The RRs have been having successful Polishing Parties for years, at the rate of two or three a year, now coping with ten and a half octaves of polishable bells (Malmark and Whitechapel). (We don't polish the Malmark aluminums, and the P&Fs don't look as if they WANT to be polished.) Here are some guidelines for the Polishing Party Novice.
1. Food and drink and lots of it, whether Polish or otherwise. People will show up more willingly and stay longer if the chow and beverages are abundant. In fact, food and drink are so important to the RR that they have an entire committee devoted mostly to provisions.
2. Simichrome or other suitable paste polish and plenty of rags. Also, old sheets to cover tabletops. Old athletic-type socks make good rags because you can put one over your hand and glop the polish on with it very efficiently.
3. Ventilation. Simichrome fumes have been known to cause mental aberrations and incorrect bell reassembly. At least, that was the excuse provided at the time.
4. A person (Equipment Chairperson?) in charge of making a list of parts that need to be ordered: handles, washers, springs, screws. This should be the type of person who will actually order the parts, not walk off and leave the list on the piano never to be thought of again. While this person is at it, he or she should reorder polishing cloths for use after every rehearsal and performance. Those things don't last forever, you know... unless you don't use them. Throw the old ones away.
5. To disassemble or not to disassemble? Time before last, we took apart all the Malmarks up to the C6 or so. Makes it much easier to do a thorough polishing, inspect for bad parts, and ensure that the bell is properly reassembled with the strike point in the right place. We had about 3 people who felt comfortable taking apart and putting together, so they did all of that, and everyone else polished. Be very careful about getting the right bell-guts back in the right bell, and getting the handle on right-side up!
6. Polishing technique. Put the polish on with a rag; we polish insides of Malmarks as far in as the crud seems to go, and do not polish insides of Whitechapels. Go work on another bell until this bell's polish dries to a haze. Rub any obvious really dark cruddy spots, using more polish if necessary. Then, either rub all the polish off with a clean rag (several clean rags if it's a Monster Bell) or, if you have disassembled and are working with just a casting, wash the casting with warm soapy water.
To wash or not to wash??? Sounds to me like WAY less work than the other way, but we've never actually done it. Next time we do a take-apart, we probably will try it. But if you do, make sure the whole casting is totally DRY before reassembling the bell!
7. Inspection. Here you need somebody who understands what to look for. The classes taught at festivals and seminars by the bell manufacturers are very helpful here. Gazing into the innards of a malfunctioning Schulmerich, I'm as clueless as anyone could be, but I can usually diagnose a Malmark, and sometimes even a Whitechapel.
8. If you send your bells away to be reconditioned, don't expect everything necessarily to be moonlight and roses when they come back. You may very well need to make adjustments to fit your ringers and repertoire. Also, if you're all novices, don't fall into the trap of believing that because some reputable authority fixed your bell this way, this is the way it should be, and the fact that you can't get it to ring right is YOUR fault. This ain't necessarily so. Part of being a good director or ringer is developing confidence in bell adjustment and repair. Go to a class, or find an old pro to teach you. If you choose the latter, bring along a few grains of salt; I've heard some bogus stuff from some alleged old pros.
Written by:
Sherry Graham
sheretha@bellsouth.net
09 Feb 1998
Original was not saved in the archives and is lost.