Thread 2936910

Hello anons. When we bought our house, it had a cute post-mounted bell, but the sellers took it with them. No problem, but since then I've wanted to find another one. My wife and I are having our anniversary at the end of the month, and today I bought an antique bell off a local fellow with the goal of restoring it by the end of the month as a surprise gift. This will actually be used, as we have three kids and some land so it will be great for calling the kids in for meals.

All that gay context aside: How would you tackle this. I could go with an angle grinder and wire wheels to remove rust, but I think I'd fuck it up. Softer-metal wire wheels perhaps?. Other option is to drop it at a sandblasting shop. Or perhaps go at it with a random orbit sander? You tell me.

After that, probably be priming it and painting with equipment enamel since it'll be out in the elements. It'll be attached to a 6x6 post that I mount atop a wood-to-concrete simpson bracket to keep the post out of the dirt, on top of a small poured footing. Maybe put a little sacrificial/decorative wrapper around the base to hide the bracket. I'll want the concrete footing fairly sturdy, I think, to withstand the fatigue of the back-and-forth motion the bell will experience, not to mention just its heavy ass weight at the top of a tall lever (the post).

>>2936910 (OP)
If your image is at all related, don't fuck up a good thing with needless future-proofing. The bell looks better like that than it would with whatever kind of goddamn paint on it. Any amount of surface treatment will spoil a perfectly good patina.
Fix your aesthetics.

Angle grinder and wire wheel for 90% of it. Smaller wire wheel disc and cup brushes in a drill for the finer details and harder to get into places.

>>2936911
Or this. Looks pretty neat as is. Or if you do clean it up consider just oiling it or doing some japanning type finish.

>>2936911
sorry queer, it doesn't match my house's aesthetic. white mounting post, enamel black hardware and paint. POSSIBLY just oiling if it looks good once the lichen and rust are off, good suggestion >>2936914. Someone down the line can strip it off if they don't like it.

>>2936914
Don't flatter a stranger without good reason while you provide bad advice. There's no good reason to recommend enameling when the bell looks fine as-is.
>>2936916
I'm pretty thankful to not be queer, and your aesthetic is as fragile as your temperament if you feel the need to remove that relatively attractive lichen. What's that lichen going to do to the bell? What's it doing to you? Will it slowly spread into a happy and beautiful thing, if you let it? Did you already chip some off? Think about the pattern: it's a nice, gentle curve, without any immediate demand for correction.

I wouldn't wire wheel or grind it at all. It doesn't look corroded, it just looks like it has a good patina coat that will protect it. I would just clean off the mold/fungus then coat it lightly with lanolin or something.

If you really want to clean it completely then use acid or rust remover and a stiff bristle brush instead of grinding it off with power tools.

>>2936910 (OP)
As stated by others it looks good as is. But don't wire wheel brass you fuckwits. There is brass polish that you can buy that let's you just scrubb corrosion off easily. Wire wheeling will scratch the fuck out of the surface.

>>2936910 (OP)
>wirewheeling and painting a bell
might as well come to whirewheel and paint my coin collection while you are at it

>>2936922
it's got "CRYSTAL METAL" and "No. 3" on it, plus some other stuff -- it is 100% a cast iron bell made by C.S. Bell Foundry of Hillsboro OH, not brass. A number of companies sell replacement parts, etc:
https://www.prindlestation.com/iron-bell-repair-restoration-s/145.htm

That site recommends sandblasting and primer+enamel, but I thought I'd gather more opinions and ideas here before I did anything.

>>2936910 (OP)
I think your bell looks perfect the way it is. If anything id go at it manually with some steel wool or scotchbrite. It will develop patina again anyways.
That being said I never did anything to a bell but I know that those things are not trivial. They don't sound right just by accident. So mess with it and you might end up messing with the tuning.

>>2936933
>mess with it and you might end up messing with the tuning
bingo, a big reason why I'm hesitant to really go at it with anything. #000 steel wool seems like a good and relatively gentle way to go at it and then maybe a wool polishing wheel and some oil.

>>2936922
I've got a fucking bell you can polish faggot

>>2936922
But don't wire wheel brass you fuckwits.

Its not brass you fuckwit.

>>2936910 (OP)
pressure wash it then srub it with a stiff brush and tsp. its an iron bell not a fabrege egg

>>2936910 (OP)
there's almost no "rust" or corrosion on this at all. wash it with a pressure washer, use a #0000 steel wool and a bit of oil or very fine polish and go over the whole thing, and if you are still insisting on enamel painting it, then de-grease it with acetone completely before painting. This doesn't need sand/beadblasting or any power tools to strip that patina off.

