VOCABULARY TERMS: BELL METAL, BEESWAX

Bell Metal The bronze alloy for making bells can be used successfully for striking or casting medals. Bell metal alloy is best at 78 parts copper to 22 parts tin (which has a specific gravity of 8.7 and a melting point of 870° centigrade); but any alloy of 3 to 5 parts of copper to 1 of tin have been used for bell making. The first reference to a medal in bell metal is a Desiderius Erasmus Medallion of 1519 by Quentin Massys (Kress 629a). See bronze, composition (2).

Beeswax A type of wax noted for its ductile yet hard qualities. It can be carved and cut at room temperatures, or can be melted and cast, then worked on again. When mixed with clays it can form a soft modeling material, it is a component of plasticine. At normal temperature beeswax is used by medallic companies to make an intermediate reduction on a pantograph. It is also used as an acid resistant material in acid etching. See wax.

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