Okay, so today I wanted to mess around with something completely random – making a “round mangat bell.” I had this picture in my head of a manhole cover, but instead of being, you know, a cover, it was a bell. Sounds weird, right? But that’s what I wanted to try and build.
First, I needed to figure out what I even meant by that. I started by sketching some ideas on a piece of paper. I drew some circles, messed with some different shapes, trying to get that classic manhole cover look but with a twist.
Then came the hard part – figuring out how to actually make this thing. I decided to use some scrap metal I had lying around the garage. There were these old, rusty metal sheets, perfect for that weathered look. I grabbed my tools – a hammer, some chisels, and my trusty welding torch (always gotta be careful with that thing!).
I started by cutting out a large circle from the metal sheet. This was going to be the main body of the “bell.” It wasn’t pretty, and my cuts were definitely not perfect, but I figured I could smooth it out later.
Next, I needed to create the “bell” shape. I took my hammer and started pounding away at the metal circle, slowly trying to curve it inwards. This took FOREVER. Metal is stubborn, let me tell you. I had to keep heating it up with the torch to make it more pliable. Slowly but surely, it started to take on a rounded, bowl-like shape.
- Cut out the circle base.
- Hammer the metal into a bowl shape.
- Heat the metal with a torch to make it bend easier.
After hours of work, I finally had something that resembled a bell. It wasn’t perfectly round, it was dented in places, and it was covered in scorch marks. But it was mine. I then found this old metal clapper from an old broken wind chime. It had just the right size to make a bell-like sound.
The Result
I welded a small loop to the inside of my “manhole bell” and hung the clapper from it. When I gave it a tap, it made a surprisingly deep, resonant sound. It wasn’t exactly beautiful, but it was definitely unique. My very own, very weird, round mangat bell. It’s not something I’ll be selling on Etsy anytime soon, but it was a fun, challenging project that kept me busy for the day!
