[Bell Historians] Using tuning forks.

[DJ Bryant]

Jim wrote:

> All the classic rings such as York Minster, Worcester Cathedral,
Beverly, Truro, Chewton Mendip etc were all tuned with 
> forks. The post war classics of St Nicolas, Liverpool, Bow,
Cripplegate, Jewry were all tuned without the aid of band 
> pass filters, computer pitching programmes etc. Something was lost
with the introduction of electronic paraphernalia 
> with regard to tuning, and at the end of the day it is the sound that
greets the human ear which counts. My ear does 
> not hear figures, or even needles pointing to figures on the indicator
scale of some electronic machine. It was good to 
> learn that tuning forks are back in use in the tuning of bells. I
know that if I had sufficient funds to install a 
> private ring of 12 with a tenor of 87cwt in Aflat I would insist that
the ring was tuned solely with forks.

Does it really matter what measuring devices are used? After all, they
are just that - measuring devices to determine the note. Surely it is
not really important which method is used.

> The question has yet to be answered as to why it is not possible these
days to cast a tenor requiring no tuning (a maiden 
> bell) or very little tuning. Surely the science and measuring devices
are available to achieve this or
> has the art been lost? If a founder could cast a good sounding
maiden
> tenor of 62 cwt in the 1870's it ought to be possible today. It would
certainly make economic sense.

Is the St Paul's tenor maiden then? Certainly, many of the 'classic'
Taylor rings of the first half of the C20 were heavily tuned. York tenor
lost 13 cwt in the process.

David