Brass Gong

[Dunrolling]

Have got one coming in from the States next week.

[ethel]

If anyone is going to have bits cast or make up a bell then I would also be interested in having one.

[8_10 Brass Cleaner]

Originally Posted by Dunrolling

Have got one coming in from the States next week.

Therses a few of those about. Very like the Aveling ones but the bell seems bigger.

[8_10 Brass Cleaner]

Dan.

He says he doesnt like the shape of your bell.....!.....

He is a pain in the arse

[Ransomes AM54]

Originally Posted by 8_10 Brass Cleaner

Dan.

He says he doesnt like the shape of your bell.....!.....

He is a pain in the arse

A square one might be hard to find.

[8_10 Brass Cleaner]

Right

Here is the guts of my bell



In my opinion 95% of the components are simply made out of sheet material. Mine is brass, but I would suggest water cut stainless (or steel) a better option. The rest is lathe work and drilling holes. Leaving the problem of the bulbous striker.

I have drawn round the internal components of my bell. And am happy to fire a 1:1 scan of these templates to anyone who wants one via e-mail (for free). Chris is having a copy already. You will have to live with my humour on the sheet, and mixed imperial and metricated dims.

I have agreed to convert my bell section into a pattern to take to my tame foundry to cast Chris one in Brass (assuming this can be done without butchering it).

I am also happy to take orders for more 'bells'. These will cost more or less whatever it costs me to get them done. I can't give a price presently, but my foundry is not in the business of ripping people off.

Any interest in some bell castings?, plus the templates? you can then make your own bell.

[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) .....

[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.

[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 .

[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!!)