Old Bell for new barn, Restore or not? Pics

[JasonF]

I have come into posession of this very old bell that was once mounted on my Grand Parents farm long ago.
Little history- When my dad was a kid my grandmother would ring the bell and all the kids would come running up from playing in the woods for dinner or whatever. Well my grandfather died very young (never met him), my grandmother had to sell of the farm off and this was something that was saved from one of their buildings. Now recently my Aunt/Uncle were clearing out thier basement and decided they no longer wanted the bell and gave it to my dad who passed it on to me. I would say its at least 80 years old just based on my relatives ages but it could be older.
I've decided I want to mount it to my new Pole building for nostalgia reasons but I'm unsure what state I should leave it in? Currently its covered in surface rust, wondering if I should I leave it, have it sandblasted/painted, or maybe some kind of rust neutralizer? Ideas?

 

[chrispyny]

Thats awesome. Please dont ever sell it. I don tknow whats better for value, but if it were mine and i were mointing it outside, i would clean it and paint it black. Its rusted pretty bad.

 

[CNGsaves]

+1 for all of the following:

1) KEEP it Forever in family
2) RESTORE bell to original condition (fully functional)
3) Install in custom CUPULA in top of barn !!!

I'd start with restoration phone calls to museums, historic buildings, etc where there are restored old bells (thus free expert advice). Here's a website also with general info about cupulas . . . . .and YES the bell should be functional in your barn. Could have pulley system on timer for small motor . . . . each day at noon the bell would toll 12 times !!!

http://www.barntoolbox.com/cupola-installation.htm

 

[Cyberbear]

I too have an old school bell that I restored and mounted on my mountain cabin home. Over the years the weather has nicely aged the bell and it looks like it's always been there.

 

[JasonF]

Interesting idea with the cupola, I was going to mount it off the front of the barn somehow but I'm liking this! How ever I decide it will have to be a fairly stout setup as this thing is pretty darn heavy. It takes both hands and a fair amount of grunting to pick the darn thing up.
I also think the neigbors would be impressed with hearing my bell going off 12 times at noon, don't you think? LOL

 

[RobSmith]

What do you wand a bell for ? Not being smart ****... just wondering. In the old days it was for calling someone in. Why not mount it inside for a feature

 

[Tucker1968]

First thing first, very cool story,love hearing stories likes this at times like these. I would preserve it in its current condition. Maybe treat it with a preservative of some type? if you restore it it becomes something different. I'd keep in the condition it was given to me. The coupola is a cool idea.

 

[gunguy]

Tucker beat me to it. The value is in the memories and family stories. It's been in the family for almost a hundred years. Why make it look like you bought it yesterday?

Bottom line, it's yours; do what you like.

Jim

 

[CTyankee]

Great piece of family history.

I'd try to preserve it in it's present condition. Not a fan of the cupola idea though. I'd want the bell prominently displayed where it can be seen and rung manually....up close and personal, not hanging up in the rafters. JMO.

 

[cglasgow]

Just spitballing but I'd tend toward leaving the outside as is and maybe knocking off the worst of the rust on the inside stop there. I'm guessing the inside is in the state it's in because it was sitting upright on the ground, trapping moisture. Up on a pole it'll get better ventilation and shouldn't rust again so badly.

Another thought might be to pressure wash it to get the loose dirt & grease off then hitting it with something like Penetrol to seal it. That'll change its appearance some but still leave some patina.

If it were mine I would not take it down to clean bare metal and paint it. To me that would destroy part of its story & history.

 

[GCncsuHD]

Looks like it was stored upside down and filled up with water a few times to cause all that rust.

Personally, I would leave the outside as is, clean all the rust off the inside and give it a coat of oil to preserve it a bit.


I actually have the exact same bell, got it from my uncle's estate. I plan on putting it up at my barn, but it will be painted, likely flat black, as it is currently a horrible mid 70s "pistachio" green color.

 

[hippie2cams]

I would just give it a good old fashioned vinegar soak and hang it where I wanted.

