Frequently Asked Questions

Why are winery bells more expensive? Church bell design and decorative work are set in reusable rubber molds with icons being changeable. Each winery bell on the other hand is a unique work of art and is made using the lost wax method.

How many (or few) bells comprise a church set? Just one is enough. It would be nice to have a #5 because #5 and up have icons on them. The traditional Orthodox Church sound comes from having two chimes trilling, a bass bell tolling, and several alto bells playing a rhythm. A full set of ten would be found at a large established Church, a Cathedral, or a Monastery. Some Cathedrals and Monasteries will have larger bells than those listed, which we can provide.

What are these bells made of? Bronze is an alloy of copper which when heated will not turn liquid unless it is alloyed with another element. The first bronze was made by mixing copper with arsenic. Yes. You’re right. Arsenic is poison. No wonder a replacement alloying element was found. The bronze of the bronze age was made with about 20% tin. Most bells are still made of this alloy. Almost all bronze of other contemporary use is silicon bronze which is only 3% silicon; in other words almost pure copper. We use an alloy of silicon bronze ideally suited for bells. It’s nearly indestructible and produces a beautiful mellow sound.

What gives a bell its particular pitch, tone quality, and length of “hum”? To some degree the alloy influences the sound. But more significantly, the pitch and quality of sound are a product of the shape. Generally, the larger the bell is, the lower the pitch is. The profile we use for our Church bells came from Russia. The “Humming Bird” a Zen style bell, which we made for the 2005 Walla Walla harvest ringing of winery bells, continues ringing after all other bells are silent. The extra long “hum” tone is a product of its unique shape. It can be viewed in one of the photos at “Winery Bells.”