Buckeye bell adds nice ring to start

Dan Smith, a descendant of William H. McGuffey, will break the mold today.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Forty children from throughout Mahoning County celebrated Ohio's 200th birthday by taking part in an event at the Canfield Fairgrounds certain to go down in history: the casting of Mahoning County's bicentennial bell.
Children from each of Mahoning County's 14 school districts stood shoulder to shoulder in front of a foundry on wheels Wednesday morning to pass extra-small, kid-sized bronze ingots to a professional bell maker, an employee of the Verdin Co. of Cincinnati, who fed them into a furnace, where they were melted to a red-hot 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heating, drying
Three hours later, in preparation for pouring the molten metal into the mold, three Verdin employees, looking much like astronauts in their silver heat-resistant suits, hard hats and face shields, carefully fired up a torch and used it to heat and dry a big ladle that looks more like a bucket than the dipping spoon most folks use to scoop soup into bowls.
They also used the torch to heat and dry the mold.
"If we had even a tablespoon of water in there when we poured the molten metal in, it would explode," explained Dave Verdin, vice president of manufacturing at the Verdin Co., one of Ohio's oldest family businesses.
After tipping the furnace and pouring the liquid bronze into the ladle, workers carefully skimmed impurities from the surface and, using a crane, gingerly moved the bucket over an opening in the top of the mold.
Molten metal flowed out of the ladle in a steady stream, sending thousands of little sparks dancing along its path. Flames flared a brilliant golden orange and smoke rolled out of the mold in sooty black puffs. All good signs, Verdin said.
"But we still won't know if it's a good bell until we crack the mold," he added.
Mold-breaking ceremony
The waiting will end today when Poland resident Dan Smith, the 79-year-old great-great-great-great nephew of William Holmes McGuffey, swings the golden sledgehammer and splits the mold in half.
Smith, playing the role of his famous relative, a Coitsville native and author and publisher of the famed McGuffey Readers, was to do the honors during a mold-cracking program.
The official first ringing will take place during a dedication ceremony at 4 p.m. after the bell has been cleaned and polished.
All activities take place in the main concourse between the grandstand and fair office.
In honor of Ohio's 200th birthday, the Verdin Co. is casting bicentennial bells in each of Ohio's 88 counties.
About the company
The Verdin Co., founded in 1842 by immigrant brothers from France, specializes in manufacturing bells, carillons and clocks and cast the world's largest bell, the World Peace Bell, to commemorate the millennium.
Fifth-generation family members head the company.
kubik@vindy.com