 

[FatBeagle]

I recently got a similar bell with a nearly identical story. Was originally on my grandparent's farm where my mom grew up. There was a belfry sort of structure on their lawn that we think came from a former church down the road. Mine is brass though.

To me, restoring a family item that you will never get rid of is fine. Why not put it in the best condition you can and enjoy it? I don't think rust makes it any more historic or meaningful in this case but that's just my $.02

 

[tstaude]

My neighbor is a pretty serious antique collector/restorer.
He always has me run cast items through the wheelabrator at work, the parts come out with an awesome satin finish and look great when painted low gloss black.

I would lean toward restoring it, glass bead blasting will also bring back the nice cast finish and not tear into the surface. Do you know anyone that works at a foundry?

 

[35mm]

What do you wand a bell for ? Not being smart ****... just wondering. In the old days it was for calling someone in.

I use mine for exactly this. My kids come running from the woods when they hear it.

 

[Arps]

+1 for all of the following:

1) KEEP it Forever in family
2) RESTORE bell to original condition (fully functional)
3) Install in custom CUPULA in top of barn !!!

 

[jaysberman]

I have an old bell like that my father gave me 45 years ago. It is mounted outside by our porch, great memories. Never restored it.

 

[CNGsaves]

I have an old bell like that my father gave me 45 years ago. It is mounted outside by our porch, great memories. Never restored it.

Pictures, man PICTURES !!! Help the OP out and let's SEE it !!

 

[HoosierMark]

I would put it somewhere that it can easily be seen. The copula sounds neat but I would want it where it could be enjoyed more. Why not on a pole outside that you can see from multiple points of view. It may take several locations, before you find the perfect place for it. Just make sure it is in a place it does not grow legs and walk off after dark!

 

[Warrenator]

I have a similar looking bell that was bought new in the 70's.... I always thought it was cast iron but now that i think about it, wouldn't it thud instead of ring if it were cast iron? Maybe cast steel.......

Anyway, mine sits on a fence now, original condition, was always black and never rusted, maybe the original finish was mill scale? Possibly a phosphate coating? Sorry I am on the road now, will post a pic later. It was used to call us kids for dinner, now used to call the horses over for petting and treats.

If I had to restore that bell, i would do electrolysis to remove/convert the rust, then coat it liberally with linseed oil. Hanging in a cupola on top of your barn would keep it out of most of the weather....

 

[CNGsaves]

Getting some good ideas and feedback that cupula at very highest point of barn may not give it enough exposure for people to see.

I'll modify my cupula idea and suggest your entrance to barn be modified with overhang bulit out to allow dry walk-in to barn. Bell could be seen by looking up from the entrance. This would allow easy option for manual ringing of the bell with a rope. So basically build the cupula on very front of barn, rather than up on top in middle.

 

[Kevin54]

Aahhh....Patina!!!!

Not a fan of it at all. There are only a few things that one SHOULD keep original patina on, and that is furniture, pictures, and certain other items that you plan on flipping for big dollars.

Other than that, clean it up, bring it back to new, and keep it in the family for another 100 years.

Myself.....if that were mine, and it is a bell that was used outside, then use the bell outside. I remember growing up that one of my friends parents had a bell outside of their house. If we were back playing in the creek, or in the woods, we knew when it was time for one of us kids to head to his house. When the bell rang, we all headed to the house, and his mom handed out instructions whether it was time to eat, or if someone had to go home. I know that if we had one on our property, it would probably be used instead, of trying to track one or the other down.

If you do hang in in a Cupola, you probably won't use it, but design the cupola with a light in it so the bell shows up at night. Then you can always make up a story where someone hanged their self in the barn on October 30th, and their ghost is there ringing the bell on that unforgettable night. Makes a good story for future Halloween scares. After a couple of years, people will forget that you just put it in there and will start believing the story.

 

[Big Bad Dad]

My parents have one mounted on a pole outside the back of the house, with a rope attached to the porch. Mom used to ring it to call us in from the workshop or barn when dinner was ready.

