Manufacture of ship bells

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Bells are manufactured from brass for the most part.

Brass is an alloy mixture from different metals and mostly consists of copper and zinc. The tone of the bell is determined by the by the material used to produce it, the manufacturing process thus requires the hands of an experienced caster.

Bells are usually manufactured with the sand cast method. The hot and liquid metal is therefore poured into a sand cast mould. Once the metal has cooled, the bell is taken out of the mould. Right after the casting procedure, the bell itself is still a little rough and uneven on the surface. The look of it is yet nowhere near the beautiful surface it will have when it is displayed in our online shop.

The rough draft of the bell is then refinished on the turning lathe and given its symmetrical shape. The specialist recognizes a high-quality and symmetrically cast bell by its small mounting hole on top and bottom.

Even the characteristic, decorative rings of a ship bell are produced on the turning lathe. The more accurate each step in the process of refinishing was carried out, the better the bell swings and sounds later on.