[Bell Historians] Steel bell dimensions versus bell metal

[Susan & Christopher Dalton]

> It is as much to do with the profile of the bell, I think, as with the
> different metal. The steel bells I have looked at closely have had very
> little if any swelling inside at the bottom, where you would expect a
> sound-bow. Again, it is the profile rather than the metal which gives most
> steel bells such awful partial tones, with wildly sharp hums. James
> Harrison achieved a similar effect - very light bells for their note - with
> bell metal.
>
> Harrison did it by making the bells extremely short-waisted compared to
> their diameter, though.
>
> David
>
[Indeed so, but that was in addition to alterations in the profile
horizontally which made the hums and, worse, the fundamentals very sharp in
relation to the nominals. CD]