Fonderie Paccard

CAST BELLS - Art Casting

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"To pray through Beauty" (Saint Pie X), this is the mission of PACCARD bells…

Alcala de Xivert, Espagne

1 bell foundry,
7 generations of bell founders...

Since 1796, more than 120 000 bells have been produced by our workshops. From the Alaskan deserts to the Fiji islands, from the United States to Japan, Paccard bells ring in the most far away lands. The reason for this renown is mainly due to the great musicality of our bells, the fruit of know-how passed from father to son for 7 generations.

Mastery of profile, quality of metals and tuning precision has earned the Paccard Bell Foundry its worldwide reputation. Following the example of Steinway, Fazoli, Selmer or Stradivarius, Paccard today, is synonymous with musical excellence.

How bells are made ?

A bell mould is made of a special clay that has been prepared with meticulous care. It is composed of 3 distinct and stacked parts: the core, the false bell and the core, the whole formed by a tool called the "planche à trousser" (strickle board).

The core. The core is the part of the mould which represents the interior of the bell. In other words, after the casting, the core entirely fills the interior of the bell. It is made of skilfully arranged bricks that are strapped in with wire and covered with clay.

The false bell. This part of the mould, made of friable material, represents the bell itself, and temporarily takes the place of the real bell. It has therefore the same dimensions, the same thickness as the future bell. It is on this false bell that the decorations and inscriptions are impressed in relief, using the lost wax process.

The cope. This is the outer part of the mould, which covers the cope. It is also made of clay and is formed out of successive layers. The first layer is obtained from a very fine clay, nearly liquid, called “potée”. Then, the making of the moulding case continues with thicker layers of clay, mixed with hemp, which ensures a greater consistency and solidity to the whole.

We then proceed to the baking of the mould, an operation to melt the wax leaving the impressions behind in the space of the moulding case.

The "planche à trousser"

Removal from the mold. Now that the mould is finished, do we proceed to the casting? Not yet : we must first remove the mould.

The false bell, as we said earlier, temporarily replaces the future bronze bell; it is only useful for making the moulding case. The moment has come to remove it.

With the help of a hoist, we lift the moulding case and we chip the false bell away. The moulding case is then replaced over the core. Between the two mould parts and thanks to a meticulously calculated range, there remains a space created by the removal of the false bell. It is this space that the fused metal will fill during casting.