Collection: Richard Fisher's Handcast Bells

During the 2015 holiday season, we had a special show that included artisan bells. We so enjoyed showing—and ringing—the artisan bells that we decided to keep an assortment of wind bells in our collection. The bells in our collection are lovely to listen to and look at, and all are built to last a lifetime and weather the elements.

Bells have long represented the voice of divinity and truth for all the major religions. This is why when something sounds right, “it rings true.”  All around the world, bells are used to call people to worship, celebrate, honor, marry, remember, and mourn.  They are used to awaken the spirt and clear the mind in prayer, meditation, and other contemplative practices. 

Richard Fisher's U.S. Bells
Richard Fisher has been handcrafting bells since 1970, under the trade name, U.S, Bells. The clear tones of Fisher’s bells rise and fall with the wind and weather. All of Richard's bells are cast in silicon bronze, an alloy that produces amazingly rich, clear tones and endures very well in harsh outdoor environments.

"There is a strong tradition of bronze being used in bells and outdoor sculpture because of its durability, as well as its ability to produce a strong clear tone. True "bell metal" is an alloy of 80% copper with 20% tin. It is still used in large church bells and tuned hand bells. Unfortunately, bell metal is very brittle and would not be as appropriate for our wind and door bells. We use "Silicon Bronze" which is 4% silicon, 1% manganese and the balance copper. This alloy is used almost universally in outdoor sculpture, marine hardware and navy bells. It works across a good range of forms from very thin sectioned to heavy, and indeed, it rings very well." —Richard Fisher