>>2936941
>>2936933
>tuning
>decorative bell

lmfao

If >>2936928 is correct, it's not even bronze. The more I look at it, the more I think he's right. It doesn't look like bronze. It looks like it's been painted black and has moss/lichen growing on it. Definitely doesn't have the blue-green patina like the bronze bell in the courtyard of the church I work at.

>>2936910 (OP)
scrubbing brush and knock the lichen off it. A little worried about corrosion of the hanging bolt. Fish oil in there maybe. Or mount it over dirt so it won't break when it falls.

>>2936911
just polish the brass

>>2936910 (OP)
>Softer-metal wire wheels perhaps?.
if you want to get rid off the green rust, you can use muriatic acid. then polish. but remember that it won't stay shiny for long.

If it's cast iron, use evaporust and soak it for a day or so then scrub it with steel wool. When you take it out, rise it down, hit it with some mineral oil and stick it in the oven like seasoning a pan. Don't paint it.
Alternatively get a media blaster and crushed walnut shells and have at it. It'll still weather though.

>>2936910 (OP)
>After that, probably be priming it and painting
you can sand it, but not very hard.
also, don´t paint it, because it will affect the resonating sound of it.
i think it is made of copper or brass.
well done you will keep the reptilians away at same time enhance your kids aura.
the bell must be intact for it´s perfect sound, if it is,
cracked, it´s better to melt it and made a new one.than to add another metal to it.

Well OP it's getting close to the end of the month, what did you do to restore the bell?

>>2940186
Since it's for sure cast iron, I hit it with some brass wire wheel attachments on a drill, which did a good job at getting the grime off. It's actually already coated with a really tough black enamel paint, so that saves me some work. The brass wire wheels did basically nothing to the enamel. I also had a few spots with steel wool where the enamel had already worn off by other means. in in this photo it's just rubbed down with WD-40 as a rust prevent preventative while I'm working on it.

I've got a tiny bottle of gold enamel paint that I'm going to very delicately put just over the lettering to make it pop, then I'm gonna hit the whole thing with some glossy automotive clearcoat.

Fun fact. The fact that there is an ampersand in the "CS bell & Co." on the yolk means that this bell can be dated between 1882 and 1894. I did not expect it to be an actual antique of that age, so that's just a nice bonus.

meanwhile, I've gotten the appropriate Simpson brackets and post and mounting hardware, I just need to get the hole prepared. I'm not sure if I can auger out the hole and pour concrete in secret without my wife suspecting anything so I may just present the bell as the gift and THEN mount the thing to save the headache of doing it stealthily. Haven't decided.

>>2940282
sorry for shitty boomer text-to-speech. anyway, here is the eye bolt on which the bell hangs. The clapper hooks onto the eye. It looks like it is cast, so it's likely original. I I wouldn't think you'd cast a fastener. I would more expected to be forged, but the fact that there appear to be air inclusions in the threads makes me think it's a casting and not forged.

>>2940284
>Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

>>2940382
kek yes i had the exact same thought. was driving to the grocery store late at night with my dog to get some bran flakes, checked on my thread and needed to shitpost out loud while i drove. Anyway yeah it's actually a pleasant surprise that this thing is a genuine antique.

For the lettering, I'm just going to do what the legend mymechanics did in pic related, with this paint:
>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004QJOAQQ
then coat the whole thing in this:
>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DKNSE6

Will be on a white 6x6 atop this bracket that gets anchored to the concrete footer:
>https://www.homedepot.com/p/Simpson-Strong-Tie-Outdoor-Accents-Mission-Collection-ZMAX-Black-Powder-Coated-Post-Base-for-6x6-Nominal-Lumber-APB66/300066053

>>2940393
was browsing around for inspiration and saw pic related, and the idea of hanging planter baskets or other cutesy bullshit like a windchime is exactly something she would go for so I'll also put these on the sides:
>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V3689B2
and then let her pick what we hang from them. they just got delivered and I can't decide whether they'll look disproportionate or not, but it's whatever.

>>2936910 (OP)
Don't touch it with a wire wheel, the scratches will fuck up the sound. Nylon wheel is the hardest you should go, and I'd probably just use a niggercookie (Clean-strip-disk if you're living in the cucked states) on it.
Then some burned linseed oil (like you'd season a pan), and it'll look like new.

>>2940407
>Don't touch it with a wire wheel, the scratches will fuck up the sound.
Bullshit. Wire wheels are about as gentle as you can get on steel and cast iron. Unless you are hitting a sharp corner they don't remove material or even scratch anything up other than removing the surface rust... Now on aluminum or other softer metals you would have a point.

>>2936910 (OP)
Its brass. Why dont you polish the wver living fuck out of it so its nice and bright. Buy some polishing shit that attaches to a drill and go to town.

Though, I wonder if there's a chemical solution that you could just soak it in to expedite the process. Some chemist guy would probably know how to do that.

