Posted by Leland on March 09, 1999 at 23:48:31:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Projection posted by Jay Bertolet on March 09, 1999 at 09:41:46:
Just to add one more approach to deadening a bell (radical as it may be):
With the help of my very resourceful repairman (mechanic?), I took the bell off of my Zeiss, ran it up to 3200 deg.F in a special oven, let it cool for almost an hour, cleaned it up, and reattached it.
The result was along the same lines as Monette trumpets -- the metal is now annealed. It's very soft, and most of the higher rings in the sound are now gone. It's not quite the same as dampening with a belt or tape; it still seems to "breathe" and vibrate with the lower resonances, just not as long as before. All in all, I'd say it worked out well, although it's not as pretty as it once was (but if you've ever seen it, you'll know that I'm not too worried about its looks!).
It is a drastic procedure in that the bell is now easily dentable -- just like Monette trumpets, as a matter of fact. Hmm....
Seeya,
Leland