- Thread starter Aesgarth
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The_Yellow_Ardvark
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Most importantly you will need bell metal. Brass can be used but it will give a sharper pitch what can be rough on the ears for the purist. I thought that was “male Bovine excrement” until it was pointed out to me. Bell metal with give a softer tone.
If you are going to cast you should be able to make your own batch up. With a 4 to 1 ratio of copper to tin. Don’t use copper pipe, as that is an alloy. Or to be 100% correct 85% copper to 15% tin.
When you have a melt use a willow stick to stir before pouring.
The mould should be cast with handle end uppermost and a longer than normal sprue, this will allow any slag etc to rise fully and then it can be machined off. When pouring, do not stop, slow down or speed up. Use a clean crucible as well. When the metal is melting you want to see in your gas flame escaping the top a even green hue to it.
When cold, Oh yes have as much sand you can and then some round the mould and allow for a long slow cool down. Then as you machine do the outside first. Then the inside to the tone you like.
Thee handle should be a nice dense hardwood and waxed finish.
Hope this helps, bean a long time since I cast a bell. But the few I did are still going. The ones what went wrong got re melted. So no one knew about them.
If you are going to cast you should be able to make your own batch up. With a 4 to 1 ratio of copper to tin. Don’t use copper pipe, as that is an alloy. Or to be 100% correct 85% copper to 15% tin.
When you have a melt use a willow stick to stir before pouring.
The mould should be cast with handle end uppermost and a longer than normal sprue, this will allow any slag etc to rise fully and then it can be machined off. When pouring, do not stop, slow down or speed up. Use a clean crucible as well. When the metal is melting you want to see in your gas flame escaping the top a even green hue to it.
When cold, Oh yes have as much sand you can and then some round the mould and allow for a long slow cool down. Then as you machine do the outside first. Then the inside to the tone you like.
Thee handle should be a nice dense hardwood and waxed finish.
Hope this helps, bean a long time since I cast a bell. But the few I did are still going. The ones what went wrong got re melted. So no one knew about them.
brightspark
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use bronze 
The_Yellow_Ardvark
https://www.death-clock.org/
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@brightspark
I was being posh and going on old experience, when you could get 99% pure copper etc.
I was being posh and going on old experience, when you could get 99% pure copper etc.
