Towson university smith hall renovation Videos

Hi John I have a small back yard aluminum foundry and have learned a lot on my own. I have made what I call a sand trap mold for bells and yokes. It is an easy way and not have to ram the sand so tight. I make a wood box. Put a bottom on it and turn it over and lay a yoke pattern on the top and trace around the pattern and cut it out with a jig saw. Its a little bit bigger than the yoke .Then I make handles on it and dowl rod brackets. I take the yoke pattern and place it down where I cut the traced yoke shape out. half the yoke is pushed in a base on the ground made of sand and the top is rammed over the top half including gate and riser which I make with rods. The sand is trapped around the box inside and cannot slide out. It works like a charm. I will let you know about a perminent mold I made of aluminum and you can pour molten aluminum in it and the bell pops right out.

We are working on that...it's a long process.  But, most Mcshane Bells were made using a somewhat traditional method. (loam mold)  However, the profile was not up to par and they were never tuned, which results in the sound you hear.  You can learn more about our bells here:  www.facebook.com/smithsbellandclock