[Bell Historians] Bell parts = body parts

[Carl S Zimmerman]

Interesting! I've taken to calling the decorated area just below the 
shoulder the "shoulder band", because it _doesn't_ always contain an 
inscription. And even if it does, there may also be inscriptions 
elsewhere on the bell. I've seen them on the waist, where they are 
usually arranged to be viewed from one side of the bell. (Is "side" 
a body part or not? :) Of course this is most common for custom 
inscriptions, but some bellfounders have put their own maker's mark 
there. (McShane and Fulton are two that come to mind.) I've also 
seen the maker's inscription standing on the bead at the tangent 
between concave waist and convex soundbow (American branch of 
Rincker) as well as on the soundbow itself (Pyatkov and other Russian 
founders).

The various locations of inscriptions might be a good topic for an 
illustrated Webpage. Or has someone already done that?


At 16:49 +0100 on 2002/09/27, David Bryant wrote:

> > Comments? clarifications? other body parts used in reference to bells?
>
>It means the inscritption band, i.e. just below the shoulder. Victorian
>writers are often apt to use flowery terminology, in some cases of their own
>invention!
>
>Davod