The owner sent 81 bells to be put onto new straps. After some discussion, the owner and I decided to divide the bells among three new straps, all in dark brown leather.
Strap 1: I made a "keeper loop" strap for 35 "petal" bells. Most of the bells are lovely early-1800s bells from various foundries. The first four photos show a few of the more unusual bells on this strap. Click "See more images" to see these photos. This strap is 85" long x 1 1/2" wide.
Makers include William Bevin; Bevin Bros. Mfg. Co., the successor to William Bevin; Niles & Strong; William Barton; and Barton's son Hubbard or Hiram Barton. All foundries were located in East Hampton, Connecticut. Several other bells have maker's marks that I could not identify.
Strap 2: For the next set of 23 bells, I constructed a "rivet" style strap. This strap holds all bells made by Goff, Abel, and Williams, another East Hampton foundry, as well as unmarked petal bells from the mid to late 1800s. The fifth photo shows a few of the bells on this strap. The strap is 75" x 1 1/4".
Strap 3: The last strap is a "laced" style with 23 "round ridge" bells. This style of bell was never marked with the maker's name. The last (sixth) photo shows the bells at one end of this strap. The strap is 61" x 1 1/2".
These particular items are custom, one-of-a-kind projects made for a past client. Items in this Custom Projects section are for information only; they are not available for regular sale.
