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Thread: 30th bell

  1. #1
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    Default 30th bell

    I have now made 30 successful bells. The bell pictured was 26.5 kgs with the riser and the largest I can do with my present gear. my next 2 bells will be about 50kg each so I have had to build a new furnace to take an A120 crucible, and all the gear to handle this mother of crucibles.
    forumbell2.jpgforumbell.jpgforumbell1.jpgforum1.jpg

  2. #2
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    Looks good Vin. Where do your bells end up? I can picture them on river boats but the market there is probably somewhat limited these days.
    Cheers, Bob the labrat

    Measure once and.... the phone rings!

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by labr@ View Post
    Looks good Vin. Where do your bells end up? I can picture them on river boats but the market there is probably somewhat limited these days.
    At present I am building a 25 bell carillon, just because I can, I have been at it now for around 12 months, I have only 2 bells to go and then I start building the carillon frame and batten mechanism. I am not doing it for any commercial value just an expensive hobby! just ask the wife

  4. #4
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    Vin interesting not a common thing, do yo do the machining as well, look forward to seeing some more progress when it happens.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by China View Post
    Vin interesting not a common thing, do yo do the machining as well, look forward to seeing some more progress when it happens.
    What machining are you referring to? I do tune the smaller bells in my lathe, the larger bells I use a 36 or 40 grit ceramic flap disc and do them manually on the bench. In actually think the flap disc does a better job than machining in the lathe.

  6. #6
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    Yep I guess I am referring to tuning I know nothing about making bells, when I was many many moons younger I was living in Cowandilla and the next door neighbor used to make brass bells, I just remember
    he used to mount them in a lathe and machine them.

  7. #7
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    I had to look up the meaning of carillon and am surprised I hadn't come across it before.
    How do you tune the bells? Is the tone mostly decided by size?
    Cheers, Bob the labrat

    Measure once and.... the phone rings!

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by labr@ View Post
    I had to look up the meaning of carillon and am surprised I hadn't come across it before.
    How do you tune the bells? Is the tone mostly decided by size?
    Diameter and thickness change a bells pitch. the larger the bell the lower the pitch, the thicker the bell the higher the pitch. So in brief you get somewhere near the pitch you want by its size make it extra thick so you can thin the inside of the bell and drop the tone. you can only tune a bell down never up

  9. #9
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    What material are Vin's bells made of?
    I think the best sounding ones are of bronze.

    I was delighted to find in Perth, a building that housed bells that had been taken out of the St Martin in the Fields church in London.
    They were a "worn out" set but complete. Some were cracked and unringable, others were in good nick.
    They even let me ring one by pulling on its pulley rope.
    I was told they were gifted for the bicentennial year.

    Church type bells are still being made in UK and Russia, as far as I know.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by nadroj View Post
    What material are Vin's bells made of?
    I think the best sounding ones are of bronze.

    I was delighted to find in Perth, a building that housed bells that had been taken out of the St Martin in the Fields church in London.
    They were a "worn out" set but complete. Some were cracked and unringable, others were in good nick.
    They even let me ring one by pulling on its pulley rope.
    I was told they were gifted for the bicentennial year.

    Church type bells are still being made in UK and Russia, as far as I know.
    Bronze is a loose term, it can consist of many different metals. I Use what is referred to as bell metal, 80% copper 20% tin, I alloy my own! There are still a few traditional bell makers in Europe and a few I believe in the USA.

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