Handmade COWBELLS: 1 YEAR to make | The sound that guides the shepherd and his flock

Shepherd activities are essential to pastoral life. Shepherds know the movement and condition of the livestock they watch by the sound of the bells. The jingling of the bells also serves as a guide for the shepherds responsible for the transhumance of the flocks. The process for manufacturing the tongs takes approximately one year. During the winter season, the shearer Antonio San Martín dedicates himself to forging the iron from which the shears are made. First, measure the iron sheet according to the dies you are going to manufacture. Once he has marked all the sections that can be cut from a sheet of metal to make the brackets, he cuts them out. First with the hand scissor and then with the fixed scissor. The metalworker manually folds the metal strip in half. Then strike it with the hammer until it takes on a cylindrical shape, once the side flaps have already been closed and assembled. The shaping of the piece ends with folding the ears that will hold the external handle. The shepherd has just forged the iron shears. Months later, when summer arrives, she will cover it with clay and bake it in the oven, making it ready to be sold. Depending on its size, each bell model requires a specific amount of metal to proceed with its casting. That is why the shepherd inserts small pieces of metal into the fleece until the desired weight is reached. With the arrival of spring, the shearer begins the second phase of the process for manufacturing a bell. The first thing he does is prepare the clay with which he will wrap the dough before baking it in the oven. The earth our friend the shepherd uses for this work is special, as it must withstand the high temperatures of the oven. This land comes from the very same place where Antonio San Martín's grandfather used to collect it to make his shears. Once the clay has been prepared, the shearer makes a cake with which he wraps the fleece. The thickness of this clay cake depends on the size of the item to be wrapped. When the clay with which the shearer has wrapped the sheep is already dry, the shearer puts on the mouths. For this work, the artisan wraps the smallest hooks with clay and inlaid metal. in decreasing sizes, fitting some inside others without touching, forming a bundle. Once the package is sealed, the shepherd makes some holes so it can breathe and release the gases produced during baking in the oven. Before proceeding with this cooking process, the pieces must be dried for 15 days. Antonio San Martín carries out the furnace work during the summer months. It starts at 6 in the morning and uses mine coal mixed with red pine bark as fuel. When the fire is intense, place the bundles of lye in the furnace and let them cook until they turn red-hot. The action of the fire causes the metal to melt and spread across the entire surface of the ingot. When the surface of the clay shines and the smoke coming out of the holes is white, it means the firing process has already ended. Then, the craftsman removes the fleece bundles with the picker and passes them to the rollers, where they gradually lose heat. After passing through the rollers, the shears will be inserted into a barrel full of water. An hour after removing them from the water, the artisan, assisted by his family, removes the clay coating from the molds. that emerge with their golden shine, producing the metallic sound that characterizes them. The moment has come to give the right sound to each bell. To raise or lower the pitch, the artisan Antonio San Martín strikes the bell with a hammer. Before putting them on sale, our friend the shearer has to attach the bell. name by which the element that acts as the clapper of the bell and hangs inside it is known. These plectrums are normally made from boxwood, hawthorn, or oak, although some people make them using tips of bull horn. Now all that's left is for Antonio San Martín's sheep to be bought by the shepherds at the village markets. Then it will be the sheep and the goats that will be responsible for providing their usefulness.