What is the Bell Foundry on Wheels?
The University of Northern Iowa is partnering with Cincinnati-based Verdin Company to bring you this one-of-a-kind event to kick off the renovation of the Campanile. As the world’s only traveling bell foundry, the bell foundry on wheels is a rare opportunity to witness the casting of seven bronze bells that will be added to the carillon, the instrument contained within the Campanile.
Be part of the experience
Ingot Passing
UNI students, alumni and friends will assist the Verdin team in creating a bell by passing bronze ingots to the furnace.
Bell Pour
The Verdin team suits up as the furnace melts the bronze ingots at a temperature of 2,200 degrees.
Mold Breaking
Molten bronze is poured into a custom bell mold. Once cooled, audience participants break the mold with a bronze sledge hammer revealing the new, custom bell. The Verdin team will then sandblast the bell to clean and smooth its surface.
Bell Presentation
The university community will celebrate the casting of the Our Tomorrow bell on campus during Homecoming. Join us at the Campanile Plaza for food, music and fun as we celebrate this historic endeavor!
Bell Facts
- The furnace can turn 500 lbs. of metal into molten liquid in two to three hours.
- Each bell needs at least 12 bronze ingots and each ingot weighs about 40 pounds.
- The custom-made mold is contained in a box called a flask.
- The flask is made of steel and weighs more than 500 lbs.
- Each bell weighs 250 lbs. and is about two feet tall.
- The bell will sound the musical note "E."
- Bronze metal is a combination of 80% copper and 20% tin.
About the Verdin Company
The Verdin Company, a family-owned business based in Cincinnati, Ohio, is the only full-service bell and clock company in the world. Beginning in 1842 with the manufacture and repair of tower clocks, the company has grown and changed throughout the decades, creating new technology in the bell and clock industry.
Verdin Company first partnered with UNI in 1968 to upgrade the carillon from a 15-bell chime to the current 47-bell carillon. Through Our Tomorrow, the university is seeking funds from alumni and friends to add nine additional bells to complete the carillon’s musical range. This effort will be the first comprehensive upgrades to the carillon in more than 50 years.