Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1889-01-26
HOW BELLS ARE MADE.
OPERATIONS REQUIRING GREAT
CARE AND SKILL
The Musical Tone Forming the
Misunderstanding and Polishing
the BelI-Tpstinr the Tone

~ -'u>''"i !" o
a>ttnS ana fo'ishfn-
the Bell-Testin. the Tone
!. NAV not ha generally known saxsa
winter IN .~t1y.x ant E~aydrdrr. ihatsthere
:.re oaiy five concerns IN tie United
States enraycl in the manufacture Of
church school and On me l,- =.
Contrary to the p0naIir idea, the ex-
act mu> al tone OF a bel depend> neither
anon he Meta nor anon auv change in
il after b.ior cast. II the bel should
not.fe of the exact mitch. there IS no
alternative but II melt il over ana re-
! cast I until Inc PROPER tone IS secured.
ucace : i, 49, h., tho greatest care
mus, be exercised. ana the most thor
ougA skill di>pia1ci.
The fir o9eration. and the one upon
v;..h sncch.. den4nd. !, the form.J.-
Of the rnoll4s. They are made accord
inc to llanS which are !rst prepared TO
I demonstrate the weight. thickness. and
4 nten-ione necessary to produce the re
aared tone. The moulding i, done en-
! t"lr.lv by hand without the use of ra>-
terms. For the inside. the shape j, made
up 81 loan. which IS merely sand mixed
with enouoh clay 10 make it cohesive.
With notbl9r hut a trovel. a paddle.
int II Itu0~. the operator mouths lilt
loan into the desired share. work
inn, from the bottom toward the apex.
The work i necessarily slow. as rrcat
care must he exercised, as any variation
from III. MAN. wonIi inevitably ruin the
cffc.t and frequent mcasul ement, arc
taken 10 see that there are no deviations.
The surface IS now covered with black
lead hi, !. ml\ed into a thick liant.
go -.l - ..at-
Zach coat must be allowed to dry, and
successive coats applied until it reaches
a~thicknc>s Of about thrce-qnarteIs Of an
lnc.. OF until the desired shape is ac-
curaselv occurred. The outside half Of
the mould i, butt III Of loan IL the
I.ame way. onIy IN tins case no coating Of
plumbaro j, used. The exterior mould
lit, The inside mould, the space lie
tween the two, determining the thickness
Of the he'll. The moulds being finished,
they are placed in position in "a pit in
tront Of the iuruaee At the apex, or
at ,hc potnt where the bell would be
hunr..an opening is made in the outside
mould OF about two inches in diameter.
4 trough then carries the molten metal
directly into the mould.
The furnace IS very similar to those
- ERtlCIdIiN u>bti Ill l1ltii lux ldl Sc guam
titles Of brass. The melting pot is built
between two fire boxes, SO constructed
that the heat strikes the sides and bot
tom with almost equal force. c.ccting
Quick results. The metal used is simply
ingot copper aud TN, in the proportion
Of four parts Of the former TO one CT the
latter. The copper is first melted, and
then the tin is put into the molten mass,
soon becoming a part Of it. The kettle
has "a capacity of about a ton. For a
bell weighing three hundred pounds, the
mould is completely filed IN seven or
eight minutes. or bells weighing six
La ldrcd pounds, it requires ABOUT fifteen
minutes. and so on.
The bell having cooled sui GENTLY,
the mouIds are broken, and it is taken
out and turned over to the polishcr. The
inside, having been moulded against the
smooth surface of black lead, needs no
polishing, but the outside requires at
tcnti0D in that rpsDret The ODpratiOD