Brass Gong

[8_10 Brass Cleaner]

Originally Posted by clayton21

Gentlemen & Ladies,

What is the bell needed or - I can see the parallel with a bicycle but surely your average steam tractor makes too much noise for such a bell to be heard / used as a warning (and you've got a whistle for that anyway) .....

Andrew,

At the time of manufacture a whistle was not a legal form of audible warning. Consequently bells were often original fitment.

According to the erection sheet of my Marshall it was fitted with one. As I understand was the case with Chris's Foster. Very often a whistle was not fitted. There is no record of a whistle being fitted to my Marshall when manufactured.

I find that road users take no notice of whistles, probably because of historical frivolous use.

[8_10 Brass Cleaner]

Originally Posted by D-valve

If you don't mind the cost, new longcase clock bells are available in various sizes from horological parts suppliers, they come in various sizes in the correct metal with a nice ring to them.

They can sometimes be purchased quite cheaply in salerooms on old movements.

http://www.m-p.co.uk/muk/parts/chap0...0280043815.htm

http://www.m-p.co.uk/muk/parts/chap0...0280051215.htm

john

Brilliant

http://www.m-p.co.uk/muk/acrobat/cat41e/mp41e-s-c3.pdf

Strikes me the 120mm cast 'Comtoise' is almost perfect.

http://www.m-p.co.uk/muk/parts/chap0...1098012015.htm

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by 8_10 Brass Cleaner

No just going to do the bell. it is 126mm OD diameter if that helps to confirm if your guts would suit.

I do not want to dismantle mine, but I see no reason to, everything is simply made out of flat stock except the striker, and I could carve one of them out of solid with an angle grinder if I had too, so have no doubt Chris could.

I'll dig it out the car later tonight and have a trial assembly etc see how it all fits up etc.

[weidner]

If anyone is ever going to the trouble of casting a gong , then it would be worth going to a bell foundry . Whitechapel still cast and finish hand bells , and I seem to remember that they have patterns for gongs , which would be cast similarly . Bell metal , which is 22% tin , rings better than anything else ( even better than Fowler gears ) I would bet that Whitechapel's gong patterns are imperial . They would tune it too if you wanted .

[1882]

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

I'll dig it out the car later tonight and have a trial assembly etc see how it all fits up etc.

Send me a picture of all the other bits please

[Snail Trail]

Originally Posted by weidner

If anyone is ever going to the trouble of casting a gong , then it would be worth going to a bell foundry . Whitechapel still cast and finish hand bells , and I seem to remember that they have patterns for gongs , which would be cast similarly . Bell metal , which is 22% tin , rings better than anything else ( even better than Fowler gears ) I would bet that Whitechapel's gong patterns are imperial . They would tune it too if you wanted .

Our local foundry is a very good old school firm. When we had ours coppied for the Aveling he recast the bell twice until he was happy with the ring ( much to the annoyance of Basil!!)

[Burrell8]

I have converted Hedd's drawings in to CAD and will send them to him, here is a PDF of the CAD, quite nice shapes for just an' ol' clanger!

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by weidner

If anyone is ever going to the trouble of casting a gong , then it would be worth going to a bell foundry . Whitechapel still cast and finish hand bells , and I seem to remember that they have patterns for gongs , which would be cast similarly . Bell metal , which is 22% tin , rings better than anything else ( even better than Fowler gears ) I would bet that Whitechapel's gong patterns are imperial . They would tune it too if you wanted .

Surely it would make more sense for me to go visit John Taylor & Co?

[8_10 Brass Cleaner]

Nah. Pay £25 for the one D valve found.

[weidner]

Originally Posted by Snail Trail

Our local foundry is a very good old school firm. When we had ours coppied for the Aveling he recast the bell twice until he was happy with the ring ( much to the annoyance of Basil!!)

Old school ? When I was at Whitechapel we still had to pick the beans out of the horse shit before we mixed it with the clay and the cow hair . I will admit that we cast the hand bells and gongs in that new fangled sand stuff . Taylors at loughborough are mere upstarts , Whitechapel go back to Queen Elizabeth's time , so must be the oldest foundry in the country .