[TheForge] Re: triangle bells/rebar

[Michael H. Murphy]

I've made several four-sided dinner bells.  I use 3 feet of 1/2" round mild
steel.  I forge points at each end and scroll them over, and make the sides
about 9".  I say "about" because the way I hold my mouth and the phase of
the moon seems to affect how accurately I measure things.  Then I punch a
hole in the corner opposite the opening, and hang it from twine, leather
thong, or whatever I happen to have handy.  A four-sided bell rings at a
higher pitch than a three-sided one made from the same length of steel.
That's probably a "DUH!", but I'm mostly an empiricist; I try it out and see
if it works, then worry about the math.

I've been following the discussion on nodes, half-waves, full waves, and the
other stuff with a good deal of interest.  My only problem is I don't have
the machinery to get that accurate.  Getting down to a 32d of an inch using
a hammer and anvil is a bit strenuous for me.  However, I've been saving the
emails, and plan to synopsize them later so I can make use of it when I
retire from the computer support business, and go into blacksmithing full
time.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:theforge-
> bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of PlumDon at aol.com
> Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2004 12:00 PM
> To: theforge at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] Re: triangle bells/rebar
> 
> I kinda got wrapped up in this triangle business 'cause I do sell some of
> them ocassionally. I got to wondering if you had a four sided chime
> (instead of
> a triangle) how it would work. I thought I would make it out of 1/2" round
> and  make each of the four sides 7". That would constitute 89.6% (4 x
> 22.4%) of
> the  length.  The total length would then be 31.25". The remaining 3.25" I
> bent  in the other direction at 45 degrees, drilled a 1/8" hole through it
> and
> hung it  with string. I tried that and it really seems to ring well with a
> long
> lasting  sound (is that called sustain). I dont really understand the
> physics
> of sound  but with the set up described above am I taking advantage of the
> nodes,  harmonics and etc?
> 
> Don  Plummer
> Plummer Design Works
> 392 Hallman Mill Road
> Phoenixville, PA  19460
> 610-495-5058
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