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.-- hello_c, Mar 21 2002 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.htmTwo 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.htmSecond 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] 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.-- magnificat, Mar 22 2002 Why is that a better idea, magnificat?-- bristolz, Mar 22 2002 At a guess, fewer moving parts?-- StarChaser, Mar 22 2002 Better is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.-- bristolz, Mar 22 2002 This could work on the same principle as candle chimes. (Linky.)-- waugsqueke, Mar 22 2002 How about having the steam blow past some Silent Dodgy Wind Chimes? Oh no, wait, that wouldn't work...Croissant anyway.-- hippo, Mar 22 2002 [StarChaser] You made my day. Ordering the Rocket Kettle now.
Take it to the next step and link the kettle to the alarm on your wireless watch.-- dag, Mar 22 2002 The site with the Rocket Kettle has a carousel (rotating horses!) and train (turning wheels!) as well. Lovely.
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.-- hello_c, Mar 22 2002 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...-- StarChaser, Mar 23 2002 Yeah, simpler with fewer moving parts, but then I forgot where I was - my idea is far too simple. Carry on.-- magnificat, Mar 23 2002 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.
(Fewer moving parts? A wheel has exactly one moving part; a springloaded rocker has at least two: spring & arm.)-- hello_c, Mar 24 2002 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.
Or how about a tea kettle that sings God Save the Queen. Or that sends an electric shock to your neighbors poodle.-- phazed, Mar 24 2002 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.
So, to sum up: this idea is baked.-- Canuck, Mar 25 2002 random, halfbakery