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- Bells at the Ancient Bell Museum, Great Bell Temple.
putting back together the mould more complicated and difficult. Prior to assembly, the sections were inscribed with text and decorations in reverse. The surface of the core and the decorated negative piece moulds were then covered with a thin layer of ox fat, to prevent the cast bell from sticking to the mould. Dowel pins or spacers were positioned at regular intervals to ensure the positive alignment of these sections when the negative outer mould was re-assembled over the inner core. The sections were sealed together with mud, but these join marks were often still visible after the casting. The molten metal was then poured into the cavity. This last method is the method used for the casting of the iron bell in Victoria.
Iron was considered inferior to bronze as a material for making bells, so the casting of iron bells had less care and were generally cruder than bronze ones. Although the tone of iron bells was not as good as bronze ones, iron bells became quite popular because they were cheaper to produce and lighter than their bronze counterparts. Less attention to workman�ship can be seen on the Chinese bell in Victoria as the casting has a number of holes caused by air bubbles and prominent crude casting seams.
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