How to Fix Your Christmas Bells Ornaments

Christmas bells can be polished and fixed up for the holidays.

Decorating your home or tree with Christmas bells is a classic and tasteful way to celebrate the holiday season. If your bells crack or lose the ringer, however, they aren't much fun to use or show off. Most Christmas bells are relatively easy to restore---if you use antique sleigh bells (also known as jingle bells) as Christmas ornaments, they can be polished, and any cracks can be welded. If you adorn your tree with small hand bells, missing or broken ringers can be replaced with a bit of string and common household objects.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• Nylon scrub brush
• Baking soda
• Laser welder
• String or ribbon
• Krazy glue
• Replacement ringer

Instructions

Fixing Antique Sleigh Bells that are Dirty, Tarnished or Cracked

1. Unscrew the screws and remove the washers that connect your sleigh bells to their leather harness.

2. Put the sleigh bells in a pot and cover them with boiling water. Allow them to soak for an hour to loosen any dirt or grime.

3. Gently scrub the sleigh bells with a nylon scrub brush after removing them from the water.

4. Using a soft cloth, polish the bells with a paste of baking soda and water, and let it sit for half an hour.

5. Rinse off the baking soda paste and dry the bells with a soft cloth.

6. Repair any severe cracks in the bells with a laser welder. If you are unfamiliar with using a welder, it is better to leave this step to the professionals, to avoid damaging the bells. Classic Bells is a company in Iowa that specializes in restoring antique sleigh bells. If you don't wish to send your bells to Iowa, contact an antique metal restorer in your area.

Fixing Small Hand Bell Ornaments with a Lost or Broken Ringer

1. Try to find the original ringer that came with the bell. If you can't find it, choose a metal or porcelain object that is similar in size and weight, for example, a small jingle bell, washer or nut.

2. Remove the original string from the bell by untying it from the top of the bell or cutting it off.

3. Cut a length of string or ribbon that, when doubled over, is the same length as the original string in the bell.

4. Lace the string through your ringer or replacement ringer. If the ringer doesn't have a hole, glue it onto the string.

5. Tie the string to the top inside of the bell, if possible, or glue it in place and apply pressure with a pencil until dry.

Tips & Warnings

• If your bells are connected with rivets instead of screws, or if the screws are too rusty to remove without damaging the harness, don't remove them and contact a professional restorer to perform a deep cleaning, if needed. You can still polish the bells, but avoid getting the leather harness wet.

References

• Classic Bells: What can be done with Sleigh Bells?

Resources

• Classic Bells Sleigh Bell Restoration
• List of Antique Restorers by State and Specialty