[Bell Historians] Any any any old iron

[David Bryant]

From: "Carl S Zimmerman" <csz_stl at s...>

> However, if one examines the actual use of iron in tower bells of the
> 19th and early 20th c., one finds that the makers of such bells very
> carefully distinguished the material in their bells from the material
> in the fittings of the bells. Uprights [think of A-shaped side
> frames] and yokes were typically made of ordinary cast iron. But the
> bells themselves were made of "crystal metal" (the mass-produced
> American farm bells), or "steel alloy" (the larger school and church
> bells), or using "E.Riepe's patent" (Naylor-Vickers bells).

My understanding is that Riepe's patent was with regard to casting steel
using a crucible, although I can't immediately find a reference - it isn't
in the list of patents in Jennings' 'The Development of British Bell
Fittings'. Can anyone confirm exactly what the details of the patent were?

David