I'm feeling better now, after a couple of days in bed and a long Easter weekend. It's time to get back to my weekend with the English.
On Saturday, April 16th, a few of us went to St. Jean de Braye, near Orléans, to the Bollée company, a bell foundery. The Bollée have been making bells since 1715. First, they were itinerant bellmakers. Then in 1828, they settled down in the Loiret where they've been ever since. The current owner is the 8th generation of "clochers". There are only 3 existing bell makers in France.
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| Adam in front of the door bell |
We learned a ton of technical detail about casting bells. Guess who did the translating again? The guide was amazed that I knew the translation for "fumier de cheval" (horse manure) and "chanvre" (hemp).
One thing I found particularly interesting was that bells are made so that they have one unique note. They don't just make noise, they make music. If a bell is made and doesn't have it's perfect note, it's destroyed. The Bollée company recently made a 4-ton bell. When finished, it did not ring true. And they scrapped it. The orderer was not happy, but that's life.
Bells are made in exactly the same was they've always been made. Now as for getting the perfect note, it has something to do with the diameter, the thickness and the height of the bell, but now I've forgotten.
Needless to say, it was all quite fascinating.
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| Our tour guide |
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| One of the first steps in making the mold |
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| The mold being separated from the false core |
The above picture shows the outer part of the mold and the inner part. The gap between the two is what will be filled with molten metal (copper and pewter mixed) to form the finished bell.
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| A typical (loud) bell |
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| Loud bell ringing |
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| The atelier (workshop) unchanged virtually since 1828 |
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| Some happy campers |
7 comments:
That is really interesting. I always loved bells, I am unsure why. there is something beautiful about them, in the way they both look and sound.
Thank you for a tour of the bells. We just made it past Easter with Fred explaining to my parents how the Bell with Wings flies to Rome on Easter. You are familiar with this, right?
Thanks for the photos! I love those. m.
Glad you are feeling better. Thanks for showing us the bells....
The bells are interesting. Glad you re feeling better. Diane
Contente de savoir que tu vas mieux.
C'est très intéressant, Dedene et ça tombe bien puisque c'était Pâques.
J'ai vu un jour un reportage sur la fabrication de ces cloches, c'était pasionnant.
Bises
I am so happy that you recovered from that cold. Time to spend time outdoors now that the weather is so lovely.
Glad to know you're doing better. Interesting information about bells and their manufacture. Thanks.
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