Bell Timing

[David Bryant]

I've recently been having an off-list exchange of emails about the timing of
rings of bells, i.e. their speed of swing / striking relative to the other
bells in the ring. It is clear that different companies have different views
on this, particularly seen in the tucking up of tenors and the hanging out
of the trebles of higher number rings.

Has anybody studied how the design of bell hangs has changed over time, and
made comparisons between the work of different companies? As a starting
point, does anybody have measurements for similar-weight rings hung by
different companies?

This email has come about as a result of a discussion which originated as a
result of back-end bells which several people consider to be, in ringers'
parlance, 'sluggish'. Can those with more technical knowledge than I have
suggest how this could be cured? Can things be improved by installing
shorter clappers / longer staples, or is it necessary to physically hang the
bell out further to effect any improvement? I have to say that I'm not a fan
of slow-turning and striking tenors. I often find that tenors of the front
six of ten are much easier to turn in than the tenor of a ring of six of the
same weight hung by the same company - no doubt this is because the sixth of
a ten will generally be hung out further than the tenor of an
equivalent-weight ring of six.

David