[Bell Historians] Lock Nuts

[.]

I dont think I am trying to critisise the design of either Lock nuts 
or split pins, but rather how the way in which they are assembled 
and ajusted has been interpreted in this case by the Redcliffe 
Steeplekeeper.
Some castellated nuts are 'upside down' on a few crownstaples, and 
the castellated nut on the clapper pins have would appear to have 
neved been touched with a spanner, to pinch the clapper pin assembly 
tight before adjusting to line up with the split pin hole. 
As a result the clapper pin assembley rattles during ringing, and 
can be very clearly heard outside. 
I would guess that with the constant rattling of the castellated nut 
on the split pin slowly causes the spit pin to wear through 
resulting in a clapper coming adrift causing a chip in a bell like 
it did on Thursday to the 11th (25cwt 1622 Purdue bell) at Redcliffe.

The steeplekeepers oppinion of the bells is they are in good order, 
and the split pins only break because 'thats what happens on big 
rings of bells'

I would guess that I am right to critisise this adjustment of nuts, 
or do other large rings of bells have clappers just falling out due 
to broken split pins at a rate of about 5 per year? (4 in last 9 
months)

Philip.



--- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, "tom blyth" <tomblyth at n...> 
wrote:
> Yes I generally would put the lock nut on top of the standard 
nut ,if you put the standard nut on top theres always the chance of 
it coming of.
> 
> T Blyth
>