How to make a British Bell

[PeelsBells]

Once again been asked to put something up on bell making. I have read good threads on how to make a bell using a domeing block ,but this is how i started making bells and some of the pit falls which you will come across when making a good bell.

1.The tools you can make them out mild steel. Get a round peice of bar about 3 inches a cross and drill a hole in the centre, what ever size of bell you want for the bottom half. Now this is were the maths comes in the punch needs to be the exact size of the hole taking away the thickness of the material which you are using but remember that the material is on both sides of the puch so if you are using say 1mm thick you need to make the punch 2mm smaller.
Next is the second half the top.
You need to measure the inside diameter of the first half you made because this will be the outside of the second half of the bell.
This is the size you need to drill in the second block.
Then once again you need to take away the thickness of the material to make the second punch.:rolleyes:
Right you have made your punches and blocks as in picture No1
You will need a hammer ,snips, and your blocks.

2. Place a disc of what ever material you are going to use and start to knock the material in to the hole as in picture No2

3. The material will rise around the punch remember to keep on knocking this down flat again other wise you get creases in the material and will leave a line.This you do not want.
The bells shape will start and will soon be at the required size.

4. This is what you should end up with, you need to flatten the sides down and get ready to cut the material.

[PeelsBells]

Next you need to trim the excess material away with tin snips.
See picture No5

You need to do this with both the top and the bottom so you end up with 4 half domes.
Its up to you what size you want to make them as this is were the tone and the sound come from. Like i said earlier that this is were mistakes are made, if you want to cheat ask people for there old bells and de-soldier them and you will have their size but i never said that lol.
Once you have made the 4 halves you need to make them slot into each over this is done by carefully cleaning the edge with sand paper or cheat with an electric sander but watch your fingers as this can be painful.
Please see picture No 6

Once they are done you should end up with a bell like
Picture No7

Next you need to make the clanger which i make on my lathe which is in picture No8, most people wont have one so get hold of an allen key and cut off a piece and shape in to a point at both ends so the clanger can never keep still .
Please see Picture No8

[PeelsBells]

The clanger gives tone for the distance traveled so choose wisely the size of the clanger or as before cheat and nick someone elses size:box:
This you can see in picture No9
You now need to soldier the pieces together i use silver soldier 40% which gives better tone but you will have to decide what you want to use as this can become expensive for a rod.
Please see picture No10

Next you need to make the bewitt holder,i get a piece of bar and bend it to what ever size i need the holder to be.
You can see this in picture No11 just use a pair of plyers and long nose plyers.
Lots of the bell makes use a piece of material and soldier it straight on to the bell. I drill holes in the top the size of bar which i am going to use, this for me is a stronger fit.
This can be seen in picture No 12
You can see in picture No 12 how it should look.

[PeelsBells]

Next you need to soldier the bewitt holder into place.
Once it has been soldiered leave on a cold surface to cool off as this will help when cutting through the brass.

You now need to cut a slot in the bell to release the sound just a junior saw will do as the blade is the correct thickness.
Please see picture 13
You then can drill holes either side of the slot this is done to help with cracking ,you must remember that the hole should not be to big as this is waiting for a accident to happen with the bird.
Please see picture 14

[PeelsBells]

The bell now is ready to use and to tone.
Please see picture No15

[PeelsBells]

To tone the bell you need to remove all burs and material which is left in the bell, i use a hook which is pointed on one end. Like what they use in the dentist.
Also i gap the size of the slot with gauges which i have made to get different tones.
Now the best part for me as my fingers are aching with writing is the polishing i set myself up with a grinder and added polishing mops on .
Remember to get the correct polish for brass as it can tarnish very quickly.
See picture below of set up.

[Pearl]

brilliant mate thanks for that :supz:

[PeelsBells]

Now here is a picture of the finished product.
I know its been long winded but trying to get each stage in.
So you all now how to make bells try and have a go when the birds are up for moult.
Its good to put your own equipment on your own hawk as its satisfying and you will feel good about it.:lol:

[Himiko]

Very interesting, informative and appreciated. Hopefully these threads will be saved somewhere if only for members to see and appreciate the craftsmanship and the value when purchasing manufactured equipment. Thanks.

