Waterbury Democrat., 1901-09-06
HOW BELLS ARE MADE.
Glimpse Into the Foundry Where
 Chimes Are Cast.


 - Chimes Are Cast.
 A peep through the furnace door re- veals wide molten lake of liquid fire, glowing with rosy light, stirred into sluggish motion from time to time by a long-handled rake, which comes out red hot almost in a moment from its fiery labor This seething mass is a compound of copper and tin in admix- ture of about three parts of the former to one of the latter, and occasionally small portion of the metal is withdrawn while the melting is in progress. and may be examined by the expert, who directs. maybe, that small quantity more copper or tin be added to bring it to the right consistency
 The floor around the furnace consists of hard trodden earth only, and from sthe slower door of the great cauldron afroIn which the molten mass will pres ently flow little shallow channels of clay, sprinkled with powdered plum bago, have been scooped into the ground, conducting to four separate roles leading downward. These four holes lead, we are told. to the grave beneath, where carefully buried in tightly rammed earth. lie the molds of the four bells to be cast. These molds are, of course, invisible to Us but we can form very fair idea of what they are like from the specimens that are piled up in negligent order round the walls.
 The mold of the bell consists, then. of two parts, called technically a"core" and a ''cope." The core is built up of brick and covered with loam, which word, as even a cockney knows, is the proper agricultural term for clay. This loam is carefully plastered upon the bricks and then smoothed round with specially shaped instrument known as a crook" until the core has as- stunned outwardly precisely the form of the inside of the bell which is to be cast upon it. Next the cope is pre- pared. This is the outer covering, which fits exactly over the core, but leaves q space between, the two, to be presently filled with the molten metal of the bell to be cast. The cope itself | is an iron case of a size dependent upon the bell being made. and thickly cover ed with lining of loams
 The lining is done with great care and skill, for upon its depth depends the ultimate thickness of the bell. Upon the soft loam is also nodded any lettering or decoration which the com pIeted bell is to bear. and the choosing and inscribing of a suitable inscription has from the time immemorial been considered a matter of grave import. The cope is placed in position above the core. and the whole then buried under ground in convenient proximity to the furnace as described. Then, when all is ready, the lower doors opened and the molten metal in a fiery stream rolls down the little channels scooped for it and pours through the prepared holes into the space between the cope and core which 1t is to fill. The workman armed with long han died iron plug stnnds beside to see that tie stream flows alright, and to stop | its course as, one by one, the molds are filled to oyerfiowing.
 The temperature of the shed rises al- most uncomfortably as this molten mass is liberated. The liquid metal glows first with white-hot brilliance, which quickly gives place to a rosy | the men bending over it and suffusing i the whole building with a warm and ruddy glare. For many minutes does the fiery stream, in well regulated tor rents. flow from the furnace doors un- til each mold is filled and the surplus i metal lies in broad red pools within the channels.
 Then at length the f1oodgates are closed, the fire is suffered to die down l and the worlxmen withdraw to other labors, leaving the molten masses to slowly cool and solidify until such time as the heat has sufficiently abated to allow of the unearthing of the molds. With the big bells this will take many hours. The moment of opening the mold is an anxious time for the found CTS, for only then can it be discovered whether perfect casting has been made and how much the resulting note differs from that which was in- l tended philadelphia Times.