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Thread: Hell’s Bells.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
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    Central London
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    Default Hell’s Bells.

    This project was going to be a doddle: to make a bell that rings. As I had a suitably large brass tube in my stash, I thought that this would provide a cunning shortcut.

    Afraid of cracking it, the tube was first annealed. Then the base was spread with large doming punches aided by a hydraulic press. To restore the hardness, the surface was hammered, leaving a texture

    The top was cut into eight triangles and closed by forcing them down into a doming block, again using the hydraulic press. By cutting through with a fine saw blade several times, they came together so well that no light could shine through.

    Unfortunately, a moment’s inattention caused the whole thing to collapse into the interesting hat shape in my pictures. The second attempt produced a better bell curve with no annealing, so I added the wooden handle and accessories.

    The ring is musical, but not that loud. I think it is too thick for its size.
    O/s diameter of brass tube25.50mm, Wall Thickness 2.00mm. Dennis.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Bl1 Tube and first attempt.jpg   Bl2 failed bell and new parts.jpg   Bl3 Assembled bell.jpg  

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
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    199

    Default

    Oh wow, that is stunning! Even your 'mistake' is adorable Wish my mistakes looked that appealing

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
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    South Australia
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    Default

    Well that came pretty good I must say, now you need to find something for the little bowler hat

  4. #4
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    Jul 2018
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    Surbiton
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    Default

    Dennis I am speachless ! WOW//..

  5. #5
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    Jul 2009
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    West Midlands
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    Default

    That's absolutely gorgeous Dennis, especially the precision with which its been made. I'd be interested to hear which hydraulic press you used for that... ?
    Jules

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
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    Scotland
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    Default

    I’m rather fond of the hat Dennis but as always your attention to detail won the day.
    Like Jules I’m interested in the press as all I’ve seen recently are huge and I’m not sure I’d have room

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2009
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    Default

    Thank you all, for your looking and your kind comments.
    The hydraulic press at the college I attend once week, has a welded steel frame, with a fixed top and a movable platen, which rests on a standard commercial bottle jack. It was made to order many years ago by a small engineering firm, now sadly closed down.
    The Bottle jack is raised and lowered by a hand lever.
    Susan Kingsley, in her book Hydraulic Dye Forming for Jewellers and Silversmiths, shows a simplified pervasion, made using threaded rods and platens, which could also incorporate a bottle jack as freely available in UK.

    This bottle jack is less than £20, in the ten ton version, just needing the framework, to complete the job: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/162103061575

    Dennis.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    South Australia
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    Default

    I am in the process as we speak of building a twenty ton hydraulic press bench mounted, if any one is interested I can take some pics and show the process

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Romsey
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    I'd certainly be interested - mine is based around a Bonny Doon style frame (and takes BD accessories); I went the Portapac route (separate hydraulic powerpack & cylinder), then upgraded it to an electric pump.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    West Midlands
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    Default

    So, was it a case of one smooth movement to produce the shape, or did you have to anneal and re-do the shape?
    Jules

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