Got a few more done, they are not as good as the first but hope I will learn from my mistakes! I got crazing on the outer moulds, I think I laid too much fire clay, too thick on the wax that goes just before the loam
Dennis, yes I use bell metal that I blend myself, give or take 1% I use 80 % Cu 20% Sn I label the bells with the composition
Poured six more today and I had luck on my side, on pouring the last bell I ran out of metal, a third the way up the sprue but it still turned out good, its the bell on the right. This lot was to see how small I could make them using my loam method. the smallest one in the front with the dolphin on it has a base of 120mm and stands 90mm high. I do think I could make them smaller but I have no desire to do so.
Thats exactly what I intend to do, I have no firm plan but I am aiming for about 25 bells on a portable steel frame so it can be used on site or be loaded onto a trailer to take to public events. The smallest bell being around 1kg with the largest somewhere north of 100kgs.
If you're going that far, you may as well become a marriage celebrant and turn up to events with a trailer-chapel and do 5 minute $50 weddings . The chapel could have entry and exit stairs with a printed marriage certificate on your way out the back steps.
Getting ready for another batch of 5 small and one large, the small ones range from about 1.5kg to 3kgs each and the big one will be around 20-25kgs