Do Weathervanes attract Lightning?

One of the frequently asked questions about weathervanes is whether they attract lightning, and if they are safe when mounted on the roof.

The basic thing to know about lightning is that it always looks for “ground”. A piece of metal sitting on your roof is not grounded, so it would not tend to attract lightning. You could compare this to the TV antennas that used to be on every rooftop a few years ago. These TV antennas were made of aluminum (which is a good conductor) and were typically not grounded or part of a lightning protection system. That said, lightning is an “act of God”, and one cannot accurately predict whether lightning can “hit” a particular area for a particular reason or not. Experts recommend that lightning protection for weathervanes should be an all or nothing proposition. You could either ignore it altogether – after all, the vast majority of weathervanes, metal roofs, church steeples, and even TV antennas are not lightning protected – or go for a complete lightning protection system that is professionally installed. If you choose to lightning protect your house, you are in effect attracting lightning and sending it to the ground. You must then do it properly.

Perhaps the most dangerous thing to do would be to go halfway, and just “ground” the weathervane using a small gauge wire. Trust me, this will be worse than doing nothing. Why? Because in this arrangement, you are attracting the lightning, and not providing enough means for the lightning charge to drain off safely. The result could be disastrous!

So, the crux of it is that if you install a weathervane on your rooftop, you may (1) install a full lightning protection system or (2) do nothing.

Thus, depending on your own choice, belief, and judgment, decide which route you would like to take, and enjoy the view of your favorite weathervane dancing, perched on top of your roof, year after year!

  

How do I clean/maintain my Weathervane?

Your weathervane is truly a prized possession, and you would want it to look fantastic all year round. The best thing about weathervanes is that they are durable and long-lasting with only a miniscule amount of maintenance required. Weathervanes are generally constructed from weather resistant materials such as copper or aluminium. The maintenance requirement for both types differ slightly, and adopting the correct maintenance protocol would ensure that your weathervane keeps looking astonishing year after year.

Copper weathervanes

Polished Copper Finish

Copper weathervanes come in two varieties – polished copper and “blue verde” finish. Polished copper weathervanes, just like a copper penny, would begin to naturally oxidize within months, eventually giving it a natural patina. If you do not want this to happen, and want your weathervane to have the finished copper look all the time, then you may use a lacquer or polyurethane coating to maintain the polished finish. For basic cleaning, mild soap and water is all that is required. No specialized cleaners are necessary. If you want a shiny copper finish (and get rid of the tarnished look), you may use a copper cleaner. But remember that this feat can be very time and energy consuming, and you should instead go for things like StayBrite copper and Brass Polish to preserve the finish.

Blue Verde Finish

Weathervanes that have a "blue verde" finish have already gone through an accelerated patina process, and their look won’t change much over time. Such weathervanes are given an artificial finish that makes them look antique. This kind of finish involves accelerating the oxidation of copper, such that your brand new weathervane already has the patina. The only care these weathervanes require is an occasional cleaning using mild soap and water to clean up the dust and dirt, without removing the blue-green patina finish. Aluminium weathervanes:

Aluminum Weathervanes

Aluminum Finish

Cast aluminium weathervanes are coated with paints that are weather resistant and can withstand the harshest of elements. An occasional cleaning with mild soap and water, followed with thorough drying is all that is needed for maintaining aluminium weathervanes.

Weathervanes are constructed to last and stand the test of time. With only tiny efforts, you can maintain your weathervane such that it looks stunning for many years to come. Weathervane figures, directionals, assembly rods and mounts are all made with the highest quality materials that ensure lasting beauty while requiring minimum maintenance.

Say “I Love You” with a Weathervane

A weathervane can show the direction of the wind AND the direction of love!

Weathervanes are cleverly crafted ornaments that show the shifts in wind direction. These artsy creatures have been used since ages to help people predict the weather changes. Weathervanes are created with love, and are beautiful pieces of art. Whenever I look at the weathervane in my own yard, I get this warm glow over me because it feels so good looking at such a fine piece of art. Just looking at it and exploring its various hues and contours seems to release a rush of the “good hormones” in me, and I instantly feel happier. The weathervane that I have in my yard is a great copy of a large heron with its wings spread out wide, while floating in the air. This one was a gift from my husband for my 40th birthday, and I cannot help but thank him again and again for this wonderful and mystic piece of art. I guess it was his way to say “I love you”!