[PeelsBells]

Very interesting, informative and appreciated. Hopefully these threads will be saved somewhere if only for members to see and appreciate the craftsmanship and the value when purchasing manufactured equipment. Thanks.
Himiko harris saved the swivel in the picture and video tutorial and made it sticky so people can view it hopefully he will do the same for this.:lol:

[Harris]

Andy, until someone has done one of these threads, they have absolutely no idea how long they take to put together. I for one know how much work goes into them. Well done on another fantastic thread.

Si

[Himiko]

Thanks. You should (assuming you have one) put your website or contact info in your last post with your finished bell example.

I agree it is a lot of work. Thanks again.

[ScottBrady]

Excellent insight, thankyou for sharing.

Scott

[Alf]

Andy cracking thread just goes to show how much work goes into making a set off bells. :supz: Alf.

[PeelsBells]

Thanks for the comments, i promised i would do some threads this year on equipment. So i am going to try and make different things and put them up so everyone can see how they are done.
People can see what work goes into making things and also how easy somethings can be made.

[OutHawkn]

Thank you.....that was a very good tutorial.:supz:

[Jacob]

Excellent thread,very interesting.

[JayHawk]

love threads like these thanks Andy and well done thread rated:supz:

jay

[Leilagsd]

Iv'e tried to make them but can't stop the metal creasing so i know how difficult it is

Paul

[PeelsBells]

Iv'e tried to make them but can't stop the metal creasing so i know how difficult it is

Paul

Paul you need to make the hole smaller to stop this. It sounds like too much material is being dragged through the hole, this can be the only explanation.Hope this helps, re-look at you tooling.

[Add]

Exellent thread, i've just bought a bell block so this is spot on, thanks for the timely advice.

[PeelsBells]

Exellent thread, i've just bought a bell block so this is spot on, thanks for the timely advice.
Hope the advice works, when you have finished a set put a photo up.

[Jiff]

andy i baught 4 of youre bells 6 years ago, one came off the bird with a tail mounted transmiter and when located had beed ran over and was flat, if it's any concelation the soldered joint was still intact, the other 3 are as good as when i baught them, best wishes mate.

[Aldo06]

quality thanks for sharing.
atb allan.

[Harri1210]

I've just bought a pair of andys bells & they are spot on:supz. Thanks Andy
Atb Mike

[SoaringHawk]

Well done, excellent thread

ATB

[Dorset Shortwing]

Cracking thread , i will have a go at it this week as im lucky enough to work in a machine shop so will have the tool's and materials to make some for my Spar :supz:

[Altai]

Can a flypress (I think that is what it is called ) be used for making bells? Not that I have got a flypress!
Do all metals have to be heated and dropped in water (anealed) prior to use or is it only brass.? Is it true that brass "shelf hardens" if it is just left for a long time?

[Ellie2727]

And for the Lady's who have never even seen a Lathe let alone used one.

Bye them off Andy !!! ;-)

[PeelsBells]

Can a flypress (I think that is what it is called ) be used for making bells? Not that I have got a flypress!
Do all metals have to be heated and dropped in water (anealed) prior to use or is it only brass.? Is it true that brass "shelf hardens" if it is just left for a long time?
Good points Altai a fly press is used by alot of bell makes the puches which i have shown can be positioned in a fly press to make quantity, you will also find that a lot of bell makers use a three dot system to help with the soldiering, this is to stop the two halfs falling into each other.
I have always kept away from this system and made them an interferance fit where you push them together.
I have always made my bells by hand and never used a fly press just find the old fashion way the best more time consuming but i feel better results.
All materials are different and each person would have to find out the spec of the material which they are going to use and work it out for themselves.
There are many types of materials being used at the moment ,brass , nickel silver, tin all very good but some are treated differently when working with them.

