What is the purpose of the small screws fitted to the 2 discs above the pendulum?
The length is short of touching the posts?
The length is short of touching the posts?
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The NAWCC Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Mr. Rory McEvoy has been named Executive Director of the NAWCC. Rory is an internationally renowned horological scholar and comes to the NAWCC with strong credentials that solidly align with our education, fundraising, and membership growth objectives. He has a postgraduate degree in the conservation and restoration of antique clocks from West Dean College, and throughout his career, he has had the opportunity to handle some of the world’s most important horological artifacts, including longitude timekeepers by Harrison, Kendall, and Mudge.
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Rory is a British citizen and currently resides in the UK. Pre-COVID-19, Rory and his wife, Kaai, visited HQ in Columbia, Pennsylvania, where they met with staff, spent time in the Museum and Library & Research Center, and toured the area. Rory and Kaai will be relocating to the area as soon as the immigration challenges and travel restrictions due to COVID-19 permit.
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Please join the entire Board and staff in welcoming Rory to the NAWCC community.Thanks Kurt, that's a surprise, but the screws are so tiny I didn't think they wouldn't be of any use as balance screws.Welcome to the message board! Those small screws around the circumference of the gallery disks are decorative in nature. They don't have any actual function other than that.
Kurt
Hi Nigel,Its unusual being German that they are not functional.
Thanks Eric,Hi Nigel,
The galleries themselves only serve as decorations so adding decorative screws seems appropriate. Some Becker designer must have liked the look. The earliest Becker disc pendulums didn't have the screws. They come and go over the years.
On other brands the screws actually hold the galleries together.
Eric
Hi EricHi Nigel,
The galleries themselves only serve as decorations so adding decorative screws seems appropriate. Some Becker designer must have liked the look. The earliest Becker disc pendulums didn't have the screws. They come and go over the years.
On other brands the screws actually hold the galleries together.
Eric
Thanks Kurt that's very interesting information, as it dates my clock between 1900-1906 I think.Nigel -
John Hubby has a significant post here which provides production information as well as some details of Becker clocks:
Post Your Gustav Becker Clocks Here | NAWCC Forums
There are catalogs out there which document some of the early models. The only other place I can think of now is articles that were written in the Torsion Times, a quarterly publication of Chapter 168 the 400-Day chapter of the NAWCC. Those publications are not currently online but they might be down the road, although that road is a bit unclear! The entire collection of Torsion Times publications was offered for sale over the past couple of years. Some of us took advantage of that, if they had not already had their copies from being a member of the Chapter. Not sure of the status of left over copies, though.
Kurt
Hi Nigel,Thanks Eric,
Hi Eric
Thanks Eric all tricky stuff. I bought my clock because it was early and in an Ebonised case. Slowly cleaning up the mess, and damage.
View attachment 633321
Hi KurtNigel -
Does the back plate have a serial number? Or does it only have the GB logo? I see one logo has been date-ranged to 1900-1906. Those logos have subtle differences that take some close inspection to narrow the choice.
Kurt
Yes I looked at Johns revised notes and that's really good that its well over 100 yrs old, making it a genuine Antique.Based upon John Hubby's estimated production numbers, that serial number dates to about Apr/May 1904.
Kurt
Yes I looked at Johns revised notes and that's really good that its well over 100 yrs old, making it a genuine Antique.
The age and unique ebonised case is what attracted me to it, also being German.
Unfortunately like every old clock, there are lots of age and owner related issues to deal with, ea consuming
a lot of time to fix. Anyway thanks for your help Kurt.
I have attached some of the dealer photos, unfortunately the original gilt lacquer was too far gone to save, plus the brass had oxidisedYes I looked at Johns revised notes and that's really good that its well over 100 yrs old, making it a genuine Antique.
The age and unique ebonised case is what attracted me to it, also being German.
Unfortunately like every old clock, there are lots of age and owner related issues to deal with, ea consuming
a lot of time to fix. Anyway thanks for your help Kurt.
I own this example, please see the pendulum pics, note the decorative edge, which the dial bezel also has, sorry a bit out of focus on a couple of pics.The pendulum is lead filled as someone had over tightened the centre screw pulling the post down and with it the 2 weights, making a slight impression.I think he means this.
View attachment 633533
Hi EricHi Nigel,
I have not encountered one with an Ebonised case before. All the literature I've seen shows only oak, walnut, or mahogany for the choices. I wonder if your case has been refinished.
Eric
Hi Eric
I think the ebonising is original, its been there a long time as the finish shows significant age related deterioration.
I stripped the case down to clean up the glass and all the frame joins had ebonising on them. There is a red lead primer under the ebonising.
I'll post a pic showing the underneath tomorrow.
Note the pencilled date over the ebonised finish.
Hi KurtI had to put on my sunglasses to look at the pictures! Nice work! I need to work harder on my clocks...they don't look anything like yours!
