Farmall Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Always wanted a big bell for some reason - anyway, this one is 30 inches from lip to lip and about 26 inches tall....It's cast iron and wieghs around 300 pounds. Thought I might hang it from the birdfeeder. make a nice windchime. I did also get 5 ball pein hammers for $10 and 10 chisels for $10, so the bell isn't the only deal I got. But it is certainly the heaviest rightt now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 About a week late to Ring in the New Year! Make a good Dinner Bell for a hungry Crew! Nice find let us know when you settle on a use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 18 minutes ago, Farmall said: make a nice windchime. What kind of winds you get round your way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foundryman Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 That is one ugly bell! I'm guessing it doesn't sound so good either if its cast iron, they're traditionally made out of bronze (around 22% tin and the rest copper). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I can't Bellieve it! That's a big one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 That bell is a rare find! What a bargain. Everyone needs a bell like that. Let us know what you do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 17 minutes ago, Foundryman said: That is one ugly bell! I'm guessing it doesn't sound so good either if its cast iron, they're traditionally made out of bronze (around 22% tin and the rest copper). Church bells are usually bronze; cast iron bells were usually for farms and schools where volume was more important than tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Yup I have the cast iron farm bell from my Grandfather's farm in Oklahoma. I've been thinking of mounting it in my shop rafters and running a string from the clapper to the back door of the house as my wife doesn't like to walk to the shop to get my attention Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDarkNebulah Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 I think the bell and the ball pein hammer were made to be together. Give it a whack and see how it sounds. That's got to be satisfying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmall Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Yep it's cast iron. It might be ugly, but I bet my bell is bigger than yours! (bell envy) I think it was made by American Bell (because I have managed to find an "r" and an "n" on the side. Still workng on cleaning it up, then gotta hang it. Was thinking of using some 4-inch pipe and welding a frame to hang it. I figure if I put the lip about knee high, then all my visitors could ring with their knees when they bump into it.....or would that be to mean? Right now, the bell is mobile. Seriously, I would love to put it into a yoke, but that costs more than twice what I got the bell for. So the pipe will do for now. figure I'll tie a rope to the clapper to ring it. just like no shop is a shop without at least one anvil, how can a house be a home without a bell! Thomas, dad still has the No. 3 farm bell hanging up that was used to bring everyone back home for supper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Swinging from a yoke gives greater volume; fixed and with a rope to the clapper gives greater control. The Slavic traditions in Eastern Orthodox Christianity have raised this to an art; check out this video from a monastery in Serbia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmall Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 neat video. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Greetings Farmall, i have six bells on my property.. You can make a yoke that will work just fine Yep you guessed it the name of my forge is Golden Bell Forge. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farmall Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Love those bells. I like that wooden frame too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foundryman Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 3 hours ago, Farmall said: Seriously, I would love to put it into a yoke, but that costs more than twice what I got the bell for. So the pipe will do for now. figure I'll tie a rope to the clapper to ring it. just like no shop is a shop without at least one anvil, how can a house be a home without a bell! If you could start spreading this rumour that would be great, thanks! I work as a mould maker in a bell foundry, the more people buying them the better! The yolk is called a headstock (or deadstock), at least in the UK, depending on whether its fixed or mounted on bearings by the way. Cast iron bells must be an American thing, I've not come across any in the UK, a few steel ones, aluminium, solid silver and even lead for an art installation but not iron! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Not worthy of a picture, but a funny story, nonetheless: I was walking through the parking lot after work a couple of days ago when I spotted a slightly rusty four-foot-long piece of 1/4" round lying on the ground. It turned out to be an allen-head bolt with about 4" of thread on one end, and I promptly chucked it in the back of the van. The funny thing is, I had just muttered to myself (as one does), "No rust, no trust!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 11 hours ago, Jim Coke said: Greetings Farmall, i have six bells on my property.. You can make a yoke that will work just fine Yep you guessed it the name of my forge is Golden Bell Forge. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Jim, I have an old school bell my mother got at a school auction when I was a kid. I cleaned it up and made a clapper from an I bolt and a tow receiver ball. I've wanted to make a stand for it for years and never got around to it. I had a different idea, but I love the stand in your first picture. Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 On 1/8/2016 at 6:16 AM, Daswulf said: Jim, I have an old school bell my mother got at a school auction when I was a kid. I cleaned it up and made a clapper from an I bolt and a tow receiver ball. I've wanted to make a stand for it for years and never got around to it. I had a different idea, but I love the stand in your first picture. Thanks for sharing. Make an elephant to hold it with it's trunk! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 5 hours ago, Frosty said: Make an elephant to hold it with it's trunk! Frosty The Lucky. That would be a life size elephant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 8 minutes ago, Daswulf said: That would be a life size elephant. Like this one in the Burlington, VT airport? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 Just now, JHCC said: Like this one in the Burlington, VT airport? I'm going to need a bigger scrap pile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 11, 2016 Share Posted January 11, 2016 2 hours ago, Daswulf said: I'm going to need a bigger scrap pile. Aren't we all? 2 hours ago, Daswulf said: I'm going to need a bigger scrap pile. Aren't we all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Now we're talking! More scrap, bigger projects! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Dragged this out of the scrap pile. It's a weight of some sort and is 10" across and 4" deep. That makes it close to 90 lbs. It was worth saving as it is cast with the words Brisbane 1893. Any ideas what use it could be other than a weight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 12, 2016 Share Posted January 12, 2016 Move it farther out the horn and let it teach you to dance? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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