Sea Chests ~ Beckets ~ Tools ~ Ordering ~ Links ~ Glossary ~ Contact ~ Home
Ship's bell with lanyard

Bellropes

The bell has been used for centuries as a signal and warning. A ships bell is used to annouce watches as well as calls to arms. Churches, schools, house and shop doors also use a bell as a signal. Regardless of the application, the bell invariably requires some mechanism to facilitate its operation. For this, simple pulls, lanyards or bellropes are attached to the clapper. Crafting bellropes was mastered by sailors during the height of sea trade in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries when time and material was in good supply. Little of the sailors folk art has survived but the art is still alive at Marlinespike.com. Whether you have a traditional wooden boat, a modern fiberglass hull, or simply a bell hanging by your front door for guests to announce their arrival, proper bellropes are the perfect accouterment.

Bell ropes are constructed around a core of rope which forms the basic shape and the eye. As you browse the bellropes in the gallery below, you will see a variety of shapes and sizes and an assortment of knot coverings. Different bellropes also have differences in appearance produced by the finish applied. Typically, bellropes increase in cost as they increase in size and as more intricate knotwork is added.

Bell Rope Gallery

Please click images for a larger view and description.

Bell Rope
Item BR #1
$225
Bell Rope
Item BR #2
$175
Bell Rope
Item BR #3
$150
Bell Rope
Item BR #4
$100
Bellropes
Item BR #5
$75
Bellropes
Item BR #6
$50
Bellropes
Item BR #7
$50
Bellropes
Item BR #8
$45


Brass Shackles		      Brass Shackles - These small shackles work very well for attaching bellropes to bell clappers that have eyes. Click on the thumbnail image at left to see dimensions.

Larger Brass Shackle .........Price $5

Smaller Brass Shackle ..........Price $4


Brass Ship's Bells
Brass Ship Bells		      Brass Ship's Bells - Nice, solid brass bells with a clear tone. The six inch bell is pictured with a removable bracket. Other sizes are available.

Six inch Brass Bell .........Price $65
Make your own bell rope
Bell Rope Kit		      Bell Rope Kit - Now you can try your hand at making your own bell rope. The kit includes an illustrated booklet and enough material to create the pictured bell rope. The bell rope pattern and instructions were developed by Tim Whitten, at marlinEspike.com. Recommended tools: adhesive tape, long needle nosed pliers or large eye needle, scissors or sharp knife. Difficulty rating: 8/10

Bell Rope Kit .........$12

               Sea Chests ~ Beckets ~ Fenders ~ Tools ~ Ordering ~ Links ~ Glossary ~ Contact ~ Home
Copyright 2002 ~ marlinespike.com