Guarantees

All bellframes supplied by us carry a ten year guarantee. Most parts of the bell fittings are guaranteed for three years with the exception of clappers, which come with a one year guarantee. Stays, which are designed to break when subject to excessive force, are not guaranteed. Bellropes are subject to their manufacturer's guarantee.

Materials we use

Our specifications for the necessary materials are of the highest standard and often exceed that of our competitors in a number of areas. It is therefore worth emphasising that we provide the following items: Bellframes - We usually make new bellframes either entirely from galvanised fabricated mild steel, or from cast iron ‘H‘ or lowside sections mounted on a mild steel grillage. We prefer to extend bellframes with similar materials to existing. This can be done using timber, steel or cast iron. Stays and sliders - Stays and sliders are made from hardwood. Sliders are steam bent to ensure a longer life. Wheels - Crafted from hardwood with profiled metal wheel strengthening irons. Pulleys - Hardwood rope rollers from traditionally seasoned timber, running on sealed ball bearings. Note that we do not use pulleys crafted from manmade materials: as can be seen in the picture below, plastic pulleys wear a lot more easily than wooden pulleys. Most wooden pulleys can last up to 40 years longer than some types of plastic pulley. Headstocks - Hollow box section cast iron headstocks, designed to match those of Taylor pattern, giving excellent rigidity to weight ratios. Clappers - Clappers are made from spheroidal graphite cast iron with resiliently mounted ‘Oilite‘ clapper bushes with lubrication points to reduce wear in the clapper joints. Bellropes and bosses - Bellropes with pre-stretched polypropylene top ends as standard. This reduces the rate of wear at the top end of the rope, meaning that ropes have to be replaced less frequently. Turned cast iron ceiling bosses.

Processes we use

Tuning - We are now able to tune any bell up to about 40 cwt 'in house'.To date we have tuned over 80 bells, ranging from a few pounds up to 23 cwt. These include two peals of three, a peal of four, five peals of six, three peals of eight and a peal of ten. Hayward Mills Associates use computer software to assist the ease and the accuracy of bell tuning, giving the best sound possible. We were the first to introduce this particular system, which has since been adopted by others.