody stmoed their feet and made it a standard. I love seeing weather vanes where they have got the whole thing to cock and there is no sense to the arrows.
Or like Wynn's pic, where they have put the letters on back to front.

Chunko'.

 

[Robotstar5]

but the thing that is holding me up, is how to fix it to the wall, so it can be moved round to suit the direction etc, will nuts clamping through a tube be enough, or will they rotate on the rod?

If you're looking for mounting brackets here's some ideas.