>>2940491
>>2936910 (OP)
Avoid metal wire wheels as the brass is relatively soft.. you may cause pitting.

funny i was wrong, it's actually cast STEEL, which is wild. gold enamel paint looks so good.

>>2940732
Its much large

>>2940732
looking nice
i like it

with some powerpoint engineering and the magic of the golden ratio i have my target measurements to cut and place the post. Everything in the image is to scale. This is a raised back deck, 25" off the ground. The top measurement there (112.5) is to the underside of the beam supporting the roof over the deck. Will be perfect for her to reach out over the railing to ring it to call the kids in.

>>2940918
Placement should take into account direction you want the sound to travel. You should use a rope to actually ring it.

>>2940934
very fair but not relevant in our particular case, we don't have some giant ranch just a couple acres, and the back deck is facing straight out to where the kids will be roaming.

plus, the nice thing about using the wood-to-concrete bracket instead of burying the post in the dirt is that it'll be far easier to relocate in the future, i'll just have a blank spot of concrete on the ground to figure out a use for kek. Will try to make the footing itself somewhat pretty to account for that possibility.

anyway, got the post cut to length and drilled out, and a couple light coats of clear on all the parts of the bell. doesn't look AS rich and glossy as with the WD-40, but I think it just needs a couple more coats. basically all that's left is to dig the hole and pour the concrete. Will do it this weekend when she's out of town with her sister.

>>2940494
This phenomenon is so funny but annoying and sadly rampant.

>>2940971
the phenomenon of anons not reading the fucking thread and just spouting definitively "it's brass. it's brass."? yeah, i agree - funny, sad, annoying, rampant

>>2940979
But it looks like its brass. I just assumed the other anons were retarded.

tonight's the night

>>2941735
poured at midnight. now i get to stay up until it's time to edge it.

>>2941801
ALMOST forgot the fuckin J bolt. It's 12" long, I put black sharpie around the threads at the 1" mark to make sure that's all that was protruding; exactly the length needed for the nut/washer/plate stackup

>>2941801
>now i get to stay up until it's time to edge it.
Lol. You're edging it.

>>2941804
well, I was at Lowe's getting the concrete this evening and this seemed like as good an excuse as any to get an edger

okay. now i sleep.

fit check. sweet. concerete isn't strong enough to actually mount anything yet though.

big success today. in-situ photos later.

>>2941969
way to dunk on the retards anon, nice job

>>2940407
>>2940491
>>2940494
Reading comprehension is not your strong suit you dense fuckers. OP already cleansed the fucking thing.

>>2941969
Gibs video of it going ding-a-ding-a-ding

>>2941801
>now i get to stay up until it's time to edge it.
>>2941804
>You're edging it.
>>2942018
>Gibs video of it going ding-a-ding-a-ding

Oh yes! Oh yes! Oh my lawd, I'm gonna wring my bell!!!

!!~~MISSION ACCOMPLISHED BOYS~~~!!!!
thread theme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URAqnM1PP5E

>>2941969
>screw threads sticking out
shorten then and use cap nuts for christ's sake

>>2937121
Fpbp

How did the misses like the gift OP? Was she surprised?

Nice job on the bell. Thank you for posting it.

>>2942505
this is why i haven't posted an update - on sunday I added these counterbores so the bolts wouldn't stick out so much, primed and painted them as well, and so tomorrow is the first day I'll be able to get to the store to swap the bolts out for shorter ones.

>>2942601
yes, huge success

Counterbored the bolts, added an extra bit of reinforcement just to quell my paranoia of the whole post somehow levering out of the ground and crushing one of my kids. Rock solid now. Now she just needs to pick some tchotchkes for the planter hangers.

I have 50 m2 (538 sqft) of shoebox apartment to work with, fml. Please kill me. Please enjoy your land, also for those who cannot have such a thing. I enjoyed this thread thank you.

>>2942605
> yes, huge success
Awesome. Happy for you anon. I’m thinking it will be an awesome memory for your kids too when they get older.

and there we go. working as intended. when mama rings the bell, get your ass inside to wash your hands to eat.

>>2942791
Thank you anon. It'll be okay. There was a time I didn't think I'd have this either. We don't have some crazy amount of land or money, but I know we live like kings compared to much of the world. My family in Poland all have so little space. I do my best to appreciate it and make the space I own as beautiful as possible, and raise happy children who'll appreciate it and make use of it.

What a wild ride thanks man, job well done and cheers.

this month OP was not a faggot. grrreat success

>>2942819
Cute daughter

>>2942819
Dude, just put a pull cord on it so you can yank it from the house.

>>2943760
that would be a strangulation/tripping hazard
also you would need some serious strengh cord probably not very easily sourced

>>2943793
You could put the cord on a magnet so which the magnet stuck onto you car pull out of your driveway it rings the bell.

