I have built four zimbelsterns and plan to build a fifth for my home
organ.  I really feel that if you use a turntable as the basis, it's
important to have the bells mounted on the platter because it gives a
wonderful doppler effect as they go around.  You don't get this if the
bells are stationary.

My recipe is that I build a nice platform of nice red oak around 11 1/2
inches square.  I cut out for the mounting of the turntable.  I use a
couple of pieces of oak about 3" by 10" to mount as supports, mounted
in about a half inch from the outside edge.  I finish the platform off
with my router making an attractive edge.  I stain it to match the
organ woodwork and finish it with several wipings of tung oil.

For bells I can't stand the kind of crudely cast bells you get in
import shops.  These days they aren't finished smoothly on the inside
and have a crude sound.  The best I found were bells I bought in
Hungary a number of years ago.  They had an absolutely crystalline
quality that just made them sing in the church.  I used these at Grace
Church in Nyack, NY and even though the acoustic isn't stellar, it
works very well.  It's important to work in the church choosing what
weight clappers you use and how fast it revolves.  What sounds best in
your basement workshop never sounds right in the church.  Unable to get
more of the Hungarian bells, I have used bells from those bell-trees
they sell in music stores.  The hand held one is cheaper than the one
on a stand.  One of these will yield enough bells for about three
zimbelsterns.  Using those, I drill the turntable to accept screws,
making sure the heads don't interfere with the drive mechanism.  Then a
rubber washer, the bell goes on, another washer and a thumbscrew.  You
have to play with the mounting so the bells ring freely.

For the hangle-downs that hit the bells I use the nice bronze hangers
you buy to suspend plumbing pipes below joists in the basement.  Cut
one leg from the hanger and drill a hole to accept it (tightly) in the
oak platform.  Cut most of the other side of the hanger off, bend it
out slightly.  Make an upward bend about a quarter of an inch directly
over where you want the striker located.  On this little upturned bit
hook the clasp part of a bead keychain.  A little cement will make a
permanent attachment.  Cut the bead chain to the length needed.  Buy
some of those little brass balls that screw on to hold ceiling light
fixture plates.  They're about a quarter of an inch across and drilled
to screw on.  Drop the end of the beaded chain into the threaded hole
and fill with solder.  Keep the length of the chain short, only three
or four beads showing or the clappers will swing out too far and be too
loud.  By turning, raising and lowering the pipe hanger hooks you have
made you can adjust how they hit the bells.  I forgot to mention that
when mounting the bells, make sure they all come just to the edge of
the turntable platter, all the same.  If I use four bells, I use three
strikers, five bells - use four strikers.  This randomized the sound so
they all don't sound at once.

I have found that if the bells sort of spell out a major chord, they
sound best no matter what the major chord or what key you're playing
in.  I don't know why this matters, but it seems to to my ears.  Choose
the bells you use in the church, not in your workshop.  I like a
zimbelstern to be a bit aggressive in sound.  I want to hear it over a
loud hymn registration.  Even so, it still seems to work well with
softer chorale preludes and other pieces.  If you use crappy bells, you
won't want it as loud.  Use bells that have a really clear beautiful
sound and let them be a bit loud.  The really quiet ones with the
import store bells do sort of sound like coat hangers as someone else
mentioned.

My design is borrowed from a zimbelstern built by Gress-Miles for an
organ I used to play.  It was crudely made and the bells weren't very
good. It still sounded good.  They used old brass door keys and stuff
as the strikers, just hung on pieces of coat hanger wire, etc.

I used to have the one at my church sitting on the console.  Bad idea.
The kids kept touching it and knocking it out of whack, or worse moving
the speed lever.  Now it sits up behind the pipe facade so I never have
to worry about it being out of adjustment when I turn it on.

Happy jingling,

Ken


=====
=============================================================
Kenneth Potter, Organist/Director of Music
St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Westchester Square, Bronx, NY
845/358-2528 <[log in to unmask]>,
Austin Op. 2097 at:   http://www.nycago.org/Organs/html/StPetersEpBronx.html
Randolph Organ Company, curators
=============================================================

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