Tiffany George S Tiffany Electric clock Serial number 2077 battery usage, doube action

[gmitche4]

My clock stopped after a week to find the 3V batteries had reduced to 2.3v. A push had it going again, but this voltage drop seems a lot in a week. The glass insulator seems fine, what other causes could cause heavy battery usage?
Is there a register of serial numbers?
Thanks
Graham

 

[eskmill]

As far as I am aware, there is no serial number registry of the Tiffany Never Wind battery clocks. The early double contact models were few in number likely on account of the their being rather expensive to manufacture. This led to a less expensive version that lowered manufacturing cost and a more durable product that sold well.

Your experience with short battery life is puzzling. It suggests that the circuit is remaining closed while the ribbon is being twisted.

The battery to electromagnet circuit should be brief and immediately cause the pin to slide upward and engage the glass bead thus opening the circuit until the opposite pin-closes the circuit to the opposite electromagnet.

On your clock, the circuit may be staying closed thus allowing the appropriate electromagnet to remain energized draining current from the battery. The action should be quick. Low battery voltage may be the cause. You could add a third cell to the battery for a 4.5 volt circuit for a faster response to circuit contact closure. An ammeter connected in series with the battery will reveal the duration of contact closure.

 

[gmitche4]

Thanks Les,
I'll try the 4 1/2 volt solution. I also have the mid size Tiffany with two balls which works well with 4 1/2 volts. The double action with 3V is seen in the video,
[video=youtube;QT3XRWbj2nA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT3XRWbj2nA&feature=youtu.be[/video]

I don't have a glass dome on my double action clock, 6 1/2 inches diameter, 11 inches high. I can't find a supplier. Forlorn hope perhaps

 

[John Hubby]

Thanks Les,
I'll try the 4 1/2 volt solution. I also have the mid size Tiffany with two balls which works well with 4 1/2 volts. The double action with 3V is seen in the video.

I don't have a glass dome on my double action clock, 6 1/2 inches diameter, 11 inches high. I can't find a supplier. Forlorn hope perhaps

Graham, I found one 6-1/2 inch diameter glass dome in a quick search, but it's about 15 inches tall. It's an old dome on Ben Bowen's website (www.glassdomes.com) and a bit expensive, but I do know that Ben will cut the dome to length for you if interested.

Regarding voltage I generally run all my Tiffany double contact models at 4.5 volts. Since you are getting a rapid discharge of your batteries there has to be something holding the contact too long.

The double contact models "do" have serial numbers, and Len Brenner was building a database to attempt dating of them. Unfortunately he passed away in early 2010 and his papers seem to have gone walkabout, so someone else will need to pick up the challenge. The single contact models don't have serial numbers to the best of my knowledge.

 

[gmitche4]

Thanks for the help John. I'll contact Glassdomes, but it's now around 70 US cents for an AUD the dome may well be out of range, certainly a bit more than the clock itself cost. I may have to live with it in a glass fronted cabinet, where it now resides! I can't see a serial number on my middle size Neverwind.
The two of them are a recent aquisition from this month's Chapter 72 annual auction, my first of the species and I'm enjoying them a lot.

 

[Tinker Dwight]

See if you can find an art glass blower around your area.
A wooden form can be quickly made the glass blown.
They just need to have a big enough annealing oven.
Just curious, what battery were you using?
Tinker Dwight

 

[gmitche4]

Just using 2 C batteries in series but will replace with 3 to make it 4 1/2 volts. I'll check local glassblowers, thanks.

 

[Frank Manning]

Graham,

I had one where the problem was the armature getting held by the coils. I added a thin piece of brass on the armature that would allow the coils to release it. It worked fine ever since. If you need a picture, please let me know.

Frank