[Bell Historians] Using tuning forks.

[Henry Taysom]

----- Original Message -----
From: "jim phillips" <jim at p...>
To: "bell historians" <bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, January 26, 2003 11:24 PM
Subject: [Bell Historians] Using tuning forks.


> Nigel Taylor wrote:-
> "There has been some chat recently on the subject of tuning forks. Jim
> Phillips seems to think that this is a lost art, and considers that
> rings tuned with forks are somehow superior"
>
> 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.
>
> 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.
>
>
>
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> If a ring of 12 with a tenor of 87cwt were to be installed in A flat the
entire building would be in jeoardy let alone the acustic problems
encountered