What's the name of the ball inside a bell?

On a regular bell it's called a clapper (in the US).

Are you talking about one of those small desktop bells?

Ditto to what alley said......

cooeedownunder said:

I'm thinking of a brass bell. I've got it in my head that perhaps it is called a knocker, and someone has suggested a clapper. Anyone know?

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It should be knocker, though. Think of the bragging rights, if you had three bells!

I never suspected that being a church bell-ringer would come in use here but, yes, the clapper is the entire shaft inside the bell. I'm not sure that the ball bit has a separate name.

Are you writing about church bells? I can help with details of full-circle ringing (performed in Britain and some of the Commonwealth) which is different from the style of ringing used in Europe.

Captain Scarf said:

I never suspected that being a church bell-ringer would come in use here but, yes, the clapper is the entire shaft inside the bell. I'm not sure that the ball bit has a separate name.

Are you writing about church bells? I can help with details of full-circle ringing (performed in Britain and some of the Commonwealth) which is different from the style of ringing used in Europe.

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I've got such a crush on you, now. All my life I wanted to be a bell-ringer.

I can't find...

another name for you, cooee, it's a clapper everywhere I look.

Those handbells could make a mighty noise if swung with vigour. I have one.

cooeedownunder said:

I'm actually thinking of a small hand-held bell, sometimes used in church, which Wikepida says is sometimes called a Sanctus or sacring bell. But I want a bell that is going to be quite loud. Would one of these bells be capable of being very loud, irritating, horrible sounding?

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The ones the nuns swung were loud, but they always sound beautiful. I think though (Capt Scarf might know) that a cracked bell always sounds horrible. Perhaps she had a flawed one? ( ooh!! Thematically v. nice )

It all depends on whether your church has tower bells (big ones mounted on wheels) or not. Churches without bells will use whatever sort of small bell they can lay their hands on. My University chapel had a small dome thing which worked rather like a gong.

Most churches in Britain which have tower bells will ring these before a church service (or after a wedding) then ring them all down (leaving them mouth downwards). One bell however, usually the heaviest bell (called the Tenor) will have a hammer which is released into place after ringing. This hammer will then either be used by the church clock to strike the hours or can be used manually during church services at relevant sections. Church bells are designed to be heard over considerable distances so it would make a loud noise (although not too noisy in the church as the sound mostly goes outwards.

A cracked bell would generally not sound as good as it should. However, Big Ben (which is the bell in the Westminster Tower) does have a large crack in it. Big Ben is not mounted for full circle ringing. I would seriously advise not using a cracked bell for normal ringing. Some churches do have a separate bell (often bigger than the Tenor) which is not mounted on a wheel and used only for chiming.

Bells also need tuning every now and then, though this would probably only be noticed if they were rung in peel (one after the other) or for method ringing (interchanging the order in a set pattern).

I have never heard the word donger used in bell ringing. I would use 'chiming' or 'striking' rather that clapping. ie: The excruciating sound of the clapper striking in the cracked tenor bell killed all the birds. (although I don't know how it would kill birds. We did find some dead pigeons in the tower once but they had just got in and couldn't find their way out.

cooeedownunder said:

I'm thinking of a brass bell. I've got it in my head that perhaps it is called a knocker, and someone has suggested a clapper. Anyone know?

Click to expand...

Whenever I have a question as such, I refer to Google

But...

google isn't as much fun as chatting to real people who have practical experience and knowledge.

Glad to have helped.

If you want to find bell ringers near you, try these chaps: http://www.anzab.org.au/ The Australia and New Zealand Association of Bellringers