[Bell Historians] Re: Clapper failure information request

[Richard Offen]

--- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, "Brett masters" <brett at ...> 
wrote:
>
> 
> 
> 
> > Ok so the clapper has to be turned over every time the bell is rung 
> up but
> > it's not an issue in this case.
> > 
> 
> "Surely this should be an issue, as turning the clapper of a bell of 
> this size is, potentially, an extremely dangerous occupation!"
> 
> Who's side are you on Richard?  :o)
> 

I'm on no one's side, I've just got older and slightly more cautious!   
Over the years I've seen too many idiots trying to do things in 
belfries that they had no business to be doing!

Board walks above a bell make the job easy and pretty safe, a nice 
timber frame, such as at Christ Church Dublin, at least gives you a 
firm foot hold, but doing a tight-rope walk along the thin section of a 
standard cast-iron 'A' frame (the sort of frame that many of these 
heavy bells are hung in) and then lifting a heavy object at an awkward 
angle perhaps isn't the most sensible thing in the world to be doing!

Having lost a number of peals over the years through clappers breaking 
(one four changes from the end!), I'm certainly in favour of anything 
they will reduce clapper failures!

Richard