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The shriek of a whistling kettle is great for getting up in the morning, but exactly the wrong thing at the end of the day.
Many teakettles have a removable whistle. Kettle bells replace that whistle with a little turbine, that rings a chime of bells.
On really bad days, use the steam to
spin a Tibetan prayer wheel instead.
Added note: Not a separate kettle with bells instead of whistle; a set of replacement nozzles for a single kettle.
Jug with filter & bell indicator...
http://www.safe.com...?dept=KA&sku=72648#
...but I'm not quite sure what it does [phoenix, Mar 22 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]
A slightly less modern version...
http://www.teasmade.com/history1.htm
...with Rube Goldberg overtones [phoenix, Mar 22 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]
Rocket kettle
http://www.goodeats...pment/EquipGtoL.htm
Two brass rockets orbit the kettle when the water boils. It makes kind of a hissing and rattling noise. [admin: no longer sold by Barklay's; scroll to bottom of page for picture.] [StarChaser, Mar 22 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]
Candle Chimes
http://www.virtualv...com/store/xmas1.htm
Second item down. The heat from the candle flame rises, turning a small rotor which spins the angels, from each of which dangles a small striker, which rings the bells. Use steam instead of heat. [waugsqueke, Mar 22 2002]
Hippo's Silent Dodgy Chimes
http://www.halfbake...nt_20Dodgy_20Chimes
[hippo, Mar 22 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]
[link]
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A better idea - have a small hole in the kettle which blows out steam, which blows a spring-loaded lever so that the other end "dings" repeatedly against a bell. |
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Why is that a better idea, magnificat? |
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At a guess, fewer moving parts? |
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Better is in the eye of the beholder, I guess. |
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This could work on the same principle as candle chimes. (Linky.) |
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How about having the steam blow past some Silent Dodgy Wind Chimes? Oh no, wait, that wouldn't work...
Croissant anyway. |
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[StarChaser] You made my day. Ordering the Rocket Kettle now. |
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Take it to the next step and link the kettle to the alarm on your wireless watch. |
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The site with the Rocket Kettle has a carousel (rotating horses!) and train (turning wheels!) as well. Lovely. |
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magnificat: I think metal fatigue would break a spring before it wore out a low-weight wheel. However, for the general case of steam-powered mechanism kettles, a spring-loaded rocker arm (does that count as an escapement?) is a good addition. |
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The carousel I knew about, and was going to post. The train I didn't. <goes and looks> Ok, that's cool. <grin> I wish I drank tea, now... |
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Yeah, simpler with fewer moving parts, but then I forgot where I was - my idea is far too simple. Carry on. |
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I think the rocker arm deserves a whole 'nother Kettle idea, magnificat, but I wouldn't leap in and do one before you'd had a chance. |
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(Fewer moving parts? A wheel has exactly one moving part; a springloaded rocker has at least two: spring & arm.) |
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How about a web enabled tea pot? The steam blowing through would trip a moisture sensor. A Bluetooth chipset and imbedded microprocessor would transmit a signal to a centralized server to indicate that the tea is done. A thermocouple could also be included. This would allow people to check on the status of their tea using any web capable device.
You could also have the tea pot run a quick mass mailing to all of your friends that tea is on. |
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Or how about a tea kettle that sings God Save the Queen. Or that sends an electric shock to your neighbors poodle. |
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Checking the links: Just back from the kettlebells, where the nutbusters threw me off so I left in a real hurry, legs crossed. Thanks [PeterSealy]. And the next link is fine if you happen to own a magic kettle. [phoenix] I think the bell refers only to the level indicator (a variation of ball, perhaps?) and I think the teasmade is the answer! [StarChaser] nice rockets, I mean very Flash Gordon-like, very retro, hip and cool. [waugsqueke] I like the idea of finding an alternative use for those little angels. Kudos to you, since I can't give you the croissant! As for [hippo] well, they're silent, 'nuff said. |
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So, to sum up: this idea is baked. |
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