[Pavel Yakimov]

Love the thread, PellsBells! Thank you for sharing with us. Do you have a site? Do you sell?

Regards!

[PeelsBells]

Love the thread, PellsBells! Thank you for sharing with us. Do you have a site? Do you sell?

Regards!
Pavel just punch in Peelsbells in google and you will find me their.

[Pavel Yakimov]

Thanks, mate!

[Pavel Yakimov]

I must admit, nice looking bells. Will have to try them soon.

Do you have the same sizes of the black ones as the sizes of the regular ones?

[PeelsBells]

Sorry i am not making the black ones at the moment, may be later in the year.

[TommyT]

Once again quality bells and tread ,fairplay to you mate :supz:

[Wilfred]

I just want to thank Andy for 2 great sets of falconry bells and also the swivel he added to it. I received them just this morning and they are as usual of excellent quality and just great.

[Tallon]

Wow nice one, they have such a nice finish :)

[OutHawkn]

Is it possible to buy the punch and other equipment? I'd like to give it a try...

[Finnish]

Andy top thread mate...:D

[Fenlands Rescue]

I too had a couple of sets of Andy. The best I have ever heard.
George

[Bullet]

how do you stop the metal from splitting, seems like not enough metal going through, why's this?
atb bullet

[PeelsBells]

Bullet i dont understand the question were is the problem do you mean were the slot is made, this is over come by drilling two holes one either side of the slot were the sound is released.

Bullet i dont understand the question were is the problem do you mean were the slot is made, this is over come by drilling two holes one either side of the slot were the sound is released.
Think i have just realised what you mean when you knock the material through it must have enough gap between the material you are using and the punch which is being driven through the hole.
Or the material which you are using is not maluable enough causing it to split before you have started the shape.
Get a piece of material the size which you need to make one half of the bell and heat it to cherry red then leave on a surface not too cold say a piece of wood as this will absorb the heat but not too quickly.
Then try knocking through your tools if this doesnt work then the hole which you are trying to press the material through is too small and will thin the wall thickness down and cause a crack.
What gauge material are you using?
Hope this helps
All the best

Andy.

[GoodFooter]

Hi Andy....excellent thread ..think I'll still be buying them though! a quick question when using the silver solder do you have to put flux on the metal being bonded?

cheers Rob

[PeelsBells]

Hi Andy....excellent thread ..think I'll still be buying them though! a quick question when using the silver solder do you have to put flux on the metal being bonded?

cheers Rob
Yes Rob got to use flux to help key to the metal.

[Bullet]

im trying to pratice on 0.5mm copper as its free and its only to pratice with, ive heated it up, dip it in water, ive also left it to cool, tried all methods with no joy, would brass make any diffence? oh ive tried it with tin as well

here the tools my mate did for me
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/smdc/general/DSCF6997.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/smdc/general/DSCF6999.jpg

are your blocks drilled all the way through?
atb bullet

[Markus]

Great thread will try & make some of my own soon as I agree with your comment that it would feel great to be able to make all your furniture
All the best Mark :supz:

[PeelsBells]

im trying to pratice on 0.5mm copper as its free and its only to pratice with, ive heated it up, dip it in water, ive also left it to cool, tried all methods with no joy, would brass make any diffence? oh ive tried it with tin as well

here the tools my mate did for me
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/smdc/general/DSCF6997.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c395/smdc/general/DSCF6999.jpg

are your blocks drilled all the way through?
atb bullet
Hi sorry for not getting back sooner.
Yes you are best drilling all the way through as this will allow the material to move down the hole in a more uniformed manner. If the material is cracking you need to ream the hole out a little maybe 0.002" and this will allow to run more freely.Its a trial situation and this can only be worked out for yourself and the material what you are using.

[PeelsBells]

Hi Andy....excellent thread ..think I'll still be buying them though! a quick question when using the silver solder do you have to put flux on the metal being bonded?

cheers Rob
Rob all i do is clean the joint and add flex to the silver solider rod you will see it melt before the silver and you can see were it has been applied.
Thus giving a good clean joint.

