Q: What is the silver colour of your bells due to?

A: The colour of a bell depends on the bronze used for the fusion. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin, in varying proportions. Copper is reddish, while tin is silver colour. A larger amount of tin will produce a bell characterised by a more silvery colour and a sharper sound. Likewise, if a bell has a colour verging on yellow, it is usually made of a lower quality alloy.

Q: What does the sound of a bell depend on?

A: For bells that are produced with the same alloy, the difference is in the very form of the bell: each foundry has its own peculiar design, a different shape and different thicknesses that will produce a different sound.

Q: How come you still produce bells using artisan techniques? Are there any other ways of casting a bell?

A: There exist different foundry techniques to obtain a bell. Despite knowing other casting techniques we, at Allanconi Foundry, have chosen to continue the artisan tradition, primarily for three reasons: first, our strong determination to preserve a cultural heritage that has been handed down for centuries and which lives in all our work, allowing us to keep alive a knowledge that would otherwise disappear forever. Second, there are ecological reasons: the artisan fusion respects the environment and our health to a greater extent. We only use natural raw materials, most of which locally sourced; by recycling all production waste and purchasing industrial sands - the latter mainly used already - we do not produce any waste. And it is precisely for this reason that we can create cheaper products, because we don't have disposal costs. Finally, and we say this with a bit of pride, because these artisan techniques allow us to create unique pieces characterised by high-level artistic quality and sound, appreciated throughout the world.

Q: How long will a bell last?

A: Our bells, if played correctly, have a potentially eternal life.

Q: What is the 'melting loss'?

Q: The melting loss, in effect, should never take place during a fusion: it happens when bronze oxidises, which will result in a poor-quality artefact. In a perfectly executed fusion, bronze must never become oxidised, and a skilled artisan knows how to avoid this.