Bell system of St. John the Baptist in Inning Ammersee
The Catholic church in Inning am Ammersee was built between 1765 and 1783 on the foundations of a late Gothic predecessor; the layout of the choir and the base of the tower date back to the 15th century. The peal consisted of four cast-steel bells, cast in 1947 by the Bochumer Verein für Gussstahlfabrikation company. Until their replacement, the bells were housed in a two-bay, two-level bell frame made of steel sections joined by rivets and bolts.
We inspected the steel bell frame for cracks and corrosion and retained it. First, the four existing steel bells were removed from the tower using a crane, passing through a specially created opening in the masonry. Then, the five new (pre-owned) bells were installed in the tower. These range in weight from 300 to 1,000 kg and are tuned to the notes b♭', a♭', g', f', and e♭' (the largest bell). In the northern bay, Bell 1 is positioned below Bell 5; in the southern bay, Bell 4 is at the top with Bell 1 beneath it. Bell 4 hangs one level lower.
The old steel headstocks, clappers, magnetic strikers, and ringing mechanisms were replaced with new wooden headstocks, round-ball clappers, new magnetic strikers, and new ringing mechanisms.
The entire bell ringing was fine-tuned. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCriUT8SK0qpVMTTFT1TstxQ
The renovation project also included the refurbishment of the tower clock and the hands and their mechanisms.
Restaurierung der Zeiger am alten Peter in München: die Zeiger hatten sich inzwischen zum dritten Mal miteinander durch Winddruck verhakt. Dadurch ist im Mittelsegment das Zeigerblech an zwei Stellen eingerissen. Zudem bestand der Verdacht, dass die Kluppen des Minutenzeigers nicht mehr ausreichend Spannkraft haben, um den Zeiger in Position zuhalten, da dieser auf der Zeigerwelle zur Wand hin verrutscht war. Es bestand latente Absturzgefahr des Zeigers. Aus Sicherheitsgründen wurde das Zeigerpaar demontiert.
The 6 new dials measuring 3.50m square were renewed exactly to match the historical painting. Like the old dials, the new ones were made in two parts with a stainless steel connecting rail on the back due to their size. The sun rays in the middle field and the diamonds were also gilded. 800 sheets of 24 carat gold leaf were used for this. The minute hand is 2.40m long, while the hour hand is 1.60m long. 500 sheets were needed to gild these pairs of arrow-shaped hands. The hands of the two Gothic interior tower clocks, where the dials are painted on the wall, have also been renovated.
The sheet iron dials, manufactured in 1958, were renewed as part of the overall renovation of Eichstätter Cathedral. The old hands were preserved and renovated.
The 6 new dials measuring 3.50m square were renewed exactly to match the historical painting. Like the old dials, the new ones were made in two parts with a stainless steel connecting rail on the back due to their size. The sun rays in the middle field and the diamonds were also gilded. 800 sheets of 24 carat gold leaf were used for this. The minute hand is 2.40m long, while the hour hand is 1.60m long. 500 sheets were needed to gild these pairs of arrow-shaped hands. The hands of the two Gothic interior tower clocks, where the dials are painted on the wall, have also been renovated.
The artist duo Wolfgang Aichner and Thomas Huber have realized an extraordinary art clock project at Fuorcla digl Leget on the Julier Pass. We had the great pleasure of developing and manufacturing the movement.
When a person approaches the clock, the clock hands slow down - the real time seems to be stretched. If you stand directly in front of it, the clock hands even stop. Time stands still! When you move back, the hands start moving again. In the picture sequence you can see our custom-made work as a CAD drawing and a photo. The special feature of this movement is that each clock hand is individually driven by a stepper motor and the clock hands can be adjusted independently of one another without any mechanical connection.
The dismantled clock was transported by a caravan to the 2709 m high installation site - an amazing rock formation.
The 300 kg clock object was pulled up with specially made hanging constructions for the clock and rock gate by Pfeifer company with steel cables and pulley blocks.
The clock artwork could be admired in August and September 2021. After the project phase, the clock and the fastening are completely dismantled.
At www.undendlich.gaeg.net ou can follow the 2-year project from the idea to the realization.
Pictures are from Henning Köpke www.henningkoepke.de
Originally the dials were painted with linseed oil paints. The painter at the time released the recipe for the colors on the back of a dial. The dials date from the late 16th century. The historically separate time display of hours and minutes was retained at Höchstädt Castle.
The year 1594 is noted on a small minute dial and on the opposite one is written 1987, the year in which the entire castle and thus the tower clock were last restored.
The dials were painted by hand by the restorer Christine Hitzler and the restorer Peter Englhardt. The special acrylate lacquer was applied thinly and in several layers. The 4 hour dials are 1.80 m square and the minute dials are 1.20 m square. The hour hands have a total length of 100 cm, corresponding to the larger dials. The smaller minute hands are 60 cm long.
For a hotel in Nachitschewan we developed and manufactured a complete figure circulation. 20 carillon bells were delivered and installed by us, so that different songs could be played at the full hour. The dials have LED lighting on the back.
In the factory, the technology for the circulating figures was set up. The newly developed turning device for the figures is designed for a turning mass of up to 500 kg.
The 20 carillon bells were first fitted into the frame on the ground by our mechanic before the construction was lifted to the tower with a crane and fixed with the help of a working platform by our mechanic.
The dials are backlit and have a separate 2-piece LED equipped disc for this purpose.
The construction for the figure circulation was arrranged in several steps and then set in concrete. The 3 figures or pairs of figures were attached to the turntable and the doors were inserted with the door openers.
Hotel Saat Meydani Nachitschewan
The aim of the renovation is to minimise the static and dynamic loads, as well as to extend the service life of the individual bells through a smooth clapper strike while at the same time ensuring good sound generation. The reasons for the renovation are doubts about the fatigue strength of the existing steel yokes and the steel belfry, as well as high wear on the existing bronze bells.
At the beginning of the assembly, the material had to be lifted through the acoustic windows with the help of a crane. Then the new oak belfry could be set.
The belfry consists of a mostly self-tensioning construction with three partitions and two tiers, with offsets, tenons, plating and retightenable connection elements.
At the beginning of the complete renovation of the bell and bell automation system, the bells, motors and bell fittings as well as the entire belfry were dismantled. Within the renovation a verifiable statics for the belfry was created. The planning of the belfry was done with the help of a 3D CAD program.
You will gain insight into the process of deconstruction of the bell system in the church Gimpertshausen.
Soon the belfry will be set up and the new bell automation system will be installed. Here you will find more photos of the work.
3 dials of the church St. Johann Baptist in Munich have a diameter of 4.15 m and 1 dial has a diameter of 2.55 m. The dials had to be cleaned completely from paint. Afterwards a multiple priming and varnishing was done by hand. The numbers have a so-called gothic form.
Before the restoration, the smaller dial was first examined. In some cases, the thick layers of paint could only be completely removed by dry ice blasting so that a new, permanent coat of paint could be applied.
The hands have been given a completely new stainless steel substructure to stabilize the hands with new stainless steel clips and fixing screws.
The church in Schernfeld has received three new bell supports made of seasoned oak wood with self-aligning ball bearings and soft turned axle journals. After hanging out the bells, the new bell supports and bearings were fitted with new hand-forged axle straps.
Here you can see the following work:
Chiselling out the recess for the bearing plates on both sides
Check the recesses for the bearing plates for perfect horizontal alignment
Lifting the bell with the help of a block and tackle
Setting up the bell support
Attaching of the bearing plates
