Member postings for David Snaith

Thank you, Alan.

Ian, no offence taken at all. I appreciated your analogy.

Neil, leaving geopolitical history aside, what I find interesting about the liberty bell videos is that, while pitch is related to size, resonance is not. Some of the smaller bells rang much more clearly that some of the larger ones. There is a magic going on that I do not understand.

Baz, I think Ian was just using the cat collar bell as an analogue, implying that a bell that small is unlikely to ring like big ben.

Thank you all for your input - I really appreciate the benefit of your combined experiences.

I have a sample bell that is only a little larger than the bell I need. It rings beautifully. It is deep drawn on a 7 stage progressive die. I believe it is made from UNS C75200 nickel silver. It gives me hope that what I am trying to do might be possible, but alas, I don't have a progressive die.

Hi,

I need to make a small bell. It can only be about 17mm dia x 15mm high. I need it to ring as loudly, richly, and sustained as possible.

My first thought was to try spinning some brass or nickel silver into a bell shape. But I am also open to the idea of machining it out of solid.

Does anyone have any experience with such a thing? Specifically I am looking for insights into materials, hardness, shape, wall thickness, and anything else that might help me produce a beautiful, loud, sustained ring from a ridiculously small bell.

Thanks in advance.

Yes! Like that, but 1/20 the size and complexity. Thank you for finding that.

Thank you, Martin. I am using a Mashtroy (Warco) C220. The bell will have a hole at the apex, so I can position the hole in the workpiece over a matching pin in the mandrel to ensure the workpiece does not fly out and embed itself in my forehead.

I actually want the brass to work harden to increase the sustain of the bell. Just not so much that it cracks!

Thanks, Jason. When you used the spanner, did you lubricate the surface of the brass first? If so, what lubricant did you use? Thanks again.

I would like to try spinning some small bells on my Mashtroy centre lathe. They would be approximately 17mm dia x 15mm high. I would like to experiment with both brass and nickel silver, around 22ga, to find something that has nice tone and resonance.

Does anyone know where I can buy a small roller that would fit in my toolpost? I realise the forum on which I am posting, so before the chorus of "make it yourself", let me just say that I don't have a mill yet (please don't judge me), so it would be easier for me to get this experiment running if I could just buy a roller.

Any other suggestions about how to do this, or about making small bells ring well would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!