And the bell just keeps on going.....
Yesterday I was working on putting up the tenor (right)with different size boxes as it is quite difficult to get it chiming and keep it so. I had put it up wrong twice and taken it back down. Third times the charm. So up it went sounding right all the way up. Almost had it up, gave it one last pull and up it went.... right out of my hands. I watched the tail end come back down, contemplated grabbing it to get the bell back under control, but the rope didn't wait for me. It was a good thing too as it went though the first guide and most of the way though the guide in the roof and finally settled on the railing that holds the guides. So bell handling practice came to a halt. I knew what had happened and I wanted to go up and see it for myself. So up Ted, Jo, and myself went to the overlook in the bell chamber. Sure enough there the tenor was, swaying contently, the rope wrapped once around the headstock, the stay quite simply absent.
Ted was worried about the slack in the rope being caught up in the dead space and wanted to inspect the bell so he called down to have J. put the 7 down herself in case something did go wrong. And so onc by one the bells came down with us watching. We climbed down, untied the rope from the wheel (Ted was worried that if we brought the rope completely out of the tower we would have heck of a time getting it back though all of the guides.), untangled it and I -being the young agile thing I am - got down with the bell to try and sort the rope out. After some effort (and Jo trying to strangle me with the rope) we got it back down into the tower and tied it up so no one could try and pull it off.
The stay was a very clean break, just at the metal brace.
Shortly after I found out from J. that I had the further distinction of breaking a tenor stay.
I was also comforted by J. that it was not so much that I broke the stay, but rather that I was the last nudge.
We have replacement stays and will replace it on Sat. and inspect the rest of the stays for ware and tear...
I've already been promised the stay as a trophy......
Only suffered very minor rope burn (from the tail end being jerked out of my hands).
I did fell quite guilty as Steve (the other one...) had to leave and didn't get to ring as much as he should have and practice proper started 15-20 min late....
Ted was worried about the slack in the rope being caught up in the dead space and wanted to inspect the bell so he called down to have J. put the 7 down herself in case something did go wrong. And so onc by one the bells came down with us watching. We climbed down, untied the rope from the wheel (Ted was worried that if we brought the rope completely out of the tower we would have heck of a time getting it back though all of the guides.), untangled it and I -being the young agile thing I am - got down with the bell to try and sort the rope out. After some effort (and Jo trying to strangle me with the rope) we got it back down into the tower and tied it up so no one could try and pull it off.
The stay was a very clean break, just at the metal brace.
Shortly after I found out from J. that I had the further distinction of breaking a tenor stay.
I was also comforted by J. that it was not so much that I broke the stay, but rather that I was the last nudge.
We have replacement stays and will replace it on Sat. and inspect the rest of the stays for ware and tear...
I've already been promised the stay as a trophy......
Only suffered very minor rope burn (from the tail end being jerked out of my hands).
I did fell quite guilty as Steve (the other one...) had to leave and didn't get to ring as much as he should have and practice proper started 15-20 min late....