[SamHoya]

What's the diameter of the metal discs should be?
for small, medium & large sizes would be?

[Colin Bevan]

Great thread. Let's hope it proves an inspiration to others to have a go.
We often hear one reason for not making equipment is a lack of time. What rubbish. Time spent flying the hawk during the season can be spent making equipment in the off season.
So no excuses :)

[Andy Plant]

nice work thanks for sharing

[PeelsBells]

What's the diameter of the metal discs should be?
for small, medium & large sizes would be?
Thats something you will have to work out for yourself as to what size you want the bell .So it will be the outside diameter of the tool times 2.5 on average. This will give you enough to remove and make a nice clean edge.

[SamHoya]

Hi, Andy. Great thread. How do you make elongated acone shape type of the bells? thanks

[SquirrelHawkin]

Very interesting,thanks for posting this

[Rabadswompe]

superb tutorial!

[PeelsBells]

Hi, Andy. Great thread. How do you make elongated acone shape type of the bells? thanks
Sam all you have to do is knock the materal through the die more and decide what lengh you need.
Also to make the acorn shape just reverse the dies so top become bottom.
When i have time i will make a traditional acorn bell.

[Leilagsd]

Done swivels standard and pineo style in stainless and brass but never managed bells ,I keep creasing the dome

Paul

[PeelsBells]

Done swivels standard and pineo style in stainless and brass but never managed bells ,I keep creasing the dome

Paul
Paul are you using a doming block or the same tool which i use.

[Leilagsd]

Paul are you using a doming block or the same tool which i use.

Hi a doming block , i've never seen the tool you use
paul

[PeelsBells]

Hi a doming block , i've never seen the tool you use
paul
I made the blocks mate they are my design. I dont think anyone else makes them.

[Leilagsd]

I made the blocks mate they are my design. I dont think anyone else makes them.

would you consider sharing your design
paul

[PeelsBells]

would you consider sharing your design
paul
I have considered it and NO LOL.
Its one thing i wouldnt do took me a long time and hours to get the design right.:cool:

[Fergie768]

great thread I love making all sorts of things wish i still had my old job all the steel ect i beeded and loads of leaths piller drills the works would this work
http://i13.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/af/e5/0254_1.JPG

[Pavel Yakimov]

Hi, PeelsBells!

Regaring "the clanger", what is "clanger"? And I also can not understand the term "allen key". What is it? Please explane to me.

Thanks, mate!

[Pavel Yakimov]

great thread I love making all sorts of things wish i still had my old job all the steel ect i beeded and loads of leaths piller drills the works would this work
http://i13.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/af/e5/0254_1.JPG


Fergie768, how can I find block like this one on the picture, mate?

[Fergie768]

Fergie768, how can I find block like this one on the picture, mate?
I found these on Ebay

[Pavel Yakimov]

Thanks, Fergie768!

Hi, PeelsBells!
Did you got my email? Can I have some answer, mate?

[Will-i-am]

I love this thred , i have been messing with a domeing block for years now and all sorts of diferent metals to which i have had very low success , if i could make a bell half as good as you Andy i would be proud ...........

[PeelsBells]

Hi, PeelsBells!

Regaring "the clanger", what is "clanger"? And I also can not understand the term "allen key". What is it? Please explane to me.

Thanks, mate!
The clanger is the metal inside the bell, which makes the bell ring.
Sorry for not getting back sooner. An Allen key fits into an Allen bolt which will help you tighten the product.Hope this helps.

I love this thred , i have been messing with a domeing block for years now and all sorts of diferent metals to which i have had very low success , if i could make a bell half as good as you Andy i would be proud ...........
But some pictures up and i will see were you are going wrong.
All the best
Andy

[Haek]

If you are using a doming block rather than a press type system then work slowly and dont try to make the dome in 10 strikes. The instant a crease starts to form then turn the metal and work the crease out before going any further, if a crease has already formed then scrap it as they are almost impossible to remove. Use dedicated silver solder flux as well ordinary flux can work but not well.