[Bell Historians] Trebles on higher numbers

[David Bryant]

> I'm surprised that no one has reacted to this point yet. There is no 
> *direct* connection between thickness and clapper throw. Two bells 
> of the same pitch but different thickness will have different 
> external profiles but the same internal profiles, because it is 
> internal diameter which controls pitch. (Why else would tuning be 
> done on the inside rather than the outside?) Therefore those two 
> bells will have the *same* internal space available for clapper 
> throw. (The thicker bell may well have a larger diameter at the lip, 
> but it won't have a larger diameter at the sound bow--the point of 
> impact of the clapper.)

The point with the Bullring treble is that it is so thick that it needs hitting hard to sound loud enough, but because it is so thick there is not much internal space, so the clapper travel is severely reduced. As I understand it, even with a very heavy clapper for the size of the bell it has proved difficult to make it sound loud enough because of the restricted clapper movement.

David

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