[Bell Historians] Cleaning old bells

[Roderic Bickerton]

I would use engine degreaser and scrub it in 
well after scraping off excess crud with a 
suitable piece of wood.
There will be a mark left because the oil and 
crud will have been on the bell from 
installation and will have prevented much of the 
patina forming


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Carl Scott Zimmerman" 
<csz_stl at vXMZZJdUAeQPgkM7QZXZUMgzcN92WAn43guhjSA_A92tGFrquo2WHzITFA2EG3e7qHgxnI7ktb9J4A.yahoo.invalid>
To: "Bell Historians List" 
<bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2012 2:01 AM
Subject: [Bell Historians] Cleaning old bells


Photos in RW articles about bell restoration 
projects almost always
show that the bellfounders and bellhangers 
respect the antiquity of
the bells.  New fittings are cheerfully bright 
with new paint, but
the patina of the bells is undisturbed.

Unfortunately, that respect for antiquity is not 
widespread in
America.  The major maintenance firms seem bent 
on persuading their
customers of the "need" for sandblasting or 
other harsh methods of
polishing to make old bells "look like new."  I 
find that practice
deplorable, and speak against it when I can, 
sometimes comparing it
to making one's grandmother get a facelift so 
that one doesn't have
to see her wrinkles any more.

But I'd like to have some more specific 
recommendations to make to
those who are considering renovation projects. 
Hence this message,
with the following question:

What methods do English bellfounders and 
bellhangers use to clean
grease, bird droppings or other forms of dirt 
from old bells without
disturbing the patina significantly?

Thanks in advance,

Carl




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