We live in a breezy area that abuses flags, wind socks, and our patio garden wind chime collection. To keep the collection of wind chimes working, we are always looking for better materials for the annual chime repair ritual.
We recently ditched the UV-resistant nylon fishing line that was usually used for repairs. Despite the UV rating, the nylon line would decay in the sun after a few months. We tried something new (to us) this season; replaced the nylon line with 1/32” stainless steel cable and aluminum crimp ferrules. We're expecting it to stay strong and last a great deal longer.
For lightweight loads such as the hangers for individual chime tubes, the ferrules were sliced in half with a utility knife. The cable was cut to length and ferrules were crimped in place using a ratcheting crimping pliers' 28AWG die. The crimping pliers (Adafruit PID#1213) have a combination die for 28AWG, so only the larger portion of the die was used. Crimping pliers designed specifically for this purpose are available.
Stainless steel cable and ferrules from Amazon
An heirloom Harry and David “Pear” 6-note chime from the early 1970s.
(plexiglas sail, striker, and tube spider with brass chain suspension and brass cotter pins; top-hung galvanized steel metric EMT tubes with cable "W" mounts and stainless cable suspension; F#5, G#5, B5, C6, E6, G6 tuning)