--
Post: handb...@googlegroups.com
Subscribe: handbell-l...@googlegroups.com
Unsubscribe: handbell-l+...@googlegroups.com
Digest: e-mail mdp...@gmail.com with subject line "Digest-L"
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Handbell-l" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to handbell-l+...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
Nick, why those specific products?
Laurie "just curious"
Thanks!
Laurie "I've lots of ucky bells to clean"
--
That is definitely a cracked bell! No wonder it hasn’t been being used. It’s a very distinctive and unpleasant sound.
--
I would have thought there would be a sign of impact hard enough to crack a casting.Maybe I'll bring this bell to rehearsals for show and tell, for what happens when you don't mart the way I tell you.
--
I would have thought there would be a sign of impact hard enough to crack a casting.Maybe I'll bring this bell to rehearsals for show and tell, for what happens when you don't mart the way I tell you.
--
I concur that your problem bell is an old bell with a bronze spring and the pitch problem is probably the reason why it wasn’t located with the set. It’s hard to diagnose a bell from a recording, but that does sound like a cracked casting.
Most commonly, cracks form from nicks around the rim of the casting and they usually make a buzzing noise. However, I have seen bells with cracks in unusual places. One was a 5th octave bass bell with a 2” long vertical crack starting at about 1” AWAY from the rim of the casting going up toward the waist of the casting. IIRC, it wasn’t located near the clapper strike (front or backring) areas either. It made what I can best describe as a “breathy” sound when it rang, but it didn’t buzz and it wasn’t off-pitch. There was no dent around it and no other signs of “bell abuse.” I’ve seen a C5 bell with a small dent and crack (about ½” long) oriented diagonally across the bell between the waist and the crown. There was no perceptible buzz or any other noise and no pitch problem. I didn’t notice it until I cleaned and polished the bell. As I looked more closely, it was obvious that something was dropped on the bell as it laid on the table or in the case. I’ve also seen an F5 bell with a large chip out of the rim of the casting (it looked like someone took a bite out of the bell)! The top of the chip was about ¼” below the level of the clapper strike and it was located on the side of the bell – not directly on the strikepoint or backring sides where the clapper would strike, but halfway between. Other than the obvious hunk missing from the bell, it sounded fine to the naked ear! When I was a youth and the first B2 bells started coming out, the first 2 we received cracked the first time we rang them – no excess force or horsing around, just normal ringing. As the old saying goes…”stuff happens!”
In most cases that I know of, problem bells are returned to the factory for evaluation and possible warranty replacement. However, when you know the bell was dropped or the abuse is blatantly evident, you know you just have to buy a new bell. In those cases, I think it’s a great idea to “repurpose” problem bells like this. They can be used as examples of this-is-why-we-do/don’t-do-this. Also, you can make dedication/memorial bells out of them as well to display in memory/honor of someone important to the bell program. I have one (G4-ish) that I removed the yoke and clapper. I put a nut on the handle screw so I could leave the handle and disk on it. I can display it as a silent bell, but I usually lay it on a pillow and put individually wrapped candies in it so they spill out of it like a “bellucopia.” I often put it on the table where we display our concert programs when we perform.
Silver
Silver Woodbury | Artistic Director | Oklahoma City Handbell Ensemble, Inc.
PO Box 721578 | Oklahoma City, OK 73172-1578
Mobile: 405-519-0331 | Fax: 405-212-4899
sil...@okcbells.com | www.okcbells.com
![]() |
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. |