The Deagan Project: Part I

Deagan Round Top Bells #1120

A friend of mine was cleaning out his Music room recently and found an old set of bells that he purchased in Pittsburgh when he taught music in their school district. He asked me if I were interested in having them and when he opened the case I said YES!!

Being just shy of 100yrs old they were in decent condition. The case was badly scratched but structurally sound, the bars were rusted,  the escutcheon pins were bent (one was replaced with a wood screw), the rail felts were compacted and turning to powder, the rubber washers and pin isolators were crumbled into small bits at least the ones that were left. Refurbishing this was going to be an adventure!

The Bars

The first priority was the bars. I didn't want to use a grinder, buffer, or harsh chemicals that would affect the intonation. I decided to use distilled vinegar and salt. As an experiment I chose the most rusted bar, the High 'F'. I soaked it for 28hrs and liked the result.

After 28hrs and Original

I decided to continue with the others with changes in time and the amount of salt:

1.  Cover the bars with a mixture of vinegar and 2 Tablespoons salt.
2.  Soak for 48hrs.
3.  Brush the bars with a nylon brush in fresh water.
4.  Rinse in a bucket of water and baking soda to stop any residual acidic action.
5.  Rinse in fresh water.
6.  Towel dry.
7.  Dry with a heat gun to remove moisture in the mounting holes.
8.  Store in a plastic bag with desiccant for 24hrs.

Bubbles from the Vinegar/salt solution

after 28hrs

The bars were finished, so I started to work on the escutcheon pins.