I’ve made A Bell, But Will It Jingle?

[Dennis]

I suppose you’ve all forgotten the great bell project, prompted by Carole’s post, last month:

http://www.cooksongold.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5503

Well here is my effort, but I used brass, not silver, starting with two disks 1.8mm in diameter and 0.4mm thick. My doming plate, unlike the cubes, makes perfect hemispheres and being of hardened steel, it will also act as a filing block to finish the edges.

To one dome, I added a jump ring. The holes in the other were 2.3mm in diameter, joined by a slot 1.3mm wide.

The halves were connected with a 2.5mm strip of the same material formed into a ring. This was first soldered onto one part, supported by the very useful hole in my soldering block. The other half was then easily added. Enclosed was a 4.0mm ball made from melted wire.

Does it jingle? Well sort of, but rather quietly. There are many variables which might improve it: the choice of metal, a more squat shape, the size of the slot and holes, and possibly the ball, although I was able to test for the best ball size before the final soldering.

I remain convinced that if it could be cold connected, as are the commercially made ones, the sound would be brighter. When the domed haves were dropped separately onto a hard surface there was a distinct ringing sound. After soldering, it was more of a dull thud. Dennis.