Headstock and Clappers

The Right Equipment for your Bells

Since 1868, Bodet Campanaire has restored and manufactured all the components for bells and belltowers. All our products are manufactured in our carpentry workshop and ironworks to guarantee exemplary quality and safety.

MAINTAINING A BELL OUR REFERENCES

Bodet clappers are adapted to each bell and to the ringing method

A clapper is a metal part shaped to hit the inside of the bell to create the sound when the bell is rung. It is manufactured to order and treated with an anti-corrosion agent.

The weight of the clapper is about 4% of the weight of the bell, a proportion that provides optimal sound quality without damaging the bell.

Different shapes of clappers are designed to match the dimensions and ringing methods of the bell.

Should you restore a clapper or manufacture a new one?

Clappers are machined from extra-mild steel, or are cast.
One rule of thumb: the clapper should experience wear, not the bell. The clapper is hung on the bell loop. It is made of leather and attached with bolts and a metal safety cradle.

When a clapper is worn out, it is sometimes possible to restore it with a refill at the striking point or by machining the ball. If restoration is not possible for heritage reasons, it is sometimes less costly to manufacture a new clapper.

A bespoke headstock that respects bell heritage

The custom proportions of the headstock are determined according to the weight of each bell. Depending on the damage, we will suggest identical restoration or manufacture. Headstocks are made from oak.

We mainly use oak, a noble wood, to respect and provide value to your architectural heritage.
Oak is a very solid wood and robust over time. It is an ecological material with highly beneficial mechanical characteristics such as high resistance to damp environments and high density.