For Dan: Here's a nice piece of cast bronze

[cannonmn]

Hope this doesn't give you a heart attack Dan.  Maybe you'll jump in the car and head for Kiev, Ukraine, where this bell is sitting outside just begging someone to take it.

[Zulu]

Wow!  How old is that?
Zulu

[cannonmn]

Age?  Good question, I couldn't find the answer within a 5 min. websearch, so try looking under Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, that's the name of the "monestary of the caves" where it is..  That place dates from 1015 AD. but the bell isn't that old.

I that bell's been outside for a long time, I can tell you they either keep it waxed or Kiev doesn't have acid rain, or else the thing would have a surface like course sandpaper, like those decrepit pieces at the Washington Navy Yard.

[Soot]

That casting work is unbelievable!

[Terry C.]

It's not a bell, it's a bombard standing on its muzzle!

(for the topic cops)

 


JK!

I would, however, be willing to bet that one or more pieces of ancient artillery could have given up their bronze for that casting.

[cannonmn]

Gary will be turning out stuff like that pretty soon, maybe smaller, but still with nice detail.  Isn't that right Gary?

Yes this is actually an inverted siege mortar.  The Ukranians had to disguise it to keep the cental gov't from confiscating it under the tight firearms laws.

[RocklockI]

John I am now planning to visit europe . I wannta meet Tom and I must meet Dan . The wife just looked at the bell and said

"you've got to get over to Europe to see these things !! "

I do plan on making bells but proly not like that .

[gulfcoastblackpowder]

Why not Gary?  You only need a slightly bigger furnace...and a crane.

[dan610324]

that one is something very extra

my little bell shaped clock with candelabres isnt much compared to that one
the only similarity is the russian origin

its probably not any old cannons in that bell , but very often is it the oposite .
during the wars all church bells was confiscated by the winning force just to remelt and use to cast cannons instead

[carronader]

who say's we are going to let you in Gary, no one will understand your accent............you will not understand the language over here...........Urdu....50 African dialects......Roumanian.......Polish.......Asian..........Chinese............how are you going to communicate.?   the sad thing is..........there is a lot of truth in this.

[Cannoneer]

I wonder if Dan could be as pragmatic about the artistic value of this bell as the medievel and renaissance martial rulers would have been in their time, because if they conquered Kiev, they would probably have had this bonger in the flames as soon as they could transport it to a proper furnace. I guess that to them the sound of cannon fire had a beauty that even surpassed the beauty of a majestic bell pealing.

It really is a beautiful bell. I was curious about the animal heads on the top, so I enlarged the pic to get a better look; the four heads are a human/angel, lion, ox, and an eagle which are the symbols that represent the four authors of the Gospels, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John, and there are scrolls held in the animal's mouths, and under the head's chin that must signify their written Gospels.

[dan610324]

its a shame to think about it today , how many is the medieval bells that have been melted ??
especially we swedes was famous for that in the 17th century  
all copper based alloys and copper roofs was confiscated

but I must admit that many of the early 17th C cannons are as beautiful to look at as that bell