Half muffled ringing is a special sound for sad and solemn occasions such as a funeral or the death of a statesman. Some Churches ring half muffled during lent. To ring an open handstroke and muffled backstroke place the muffler on the ball of the clapper on the face opposite to where the rope rises from the ground pulley.
For safety reasons the bells must all be down before attaching or removing the muffles, even though this means climbing into the bell pit and working from under the bell.