If you do a bit of a research on weathervanes, you will come to know that weathervanes are generally handcrafted, and carry an exquisite look and feel about them. It is all about the ability of the artist to capture a subject’s character and spirit in metal. These pieces of art are meant to be long lasting, to take on harsh weather conditions for years to come, without corroding or fading. The technique of carving a weathervane is similar to that used by goldsmiths and silversmiths, to produce beautiful sculptures.

Weathervanes are not items that only look good when brand new, and they will never end up in a dusty store house. Weathervanes are dynamic, and look splendid year after year. They are architectural ornaments that easily catch people’s attention. Trust me, these are worth the money spent – every penny!

Gifting a weathervane to the ones you love will always be appreciated. It is a fine piece of art which everyone (even your neighbors) will enjoy.

Types of Weathervanes

Weather vanes are architectural instruments that can be generally observed on top of any gothic building. Weather vanes are perhaps one of the few things that have sustained the test of time, and are still as much in style as they were hundreds of years ago. Although the basic concept has remained the same, new methods to craft weathervanes have been developed. Weather vanes crafted through different techniques have similar appearances, but there are some fundamental differences between these techniques that decide whether a weather vane will survive for decades, or weather away in only a few years.

Weather vanes can thus be classified into four different types, based on their manufacturing technique:

   

   ²  Casted

   ²  Machine pressed

            ²  Mold crafted

            ²  Freehand crafted

Let's look at more details on each type, and understand why the huge difference in cost between two seemingly similar weather vanes.

²  Casted

This is perhaps the simplest and the least expensive way of creating weather vanes. The motif to be created is first carved out on wood or plastic. Fine sand (mixed with a bonding agent such as clay) is poured into the wood or plastic model, and solidified. This creates a hollow structure (or cavity) that is then filled with the molten metal. After cooling, the sand mold is broken away, the cooled casting is cleaned, finished, and painted. Metals such as bronze, zinc, and iron are used to create cast weather vanes. In modern days, aluminium is used that is lighter and cheaper, but also short lived. Custom designs can be created, though these can be costly.

²  Machine pressed

These weather vanes are manufactured by placing a thin sheet of copper in a machine that has molds in the shape of figures to stamp out the parts of a motif. These parts are then soldered together to create the complete motif. Motifs are polished or painted. Machine pressed weather vanes can be produced in bulk quantities, and are easily available in almost every store that sells weather vanes. These cannot be custom-made. Machine pressed weather vanes are cheap, but may not last long.

²  Mold crafted

The method of mold-crafting was used extensively during the late 19^th century, and many of the antique weathervanes that you might find in antique shops were made by this method. The method is similar to machine pressing, except that the pressing is done by hand-hammering. Carved wooden figures are used as molds, and copper sheets are carefully hand-hammered into these molds to produce the parts, that are then assembled together. The weather vanes are either polished or have a Blue Verde finish. Mold-crafted weather vanes have a fine texture, and detailed carvings. Some of the antique weather vanes are highly collectible, and can cost thousands of dollars.  

 

²  Freehand crafted

Freehand crafting without the use of molds is an art that is generally delivered with unparalleled attention to sculpting details. Depending on the artist’s vision, and the buyer’s imagination, almost anything can be crafted out using this technique. Freehand crafted weather vanes are among the finest in the world, and boast of quality that can last for generations. Most of these increase in value with age, and many become family heirlooms. These pieces can be available directly from the artist, or at museums and galleries. These pieces of art generally have the signature of their creator engraved on them, just like a painting. These weather vanes come with a bronze or stainless steel post, and a brass or bronze compass point. 

Weather vanes still very popular

Some of the questions that came to my mind when I first heard about weather vanes were, “Weather vanes? Isn’t that a thing of the past? Who would buy that today?” Those are valid questions, and I’m sure many of you must have thought about it this way. But then, you know, the law of the universe says that once you’ve gripped your attention to something new, no matter how trivial that might be to your existence, the very fact that it crossed your mind, makes that thing to keep manifesting itself in various forms in front of you, and you cannot help notice it. So it happened that I kept noticing weather vanes everywhere - perched on top of peoples’ houses, in the garden of a friend I visited, and even on a keychain! (although this was only an image of a weathervane).

