Weather vanes have been around for centuries, and they have never been more popular and widely used then they are today. A weather vane is a moveable device used to show which direction the wind is blowing. It should be attached to an elevated object, such as a roof, for the most accurate reading. They are often the shape of cockerels or arrows; however, there are a multitude of designs for sale today from horses to dragons. As long as the design is balanced so that half the weight is on either side of its axis and the areas exposed to wind are unequal, it will do the job.

Most simple weathervanes have directional markers beneath the pointer aligned with the geographic directions. The weather vanes can be made up of anything you can imagine to go with your home or garden. People can choose to show off their personal style by choosing a fun design such as a painted puppy or go for a dramatic look with a flying eagle. Ornate designs and fanciful shapes do not always show the real direction of a very gentle wind. This is because the figures do not achieve an unequal surface that is balanced in weight. But, for most of the heavier wind speeds you should be fine.

Weather vanes can be made with a combination of copper and brass, which will age and fade to light silver if left unprotected. Polished copper weathervanes may be sprayed with lacquer or varnish to prevent the copper from oxidizing and to maintain the beautiful high polished copper finish. Aluminum is another popular medium for creating weather vanes that should not rust and can be less expensive than copper. It can also be painted to show off more details creating fun and unique designs.

Once you have decided on the look for your weather vane you will want to choose a logical place to keep it. To obtain an accurate reading, the weather vane must be located well above the ground and away from buildings, trees, and other objects to give a true wind direction. Changing wind direction can be meaningful when coordinated with other apparent sky conditions, enabling the user to make simple short range forecast. Weather vanes are not only useful to the average owner they can also be a nice design element to your home.