The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-08-14
How Bells Are Made.

A peep through the furnace door re-
veals wide. molten lake OF liquid fire.
glowing with rosy light, stirred into
sluggish motion from time 10 time by a
long handled iron rake, which comes out
red hot almost I'm a moment from it's fiery
labor. This seething mass is a COM
pound OF copper and tin in admixture Of
about three parts of the former 10 one
of the latter. and occasionally a small
portion OF the metal is withdrawn. while
the melting Is I'm progress. and examined
by an expert. who directs. maybe. that
small quantity more copper or tin be
added 10 bring IL to the right consistency.
The noor around the furnace consists
OF hard. trodden earth only, and from
the lower door of the great cauldron from
which the molten mass will presently
How little shallow channels of clay,
sprinkled with powdered plumbaEo. have
been scooped i'm. the ground. conducting
70 four separate holes leading downward
These four holes lead, we are told, to
the grave beneath. where, carefully bur-
led In tightly rammed earth, lie the
mold OF the four bells TO be cast. These
molds are, of course, Invisible TO us. but
we can form a very fair idea OF what
are piled up In negligent order
around the walls The mold OF a bell
consists. then of two parts. called. tech
nicilly, core and a cope" The core
Is built up OF bricks and covered with
loan, which word. as even a cockney
knows. is the proper agricultural term
for clay.
The loan is carefully plastered with a
specially shaped instrument known a
crook until the core has assumed out
wardly precisely the form OF the inside
or the bell which Is TO be cast upon H.
Next the cope IL prepared. This is the
outer covering, which fits exactly over
the core, but leaves space between the
two, TO be presently filed with the molt-
a n ~ at
cope itself IL an iron case Of size de-
pendent upon the bell being made. and
thickly covered with lining OF loan.
The lining ~ done with great care and
skill for upon its depths depends the ulti-
mate thickness OF the bell Upon the
soft loan also is molden any lettering or
decoration which the completed bell Is
TO bear. and the choosing and inscrlbing
OF "A suitable inscription has from time
immemorial been considered a matter Of
grave import.
The cope is placed I'm position above the
core, and the whole then buried under
ground in convenient proximity 10 the
furnace as described. Then. when all is
ready. the lower door Is opened and the
molten metal I'm a fiery stream rolls down
the little channels scooped for IL and
pours through the prepared holes into
the space between cone and core which
it-is TO fill. The workmen. armed with
long handled iron plugs stand beside 10
see that the stream flows Alright, and 10
stop It's course as. one by one. the molds
n
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 glow, lighting up
the heated faces OF the men bending over
II and suffusing the whole building with
q warm and rudy glare. For many min
utcs does the fiery stream In well-regu-
lated torrents. flow from the furnace
doors. until each mold Is filled and the
surplus metal lies In broad red pools
within the channels Then at length the
hood gates are closed the fire Is suf-
fercd 10 die down, and the workmcn
Withdraw 10 other labOrs leaving the
molten masses 10 slowly cool and solid
ify until such time as the heat has suf-
ficiently abated 20 allow OF the unearth
ing OF tho mods With big bells this
will take many hours. The moment OF
opening the mold is an anxious time for
tho founders. for only then can 10 be
discovered whether a perfect casting has
been made, and how much the resulting
note differs from that which was in
ded.-'rhc CULVER.