This prodded me to do a little bit of checking on weather vanes and I realized that there is a huge market for it. People are buying them! In fact, some of the antique pieces from the late 19^th century get sold for thousands of dollars. In October 2006, an antique copper weathervane, dating to 1900 and once owned by the Ford family, was sold for $5.84 million! This piece was bought by Jerry Lauren (executive vice president at Ralph Lauren) and his late wife Susan, and now proudly sits in his Park Avenue apartment. This one was perhaps the most expensive weathervane, but prices for antique weather vanes range from $3,500 to $350,000.¹ Weather vanes are increasing gaining popularity among collectors, and become their treasured assets.

Weather vanes need not always be coming from the 19^th century, and you do not have to necessarily spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to own one. There is a huge demand for weather vanes in the market, and there are more vanes being made today than at any point in history. Weather vanes can be manufactured by different techniques, and can come at a variety of price ranges. But if you want to have a vane that can last long, you should go ahead with one that is hand-crafted. These ones are generally made from high quality copper, and are polished with weather resistant materials. Some vanes are made in such a way that they develop an attractive patina over time, giving the weathervane an antique look. Few retailers provide a free mount so that you don’t have to worry about finding an expert who can help you with mounting these structures over your roof. The larger, roof top vanes can cost you about $300 to $1,000, whereas the standard-sized ones that are great for your garden, patio, or even your walls are even more affordable. You can easily find a weather vane for as low as $69 in this size range.   

Weather vanes, old or new, can certainly enliven your home. A large, beautifully crafted eagle or a heron perched on top of your house, can offer a unique aesthetic appeal that can transform your otherwise ordinary house into a landmark.  Weather vanes look charming even inside your home – perched on shelves, tabletops, or displayed on walls.

Weathervanes – forever in style!

Weathervanes are instruments that have been classically used to know the shifts in wind direction. This helped people predict the changing weather. Though in modern times, with all the sophisticated technologies in place, we rely on the weather man to give us very accurate prediction of weather virtually for the whole year, but the weathervane, nonetheless, is still very much used, not as a weather forecaster, but rather as an architectural ornament that has the potential to turn your home into a landmark of sorts with its elegantly carved out motifs.

The weathervane is a cleverly crafted instrument that has its centre of gravity resting on the pivotal axis, such that the pointer can move freely on its axis. The side with the larger surface area is blown away from the wind direction, and the smaller side with the pointer faces the wind direction. Most weathervanes also have directional markers beneath the arrow that are aligned with the geographical directions. In this way, wind blowing from north-east will have the pointer pointing in that direction.

Weathervanes are a tradition that was adopted in medieval times, and is still popular all over Europe. Bronze weathervanes dating back to the 9th century have been discovered that have an unusual quadrant shape.

A theory suggests that the banners that flew from medieval towers were perhaps precursors of weathervanes. These fabric banners would show the direction of the wind. Later, the cloth flags were replaced with metal ones, balanced to turn with the wind. In fact, the word “vane” comes from the Old English word “fana” meaning “flag”.

Weathervanes are decorative, and are typically used as architectural ornaments perched at the highest point of a building. Weathervanes can be so alluring that they can turn an ordinary house or building into a lively, charming piece of architecture.


Weathervanes are generally handcrafted to give them an exquisite look and feel. Making weathervanes is an ancient art that still mesmerizes many. Creating a weathervane depends on the ability of the artist to capture a subject’s character and spirit in metal, in a manner that does not corrode or fade for years to come. Since weathervanes are viewed from a distance, it is important to emphasize on the overall pattern, and enhance specific characteristics such as profile, facial details, and contour lines. The technique to carve a weathervane, and its motifs, is borrowed from goldsmiths and silversmiths, to produce beautifully sculpted pieces of art.

Since weathervanes are traditionally installed at the highest point of a building, they have to be sufficiently large in size. However, with the requirements changing in modern times, we now have weathervanes that are adapted to fit the need of the modern day, with pieces that are designed to sit elegantly on a porch rail, lawn, or your patio!

Early weathervanes were very ornamental, with heavily crafted pointers. The modern ones do not have ornamental pointers, but we can now see a great variety of designs such as ships, arrows, horses, mermaids, fishes, swans, ducks, and anything else that can be elegantly fitted into the design! Use your creativity here!