>>2940732
cast STEEL!?

>>2942787
this has been a super nice thread, thankyou bell anon

>>2942819
pssst a little string or rope is supposed to go on that lever at the side and you pull it to ring the bell

>>2943830
>>2943760
>>2943793
>>2943804
i have had these thoughts, yes. Trying to consider something weatherproof.

>>2943843
>Trying to consider something weatherproof.
just fuckin .... rope? rope is mostly weatherproof.
i would be surprised if you could find non-synthetic rope, i can get cotton string or jute twine, but larger ropes are all synthetic now days, you can get specialist cotton rope but in general, the majority you will find is synthetic rope.

>>2943844
yeah i'm overthinking it

>>2943826
yes i was also really surprised by this, but it makes sense considering that it is meant to be struck repeatedly, which is not cast iron's strong suit. apparently the "crystal metal" embossed on the upright piece was the proprietary alloy of this foundry. What are the odds that a guy named C.S. Bell ends up making bells for a living.

>>2943861
Should've tried to season it like cast iron

>>2942819
>>2943843
Any chance you could upload a sound webm on >>>/wsg/5959493

>>2943843
Stop posting your kids on 4chan, idiot

>>2943881
why?

>>2943869
yo
>>>/wsg/5969551

>>2943937
he's not wrong, this is the wild west, but also pulp fiction but with computers.

>>2943861
>a guy named C.S. Bell ends up making bells for a living.
what's that thing people like to say in latin "name determinism" it means anyways.

the cast steel sounds really unique.
t. music and sound engineering

>>2943986
yes i've been here since i was like 14 in '06. if you're able to find my location, hilarious, i can't wait to see you. if you do some shit with pixels on a screen what the fuck do i care?

>>2943999
digits confirm.
>dental plan.
I've seen some crazy autistic shit, like people finding the hwndu flag from nothing but sky. but i doubt they will apply their autism here because there's not enough to hate, no mob.
fuck why did you make me think about the past, i'm nowhere near where you are in life, how did you get it so good?

>>2943843
>tfw i will never, ever have this

>>2944009
>how did you get it so good?
i am very, very, very lucky. Again, not insanely rich or anything, but daddy has paid for a lot for me, and in return I have worked very hard to try to be able to do the same thing for my kids. I worry that I won't, but will keep trying.

>>2944009
People can accomplish a lot when they step away from the internet or their phones and make good decisions in life. Of course no one will admit it because it's cooler to be a victim these days and not take accountability for your actions.

>>2944077
these digits.
>i am very, very, very lucky.
i have come to the conclusion that you need 2 of these 3 things for anything to work or get anything good in life: knowledge/skill, hard work/effort and luck. good luck or bad luck trumps the first two.
also, other anons, don't confuse bad luck with cunts ruining your life.

>>2944244
>i have come to the conclusion that you need 2 of these 3 things for anything to work or get anything good in life: knowledge/skill, hard work/effort and luck. good luck or bad luck trumps the first two.
>also, other anons, don't confuse bad luck with cunts ruining your life.

Partially agree, although I will also say that you are 95% in control of your luck. You make your own good or bad luck through your life choices. Of course there's random shit like getting struck by lightning or getting full body cancer that you really don't have control over, but what most people consider luck is just taking control of your life and being prepared to handle whatever life throws at you.

>>2944248
>You make your own good or bad luck through your life choices.
that's not luck you silly billy.
luck is being in the right place at the right time. knowing the right guy. being born with a massive dick in the era of porn, that kind of stuff.

>>2944269
>luck is being in the right place at the right time. knowing the right guy. being born with a massive dick in the era of porn, that kind of stuff.

You can change your location at your will anon. You can change who you know too. But yeah my massive cock was pretty damn lucky...

>>2943984
awesome

>>2936910 (OP)
>angle grinder
oh god fuck off no!!! Just GENTLY polish it! Sandblasting is probably overkill too, this will likely cause more damage to it than make it look nice.

>>2947690
Welcome to almost a month ago retardo.

>>2936910 (OP)
Its kind of crazy to think that the bell in this pic ended up being steel. I thought the green was a patina from bronze, but I guess its just algae. Interesting that I can't see any iron oxide at all. That must be some alloy.

>>2943987
nominative determinism. Might actually go beyond that though, people's names often come from their ancestors' professions, so maybe C.S. Bell was from a whole line of bellmakers way back to when people were first adopting family names in (probably) England.

>>2942787
Jesus Christ that looks good. I would have said a long with the earlier anons to not enamel it, but fuck that, the enamel you found on it looks fantastic.
>>2943760
And I'd agree with Anon here. I had a friend who managed a ranch and had something similar. Used some cheap cord and a wooden pull handle, and he didn't need to replace it while he was still alive.