St. Oswald's, Bidston

Work carried out on the Bell Installation 1995 - 96

Bell, fittings and frame completely dismantled.
All iron work scaled and given two coats of red lead.
All screw threads dressed.
Six vertical and two horizontal tie bars discarded and replaced with new, c/w new nuts and washers.
Frame re-located as per drawings dated March 1995.
Bearings dismantled, cleaned out and examined. Condition good. Old grease seals discarded and replaced with new. Bearings re-assembled and packed with new grease.
Wheel side bearing sole plate removed and bolt heads tack welded to prevent turning when tightening up.
Headstock and gudgeons examined and found sound. However, the gudgeons were loose on the headstock and attempts to tighten the nuts showed that they were seized to the extent that they had to be cut off. This, therefore, necessitated the provision of new U-bolts and nuts. These were supplied by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry Ltd.
Bearings and gudgeons reassembled onto headstock and complete assembly bolted down to frame and hardened up. All free.
This bell always needed to be pulled hard at handstroke. Upon examination, it was found that the garter hole, the hole in the soling of the wheel where the rope passes through it, was too near the top of the wheel. This hole was filled with a small oak block and a new one cut in the correct place. Two new half-bobbins made and fitted to new garter hole. Two 2" x 2" x ⅛" Rolled Steel Angle brackets made and fitted to the wheel and headstock to give the wheel greater rigidity. Sundry small repairs done to wheel at this time.
Bell hoisted back onto headstock and secured with two new canon pins, washers and split pins; old ones worn and bent.
Ground pulley box discarded and replaced with overhauled spare unit.
New mouse hole cut in floor to pass rope. Ceiling boss made and fitted to Ringing Chamber ceiling.
Slider Pintle refitted to frame. Runner board badly worn in centre, discarded. New one made and fitted.
Stay refitted. Wheel refitted with all new nuts, bolts and washers.
Clapper eye bored true. Originally only a "forge finish". Old leather bearing replaced with new 'Tufnol' bush and stainless steel pin.
Clapper and crown staple fitted to bell. Rope fitted, bell rung up and checked for set at hand and back strokes. All in order. Taper fibre washer fitted under crown staple to correct uneven clappering.