Notes from the Shop

If we have talked, and I’ve given you directions to my shop, you probably recall that I sent you south on Tracy and Valley View, and during this summer, through the roundabout construction. In some other cases, I’ve sent you on 70th.  However, starting August 31st, they will be replacing the railroad culvert so it can include the bike trail. That portion of 70th will be closed for about 2 months.  You can still get here through a detour, but unless you live around here, it won’t be easy.

I’ve also added a couple of FAQ’s on oiling and battery clocks.

If you would like some FAQs on clock repair, please let me know.

Well, the shorter it is, the faster it runs (think speed up, slow down).  And, to make it run twice as fast, it needs to be a fourth of it’s initial length.

I know that, and I can explain it, but not as well as Walter Lewin, professor of Physics Emeritus of MIT.  If you have an hour or so, and your interested in pendulum theory, you can go to You Tube and check out “For the Love of Physics (Walter Lewin’s Last Lecture).

He explains the oscillation of the pendulum,  it’s mass, and the effect that gravity has on it. There are other variables that can vary the oscillation of the pendulum, but this video is a great place to start.

Where else can you get information on pendulums from a 75 year old MIT physics professor while he is swinging from a rope?

Check it out.  You can also learn why the sky is blue.

Really.

Well, we installed the Fort Snelling tower clock, and the county invited the media while we were setting up the clock. My thumb made the Channel 5 news, but we got a three column picture in the Saint Paul Pioneer Press. However, it was on the crime page. We shared the page with a baby stabbing mother, ex-wife slasher and a police pedophile. Great company, huh? In this particular case, you could say we were all “doing time”.

There was also an old mechanical toaster that I repaired. It was the prototype that the company used when they started manufacturing toasters in the 20’s, and this toaster was one of the featured articles in the toaster collector’s magazine. Really, there is such a magazine. It was really hot news, huh?

Ok, no more puns, for a while….

Well, I hope you had an enjoyable holiday. As the year winds down, I thought I would share a picture of the smallest gear I ever cut. It goes on something we call a “platform balance”. It is like a watch escapement that would go on a large pocket watch.

Normally, I send gears out to get recut, if there is a lot of damage to the teeth, but I have a cutter that matched what was left of the broken gear. I made it a little thicker, well, because the original wasn’t quite strong enough.

Ok, it’s an ambiguous statement, and unless you lived in South Dakota in the 60’s and later, AND HAD TV, you won’t understand the heading. But if your interested in buying some very nice clocks and watches, or other interesting horological items (ok-junk) you will have your chance. On October 12, 2013, the local chapter of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors will be having a watch and clock auction at the Bloomington MN National Guard Armory. If you would like to attend, please email me, and you could come as my guest!

Just let me know. There will be plenty of interesting items, and if you are interested in clocks or watches, this would be a great place to start.

Since last year, I’ve been working with the MN DNR and Hennepin county in writing the criteria and selecting the contractor to clean and repair the tower clock in the upper post of Fort Snelling (it’s where Custer got his orders which resulted in his “last stand”). It’s a big clock. The pendulum bob weighs 135 pounds by it’s self. Seth Thomas estimated the overall weight of the clock and weights “boxed, about 1,500. lbs.”

Phil Wright (The Tower Clock Company in Ohio) was awarded the contract. So this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, we removed the clock, piece by piece, down 3 flights of stairs. I realized, early Thursday morning, that a visit to the gym was going to be rather unnecessary.

While we were working in the building, someone called, and when he realized that I was at on old military post he said we must be “minute men”. That term goes back to the American Revolution, but I still thought it was pretty original).

Really?

Well, the Midwest Watchmakers and Clockmaker’s Association and the Minnesota Clockmaker’s Guild are hosting Mark Rosheim at our annual convention this weekend. Mark has made robots for NASA, and has a personal interest in Leonardo da Vinci’s “robots”. There is even an interview with Mark on You Tube on da Vinci. (I shouldn’t say “even”, because the predominant subject matter on You Tube is cats….)

If you are already interested in either, you are welcome to attend. It is this weekend. Friday evening is at the Hopkins High School Auditorium and Saturdays program is at the Kelly Inn in St Paul @ 3:00. Each is $10:00.

Details can be found at mwca.us.

Hope to see you there

This weekend, I’ve added a new FAQ on moon phases, and a link to Klockit.com (a battery clock supply company). If you are mechanically inclined,
you might want to see if you could replace your battery clock movement. I would recommend that you remove your movement first, so you can match the hand shaft length, the type of minute hand (minute hands have either round holes or “I shaft”), and how it’s attached to the your clock case. Klocktit has over 100 different type of battery movements, so you will want to pay attention, especially if the hands are behind glass. You also might find that manufactures have many ingenious ways of attaching the movement to your clock. Best of luck!

Every so often, some on tells me that they have a tempus fugit clock. Well, it happens enough that I thought that should post a FAQ on it.

I hope you have a great new year!

Well, with regards to Bob Dylan, the times they are a’ changing…this weekend, actually.  Back to Central Standard Time. Changing time can take a lot of time — someone told me of a documentary on the guy who takes care of all of clocks for the Queen of England. It takes all day to change them in just one of the palaces. The royal family has lots of castles, and they are all over of the country.

Even though I don’t have as many as the Queen, it still takes time to adjust all of the mechanical and appliance clocks, and I am always glad when it is done.

I always get get a lot of calls following time changes. People accidentally bump the hour and set it too far ahead. Even though the clock says that it’s set to Central Standard Time, the strike remains on Daylight Savings Time. No matter how long they wait, the chime never matches the strike. After a couple of days, they give up, and give all of us repair people a call.

It’s really easy to correct. All you have to do is move the hour hand so that it matches the number of times that the clock strikes. Be sure to leave the minute hand at the 12:00 position. I have a longer explanation on my FAQ page, but this is a place to start.

Anyway, I hope you don’t miss anything on Sunday.