 

[frozen-stitches]

I have a bell just like that same story. Although the one arm of the yoke was broke I welded it back and hung it on a pressure treated 6x6 in the front yard. Looks good there.


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[Casey69]

that's really cool! me, i'd restore it to it's former glory. i'm guessing gramps would want it cleaned up & put to use.

 

[green.bubbly]

I would put it somewhere that it can easily be seen. The copula sounds neat but I would want it where it could be enjoyed more. Why not on a pole outside that you can see from multiple points of view. It may take several locations, before you find the perfect place for it. Just make sure it is in a place it does not grow legs and walk off after dark!

Was going to post the same thing. It needs to be a conversation piece and placed where kids can learn its history.

 

[John in OH]

My parents have one mounted on a pole outside the back of the house, with a rope attached to the porch. Mom used to ring it to call us in from the workshop or barn when dinner was ready.

Yep! It's called a dinner bell and was used on farms in the old days before engine driven farm equipment. When dinner or supper was ready, the old lady of the house would ring the bell to call her husband and kids in from the fields to eat. Farm folks back then didn't carry watches in the field so there was no way to tell time ... the dinner bell let them know when to come in.

This method worked great when all the equipment was horse-drawn and relatively quiet. The bells dropped out of fashion as watches became more common and the new-fangled engine-driven farm equipment drowned out the tolls of the bell.

It's a wonderful heirloom and you should treasure it. Best way to preserve? Good question, I guess I'd investigate a rust neutralizer of some kind. Then mount it on a pole. I'd also consider mounting it near the kitchen door rather than your shop then the wife can call the kids (little kids and big kid) in for lunch, dinner, or bedtime. Neat project!!

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Looks like a standard #2 farm bell. I have a new one, bought new about ten years ago, cast at a foundry in Anniston, Alabama. Mine is rust all over, as I did not finish it before mounting it on a 16 ft 6x6 set a couple of feet in the ground. I put a metal cap on the post to make it last longer. Some people claim they don't sound right if blasted clean and painted. Others say the rust mutes the bell also. I suppose the best alternative would be to have it blasted and find someone with a black phosphate tank to dip it in. It would still get some rust on it, but not real bad.

Charles

 

[JasonF]

Just wanted to say I have enjoyed reading all the comments.
I think, like most of you have said, that I would like to keep it in somewhat of a natural state. What if I wire wheeled the loose rust off and then coated the bell with rust inhibiter such at this;
http://www.loctiteproducts.com/p/s_...ons/Loctite-Extend-Rust-Neutralizer-Spray.htm

I also think I will go back to my idea of mounting the bell to the front of my barn keeping it as a focal point. My only question is that I need some ideas on how would be the best way to do so? The bell is best suited to be mounted on a post in the ground but I would like it mounted off the front of the garage and somewhat under the eves. Ideas?

Here is a pic of the new build, 32x48x12, I do have 24" overhangs so it would be semi covered.

 

[CNGsaves]

With your man door on right side, I'd extend the concrete over & out to the right so more "walk out" area outside the door (see yellow in pic below). Plan proper location and setup of 2 posts to hold up gable roof extension (see red outline below - - may need to be bigger to scale). This would create functional improvement area housing the bell hanging overhead in open area so sound of bell can get out.

Might look best to have "open beam" look from underneath (maybe fake with cedar). The posts could be skinned with cedar to make them look more beefy.

This extra area of concrete outside would be great place for some deck chairs under the covered area for relaxing area to drink a brew at end of day !

 

[Cato]

I'd restore it if it was going somewhere close to the ground.

If you are putting it up in a copula or something, just clean it up the best you can.

 

[R.Anderson]

Looks to be a fun project ya got and it looks to be in good shape just surface rust far as i can tell from the pics.

Were these dinner bells ever painted in the first place back in the day? That is the question for suggested ideas to restore, it clean and paint it up to its original glory.

If it were me spray the bell down with wd-40 wire brush it and wipe it down leaving it dark brown/rust. For the upright and yoke blast/dip it to bare metal and paint it black.