Kurt
Yes I thought a spring was missing, I have some spring steel feeler gauge strips which I can make one from.Nigel -
What you need is something that creates a somewhat tight fit of the cannon pinion to the center arbor that sticks out from the front plate. Not sure if this is a full list, but I can think of 1) a football shaped or even round washer that is concave that fits between the pinion and the front plate; 2) a cannon pinion that "squeezes" in the middle such that it grabs onto the center arbor; or 3) a flexible washer under the hand nut or if a taper pin goes through the end of the arbor, it pushes the flexible washer toward the plate. These things tend to create a little friction on the cannon pinion do it doesn't allow the minute hand to flop down but allows some movement when you move the minute hand around. On my Beckers, I think I've had 2) and 3) most of the times.
Kurt
Hi KurtYes I thought a spring was missing, I have some spring steel feeler gauge strips which I can make one from.
Unlike the Eureka clocks which don't have one.
Thanks Kurt.
Thanks Kurt, what are they made from, brass or steel? There are no witness marks on the back of the wheel. The centre arbor is stepped where it come through the front plate, so the tension spring could be fitted clear of the front plate.I tried to measure some premade ones that I have...they seem to be the same dimension 0.005" or 0.15mm. Not sure about annealing.
Kurt
Thanks what are the dimensions of an original, just out of interest?The one I looked at, and typically, was made of steel. Often times too, there's a large flat washer that actually touches the end of the cannon pinion and then the spring sandwiches between the shoulder on the center arbor and the backside of the washer...so there won't be any witness marks.
Kurt
All good thanks for your help, I'll file it down to fit and see if there is room for a thin washer which I can make.Sorry, I wish I had a Becker apart at the moment. Of the few that I've worked on, one had a football shaped spring but no backing washer that I mentioned. The other two have a "necked down" cannon pinion that creates drag on the center arbor. I think of the situation this way...if the cannon pinion were "glued" to the center arbor, the clock would still work but you just couldn't move the minute hand to adjust the time. So, in reality all this tension washer or whatever setup is being used is for is to not permanently fix the cannon pinion to the arbor but provide enough drag somewhere so that the minute hand will stay put at it rotates from 0:15 to 0:45 but can still be moved when needed.
Kurt
Thankyou all understood, I am filing down the spring using diamond files, its a lot of work for such a small tension spring.
But hopefully worth it. I am familiar with this spring as I have other clocks fitted with it.
WE HAVE A PROBLEM HERE, there is no room for a tension spring. With the new spring fitted un-tensioned if tensioned it would push the cannon pinion wheel off the gear below it. Only a day wasted making 2 springs for nothing!Thankyou all understood, I am filing down the spring using diamond files, its a lot of work for such a small tension spring.
But hopefully worth it. I am familiar with this spring as I have other clocks fitted with it.
Thanks Eric, I'll work something out, but I think the clock has always been like this and run efficiently. I'lNot all Beckers are created equal. Your cannon pinion should be friction fit to the tapered center arbor. There is a cutout section in the middle where you can squeeze it gently to give the fit.
View attachment 638685
Here is one from another of my Beckers.
View attachment 638686
No tension washer is needed with these.
Eric
Hi Eric Thankyou for your suggestion, I am a bit reluctant to compress the cannon pinion as the clock has always been that way.Not all Beckers are created equal. Your cannon pinion should be friction fit to the tapered center arbor. There is a cutout section in the middle where you can squeeze it gently to give the fit.
View attachment 638685
Here is one from another of my Beckers.
View attachment 638686
No tension washer is needed with these.
Eric
I should have looked at it more closely than spinning off into mainspring explosion.Thanks Eric, I'll work something out, but I think the clock has always been like this and run efficiently. I'l
Hi Eric Thankyou for your suggestion, I am a bit reluctant to compress the cannon pinion as the clock has always been that way.
Let me finish it, and see how the min hand holds, I do have a brass spacer I made that can be used to create tension between the cannon pinion and hr wheel. This is all exhausting.
View attachment 638687
There should be no tension between the cannon pinion and the hour wheel! If there is the clock won't run.I do have a brass spacer I made that can be used to create tension between the cannon pinion and hr wheel.
OK, I'll go without it. Thanks Eric.There should be no tension between the cannon pinion and the hour wheel! If there is the clock won't run.
Eric
No the brass spacer goes behind the centre arbor collet, infront of the min hand, it doesn't put pressure on the hr wheel tube because it stops at the front square of the cannon pinion.OK, I'll go without it. Thanks Eric.
The centre arbor hands collet is too shallow.No the brass spacer goes behind the centre arbor collet, infront of the min hand, it doesn't put pressure on the hr wheel tube because it stops at the front square of the cannon pinion.
I will have this part sleeved again.From memory, I don't think there's a center sleeve. The cut down portion just makes it easier to squeeze between the fingers to create the drag needed on the center arbor. Maybe one has to use pliers, but thinning it down makes it easier to do that.
Kurt
The burr left in the cannon pinion is not for applying drag for the min hand, its simply left from the machining process and should be removed.It's not clear to me what you're trying to do. Sleeving it again? It wasn't sleeved to start with. This is what the pinion looks like in place after just slipping off the hour pipe on a GB of mine.
Kurt
View attachment 638879