gas cylinder bells

[bigb]

I hope it's OK to post this here, it's mostly cutting & welding but some hammering could be done on the decoration and hooks. I am getting ready to hang my O2 cylinder bell. I have the stand figured out for now but I am wondering what people are doing for the part that you hang it from, and hang the clanger from. I noticed the threads where the valve came out look like 3/4" with fine threads. I have some nice heavy rings, and I can probably make or buy a big eye bolt. I also thought about a D ring shackle. Just looking for some ideas from those who have done this

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

We have a saying, pictures or it didn't happen. The only one I made I forged the ring and the clapper was attached to it. I don't have a picture because it was gifted ten years or so ago.

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning,

You need to figure out what kind of noise you want. A 5-pin Bowling Pin, with the ring on it, makes a VERY hollow sound. A piece of hard wood makes another sound. A piece of hard plastic makes a different sound. A round steel ball makes a completely different sound. You have to have a hanging thing at the top and a hanging thing that will connect to your clapper and change motion from the wind velocity. Don't put it near the out-house, too windy!!

You need to experiment to answer your own question.

Neil

[bigb]

Pics will come....progress is very slow as I still work full time. (I've had the cylinders cut and ready for about 5 years!) Neil thanks, I am planning to experiment, I saw where one guy uses hard wood wrapped in leather. I also have some smaller cylinders that would fit up inside the large one but I wonder if that will be too heavy for the wind to move.

[ThomasPowers]

How heavy the clapper can also depend on how large the "wind catcher" is on the bottom. Croquet balls or polo balls can make a nice sound for large tanks.

I do quite a few from tank valve covers as they seem to show up cheap at fleamarkets, garage sales and scrapyards.  For them I have some 3/16" dia steel wire I use. Drill a hole in the top of the valve cover, heat one end of the wire and thread on light chain and bend the wire to form a loop and then wrap the end around the wire to hold it and provide a rest for the valve cover, then heat the other end of the wire and do likewise making a nice loop to hang it from.

For these small one I usually let the light chain serve as the "clapper" and hang a small forged chili pepper on the end as a wind catcher.  Each style of cover has a different tone and each chili pepper/chain swings at a different wind speed.   Got a bunch of various wind bells hanging on the Mesquite tree by the shop and in the summer when the bedroom window is open I can tell how much wind we are having by which ones are ringing.

For the full sized tanks I find a bolt that fits the threads, cross drill the bottom for a split ring (like on a key chain) and forge the top to take a punched and drifted hole or bent into a loop depending on the bolt length.  (BEWARE PLATED BOLTS---AVOID THEM!!!).

I'll try to get a picture this weekend.

[arkie]

There are many youtube videos that show how folks have made different types of bells from cylinders....please don't flame me for mentioning youtube!!  LOL

[Glenn]

We only flame you when you use flame to cut a closed container or cylinder.  Boom is not a nice noise.  The neighbors can tell you how loud it was.

[arkie]

I'm lucky on the one that I am about to work on.  The previous owner took the valve out and cut the bottom off to make a dishing tool!

[ThomasPowers]

I just pulled the valvestems from 2 that went through a fire.  Now I need to get new brushes for my 9" grinder to chop them for bells, forge shells and dishing forms---and I will sell back the valvestems.