ANOTHER CHINESE BELL TREE PROJECT

Upon discovering this Chinese Bell Tree for sale on eBay for a ridiculously low price, I decided it was time to engage in yet another episode of "Percussion Restoration."  I jumped at the chance to bid and won!  When the tree arrived, it was time to bring this baby back to life.

My overall assessment of this instrument included the following issues that needed to be addressed in order to refurbish it:

1.)  The metal frame had some ugly rusty patches that needed sanding and repainting..

2.)  The brass-tipped mallets were badly covered with patina, as were the brass wing nuts that secure the support post.

3.)  The mounting bracket was missing the back plate, along with the specially-stylized LP carriage bolts and wing nuts that secure the instrument to a cymbal stand.

4.)  The threaded support rod was bowed and a little rusted at the top.

5.)  The plastic sleeve for the support rod was discolored and worn.

6.)  The bells could use a little polishing in some spots.

7.)  The stand legs were missing their plastic caps.

None of these seven problems were impossible to overcome, and could be rectified quite easily should one have the inclination and a little free time on their hands to do so.

The first stage of a restoration project, if you consult Rick from the show "American Restoration" on The History Channel, is the break-down process.  After photographing the item from several different angles to document its original appearance, I then began to carefully disassemble the parts and separate them into categories based on what needed to be done.

For instance, I laid out all the bells by size for the polishing process even though, as I have pointed out before, Latin Percussion conveniently stamps numbers on the undersides to denote their proper order.  These bells were in excellent condition except for a few spots where apparently water or some sort of moisture had splattered on them and caused green patina to develop.  This was taken care of without too much trouble, and #6 was quickly checked off my list.

The deterioration on the mallets and other ancillary pieces was eradicated with a little Brasso and elbow grease, and the plastic sleeve was replaced with a brand new one.  The bow in the support post was easily straightened with the use of a vise grip and some manhandling.  This took care of issues #3, 4 and 5.

Cleaning off the rust and painting the metal frame with some flat black spray paint was easy, but how to address the missing parts?  That would not be so easy, would it?

Actually it would.  I took the back plate from another bell tree I have and had a duplicate made without difficulty.  Then some extensive on-line research led me to the carriage bolt and wing nut assemblies I needed, as well as the correctly-sized plastic caps for the stand legs.

The entire project only took a couple of days, and this beautifully-restored bell tree sold on eBay the first time I listed it.  It also netted me a handsome profit despite my reasonable asking price.  The tree is now on its way to Utah, where another high school band director will have it available for his students to play.

Another successful restoration project COMPLETE!

The finished product, as displayed and auctioned off on eBay.