Labor Day .... and we ARE Laboring.

Yes, we are out in the Ole Bell Shop getting ready to head to Midland on Thurs morning. We already have orders for two 7 dot bells. Not sure how we are going to get them in the truck along with everything else, but.... we will be creative.
We are looking forward to seeing previous customers and to having a nice time at the museum. The folks in charge and the volunteers take very good care of the artists. This year will be a little different because of the work being done on the museum which is apparently going to create a totally new arrangement for artist locations, but I'm sure all will be fine.

The theme this year is Destination Space! See the link below.
http://www.museumsw.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=116&Itemid=669


This morning, one of my tasks was to "paint" a batch of sails and put them in the "cooking" container so they would be ready for the trip to Midland. It occurred to me that a finished sail - ready to be attached to a customer's bell - has truly been handled more than any other part of the bell.
First, the copper sheets are cut into strips by Philip. This is a stack of copper strips now ready to be cut into sail shapes by me.

Here I was this morning cutting some hearts and Texas sails.

Next, I take these cut sails and file the sharp edges down, punch a hole and put in one link of chain. Then Philip solders around that hole.

The sails then come back to me. They are placed to soak for a couple of days in an acid bath, then rinsed in water. Then they are ready for the "painting".

 They are individually wiped down to dry them. Here are some leaf sails drying on the rack.

Next, they are rubbed lightly with a piece of sandpaper, then painted with the acid again.

Finally, they are placed in a container in layers of wet paper.

Here they sit for, hopefully, 2-3 days and "cook". This is our high-tech Rubbermaid container!

So, as I finished up the last batch for the morning - and maybe all that we need for the trip to Midland.