That's my first thought as well Bill.....
Second, are you marking all over them? or on one side in say a square? Can you tape of that area and quickly spray lacquer on the rest of the bell? Yes, I know..... more time, might peel off later, has to dry, etc, but better than tarnish.
Third, have you tried Laserbond on them? or a different Cermark? I've been using lmm14, but you can't handle the area at all. And Laserbond is very similar to 14, can't handle. That's it's main drawback over the 6000 in my opinion.
Woodworking, Old Tools and Shooting
Ray Fine RF-1390 Laser Ray Fine 20watt Fiber Laser
SFX 50 Watt Fiber Laser
PM2000, Delta BS, Delta sander, Powermatic 50 jointer,
Powermatic 100-12 planer, Rockwell 15-126 radial drill press
Rockwell 46-450 lathe, and 2 Walker Turner RA1100 radial saws
Jet JWS18, bandsaw Carbide Create CNC, RIA 22TCM 1911s and others