♪♪
Narrator:
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,
WE'VE USED BELLS TO MAKE NOISE.
THE CONCEPT BEHIND THEM
IS SIMPLE.
A CLAPPER OR HAMMER
STRIKES THE BELL WALL,
CREATING VIBRATIONS
THAT DISTURB THE AIR.
THE DISTURBANCE CAUSES
THE RINGING SOUND.
IT'S NOT HIGH TECH,
BUT IT CAN BE HIGH-PITCHED.
[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]
EVERY BELL HAS
A DISTINCTIVE RING,
FROM THE FESTIVE JINGLE
OF SLEIGH BELLS
TO THE CLANG OF THE BOXING BELL
THAT MARKS
THE BEGINNING OF A FIGHT.
EVEN THE COW BELL HAS A SOUND
THAT'S NOT QUITE LIKE ANY OTHER.
THE BELL'S SHAPE AND THE
MATERIAL IT'S MADE FROM
AFFECT THE RING'S PITCH.
TO MAKE A COW BELL,
AN ASSEMBLER USES
TWO FLARED STEEL COMPONENTS
TO FORM A CONE.
HE INSERTS A HANDLE BETWEEN
THE TWO PARTS AT THE TOP...
♪♪
AND WELDS THE SEAMS
OF THE BELL SHELL
TO HOLD THE TWO PARTS TOGETHER.
♪♪
THEN, HE WELDS THE HANDLE
TO THE COW-BELL BODY.
THE HANDLE CONTAINS A SMALL LOOP
THAT EXTENDS INSIDE THE BELL
BODY TO HOLD THE CLAPPER.
THIS STRIP OF STEEL IS
ABOUT TO BE TRANSFORMED
INTO SLEIGH BELLS.
AN UPPER DIE FORCES
THE STEEL STRIP
INTO DIES ON A ROTATING PLATTER.
THE DIES FORM
THE METAL INTO A SHAPE
THAT RESEMBLES AN OPEN FLOWER.
BALL BEARINGS FUNNEL
INTO A CHUTE.
THE BALL BEARINGS LAND IN THE
OPEN FLOWERS ON THE PLATTER.
♪♪
THE UPPER DIE CLOSES
THE PETALS OF THE FLOWER,
CREATING A ROUND SLEIGH BELL.
THE RATTLE OF THE INTERIOR BALL
BEARING WILL CREATE THE SOUND.
A DEVICE POPS THE BELL
OUT OF THE DIE
AND THE SLEIGH BELLS FALL
INTO A BIN.
♪♪
ONCE THE SLEIGH BELLS
ARE PLATED WITH NICKEL,
THEY ARE READY FOR RATTLING.
♪♪
AT ANOTHER STATION, A BOXING
BELL BEGINS TO TAKE SHAPE.
AN ASSEMBLER TRANSFERS
THE BELL TO A PUNCH
THAT CUTS A HOLE IN THE CENTER.
THE PUNCH FORCES IT
ONTO A FORM
THAT CONTOURS
THE AREA AROUND THE HOLE.
OIL KEEPS THE METAL LUBRICATED
AS IT'S FORMING.
THE GONGS TUMBLE AROUND
IN A MACHINE
WITH VIBRATING CERAMIC STONES,
DETERGENT, AND WATER.
♪♪
THE STONES SCRUB OFF THE OIL
AND RUB OFF ROUGH EDGES.
AFTER ABOUT 10 MINUTES,
THE GONGS EMERGE,
SMOOTH AND CLEAN.
THEY LAND IN THE TUB
OF GROUND CORN COBS.
THE CORN ABSORBS
ANY RESIDUAL WATER
AS IT PULSATES IN THIS
VIBRATORY MACHINE.
A TECHNICIAN PLACES
THE GONGS IN AN OVEN.
THIS HEAT TREATMENT REARRANGES
THE CRYSTALLINE STRUCTURES
OF THE STEEL AND HARDENS IT.
♪♪
MAKING THE STEEL MORE RESILIENT
WILL ALSO MAKE THE GONG SOUND
MORE RESONANT WHEN STRUCK.
♪♪
THE GONGS ARE SPRAYED
WITH A POWDER COATING.
WHEN BAKED ON,
THE POWDER PARTICLES
WILL FORM A PROTECTIVE SKIN
ON THE METAL
AND PROVIDE THE GONGS
WITH A UNIFORM FINISH.
♪♪
A POWDER COAT IS SPRAYED
ON THE BELL'S BASEPLATE
AND AN ADHESIVE-BACKED COMPANY
LOGO IS APPLIED TO THE BACK.
POSTS HAVE BEEN INSTALLED
ON THE FRONT
FOR ASSEMBLING THE OTHER PARTS:
A BRASS LEVER FOR OPERATING
THE BELL HAMMER
AND THE MECHANISM THAT WILL
SWING IT, CALLED A DOG.
THE ASSEMBLER RIVETS
THE DOG TO THE LEVER
AND HOOKS ONE END OF A SPRING
TO THE MECHANISM.
HE FASTENS ANOTHER SPRING
TO THE HAMMER
AND THEN HOOKS THE END
TO THE BASEPLATE.
HE INSTALLS THE HAMMER
ON ONE OF THE POSTS.
♪♪
USING A PUSH NUT, HE SECURES
THE HAMMER TO THE POST.
♪♪
HE HOOKS THE LEVER SPRING
ON THE BASEPLATE
AND SLIDES THE LEVER ONTO A POST
JUST UNDER THE HAMMER.
ANOTHER PUSH NUT LOCKS
THE LEVER IN PLACE.
♪♪
THE ASSEMBLER PULLS THE LEVER,
EXAMINING THE MOVEMENT,
ADJUSTING ACCORDINGLY.
♪♪
HE NOW ADDS THE GONG,
ALIGNING THE CENTER HOLE
TO THE THREADED POST
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BACKPLATE.
♪♪
HE SCREWS ON A FASTENER
TO HOLD THE GONG IN PLACE.
HE PULLS THE LEVER
TO CONFIRM THAT THE HAMMER
HITS THE GONG
AND MAKES A NOISE.
♪♪
[ DING ]
FINALLY, THIS BOXING BELL
IS NOW READY FOR THE RING.
[ DING ]
♪♪
