Bell Finishes

Example of the Burnished Bronze Finish of a Cosanti Windbell:

Unassembled bronze-cast bells and components are steel-brush-buffed with a high RPM wire-wheel in order to achieve a lustrous burnished finish. While still unassembled, burnished bells and components are initially heated in an oven, then flame-treated with a torch, resulting in a varied surface mottling of metallic golden bronze highlights and iridescent shimmers of coloration. The colors are typically not brilliant, but rather subtle, and may range from yellowish-greens to greenish-blues, and from magenta to purplish hues. Once the burnished bronze windbells are assembled, an acrylic spray coating completes the finishing process, making them resistant to oxidation. When subjected to the outdoor elements, the burnished bronze finish will gradually dull and darken in time, somewhat like that of a tarnished penny. Due to the varied results associated with the burnishing/heat-treating process, any burnished item ordered will vary from the sample photo.

Example of the Patina Bronze Finish of a Cosanti Windbell:

Patina is not paint. Despite its appearance, especially when new, the patina finish is not painted on. Patina is the oxidized surface of the bronze material of which the bell and its components are comprised. Oxidation is initiated by submerging the entire wind-bell assembly into an acid bath solution for about twenty minutes, then followed by an overnight curing under damp burlap. The next morning, such treated bronze bells and pots are uncovered to reveal the colorations that are randomly achieved, and thus highly variable. The colors are often brilliant at first and typically range from lime-green to turquoise-green, orange-red to maroon-red, or sometimes all of such colors mottled throughout the surface of a single bell assembly. Over time, the initially brilliant patina coloration will subdue and darken and look “antiqued”, especially if exposed to the outdoor elements. The red hues will transition to a matte black-brown, while the turquoise-green colors seem to be the most resilient of the initially derived colors. Green colorations have been known to intensify in either moist climates or especially salty-air ocean-side environments. The effect of moisture weathering can potentially be emulated with the repeated treatment of misting a patina finished bell with a solution of table sea-salt and distilled water, applied with a clean plastic spray bottle. A newly finished bronze patina has an unstable surface and will often have excess oxide residue that will flake/powder off, especially when handled, and it does not damage the integrity of the bronze at all. When new patina flakes/powders off it often exposes the raw golden bronze material, which will naturally and gradually transition to the previously-described “antiqued” appearance through weathering. Due to the random results associated with achieving the patina finish, any bronze item ordered with the patina finish may dramatically vary from the item's sample photo image.

Example of a carved and fired surface of a Ceramic Cosanti Windbell:

After the clay bells and/or pots have been removed from either plaster block or silt bed molds, oxide powder solutions are applied to the bells' surfaces. The result is a varying coloration of reddish-orange to light caramel-brown on the majority of the bell's surface. The oxide creates a striking contrast to the deep chocolate brown coloration of the artisan-carved composition of abstract geometric detail that constitutes the original design on the surface of each unique bell. The clay bells and pots are carved at the optimal stage of a balanced consistency between relative dryness and minimal moistness when the integrity of the bell's or pot's clay body is most suited for carving. The ultimate appearance for each ceramic Cosanti Windbell is realized after the completely dried clay bells have been fired in a kiln, cooled, and then removed from the kiln for assembly. Due to the variable nature of the oxide finish and the artisan-carved original design on a Ceramic Cosanti Windbell or Pot, items ordered will vary from the sample image.