Nobody Makes Church Bells Like This Anymore!

In the German town of Saarburg, the Mabilon family has cast church bells by hand for more than four hundred years, a tradition passed down through generations since 1770. This documentary follows the complete process behind a five-bell peal commissioned by the parish of St. Joseph in Merzig, beginning with the construction of the core from brick and clay, through the shaping of the false bell and cope using the master founder's strickle board, to the fitting of the crown and the final pour of over four thousand kilograms of molten bronze. Every stage is carried out using methods largely unchanged for centuries: fermented clay reinforced with hemp and horse manure, hand-cut lettering applied in beeswax, and a bell metal alloy of 78 percent copper and 22 percent tin, as prescribed by the Limburg Guidelines.
The film also traces the wider history of bell founding, from its origins in ancient China and the Mediterranean world to its spread through the Christian West from the sixth century onward, and the monastic and lay traditions that shaped it in Europe. Viewers follow the mold-making work over roughly three months, the tension of casting week, the five-day cooling period before the bells are dug from the pit, and the official tonal inspection required before consecration. It is a detailed record of a craft still practiced by only a handful of foundries in Germany today, and of the precision, patience, and risk involved in producing a bell that will ring correctly for generations.

Original source material:
Glockengießen. Teil 1: Die Glockenform
Glockengiessen. Teil 2: Der Guß
Published by Alltagskulturen im Rheinland
© LVR-Institut für Landeskunde und Regionalgeschichte
CC BY 4.0