Weathervane War

Keeping up with the Joneses: the Weathervane War

When I was a boy growing up on this suburban street on the East coast I remember an interesting period which we now lovingly call “The Weathervane War”. You have to know, this was an area where “keeping up with the Joneses” wasn’t just a phrase…it was a way of life lived to its fullest. For example, one neighbor would get a riding lawnmower, then another neighbor would get one as well, and another, and next thing you knew everyone on that street had their cool lawn ride. Thing is, they also always tried to outdo each other – that’s how competitive everyone was. So the mowers kept getting bigger and bigger, no matter how small of a patch of land anyone had.

Anyway, when my Grandfather passed away he bequeathed to my dad this antique weathervane (among many other things). Made of copper (then green), with a Rooster motif and the wind directions prominently displayed on this decorative ring. My dad fell in love with the idea of putting that thing on the roof, since it reminded him of his childhood home. So he sat and washed, scrubbed, and polished this heirloom one weekend for 2 days straight, till it was gleaming and shining like new. It wasn’t big, but big enough to grab your attention from far away.When I was a boy growing up on this suburban street on the East coast I remember an interesting period which we now lovingly call “The Weathervane War”. You have to know, this was an area where “keeping up with the Joneses” wasn’t just a phrase… it was a way of life lived to its fullest. For example, one neighbor would get a riding lawnmower, then another neighbor would get one as well, and another, and next thing you knew everyone on that street had their cool lawn ride. Thing is, they also always tried to outdo each other – that’s how competitive everyone was. So the mowers kept getting bigger and bigger, no matter how small of a patch of land anyone had.

So one evening he and I went ahead and installed that rooster in all its shining glory on the roof of our suburban home. I needn’t tell you I was embarrassed at this old fashioned piece of “roof art”.

However, as soon as the next weekend, one of the neighbors, Mr Burr, had purchased himself a weathervane with a slightly larger eagle motif, and painted in very nice colors. Up on his roof he went and installed himself some “eagle art”…

Then the next neighbor got an even bigger “carriage weathervane”. So one day my best friends Dad, Mr Smith, who had “written the book” on the Joneses, went and bought himself the “mother of all weathervanes”. It depicted three geese in flight, clustered together and HUGE. My friend and I were wondering if the roof would actually be able to bear that monstrosity. It did, and it actually looked really cool…and it could be seen from 5 miles away. It was my Mr. Smith’s real pride and joy.

But one day something happened, and we weren’t sure why. Was it envy, the challenge, or was it a drunk duck hunter…but what do you know, one night the whole street woke up to a set of loud bangs, three in a row, and the group of ducks came crashing from the roof, and falling onto the hood of Mr Smith’s new Buick. I needn’t tell you how upset he was, he got so red in the face that I was afraid he would collapse right there on his front lawn. Clearly, someone had shot those ducks right from Mr. Smith’s roof. That very night he loudly swore he would do something about this…

So the very next day he went shopping for the most solid and “bulletproof” and BIG weathervane he could find. He brought home a huge “Perched Eagle” weathervane made from stainless steel. It was even bigger than the group of ducks had been, and it shone like 1000 mirrors in the sun when it was installed on their roof.

A few nights later we again woke up to three loud bangs coming from the direction of Mr Smith’s home. We couldn’t believe that someone would try the exact same stunt again, so we ran outside and looked. The eagle was still proudly perched on his metal ball, but oddly enough we heard a noise like someone writhing in pain. We ran around the house to the back yard and saw a guy with a gun leaning over another guy on the ground whose pant seat was red and bloody. The guy on the ground was Mr.Burr, the neighbor who had bought that second weathervane, the eagle one.

911 was called and arrived quickly, and within a short few days we learned that the neighbor had hired the shooter to take down first the group of ducks, being that they were the biggest roof art objects on the street. He clearly didn’t like that. And thereafter he couldn’t stand Mr Smith purchasing a bigger and nicer eagle than he himself had had.

Problem was, the eagle’s wings were at an angle, and when the shooter shot the stainless steel weathervane, Mr. Burr had started running right on the first shot as he was scared of getting caught, but one of the bullets ricocheted right off that wing and into that neighbor’s behind..

The neighbor eventually apologized to everyone in the street, paid retribution, and took down his smaller eagle. Thus ended the “weathervane war” in our street.

Andy Zynga

co-owner Weathervanedirect.com