Post Your Foliot, Anno, Columbus, ( _ _ _ _ ) Clock Here

[bearzworkshop]

Should it be twisted or braided? I don't know which would be less likely to slip (I tried handspun wool and it slipped too much).

 

[shutterbug]

Scottie - any knowledge of where to get an English translation?

 

[blueloon]

I'm at a total loss here. My brother-in-law asked if I could look at this clock for a friend of his. He said it ran good right up until the cord broke. I've read through this whole thread looking for info and found a lot of good things, but cannot find the specifics I need. I've never seen one of these before and have no idea:

1. how long the cord should be?
2. does the cord just go over the sprocket?
3. which weight goes on which side?
4. is there something else (a pulley or something) that they neglected to send along?
5. what else do I need to know?

Someone made a really nice wooden box to enclose this clock, which has kept it very clean. I will, however, clean it as long as I have to fix it. Thanks for any and all help you experts give me!

 

[harold bain]

I'm repairing a similar clock, without the box. The string is long enough to reach the floor, plus about a foot, so it depends how high your brother-in-law wants to hang it (the higher you hang it, the longer it will run). The cord just goes over the sprocket. The counterweight is needed to keep the rope from slipping on the sprocket. The heavy weight is on the left side. Don't oil it. Don't expect good timekeeping, the one I'm working on is as good as it gets at about 5-10 minutes a day (might get better with some bucket weight adjusting).

 

[Scottie-TX]

SHUT: What do you want translated?
HAROLD pretty much covered the bases. If you're gonna hang it about seven feet - about seven or so feet of cord.
Choice of cord? Search, "venetian blind cord". It is the perfect match for the original cord and well may be what was originally used.
Some had a pulley. Many did not. Without a pulley run time is about a half day. With a pulley you'll get a full day but need double weight - apx two lb, without a pulley; four, with a pulley.

 

[harold bain]

Scottie, I think venetian blind cord would be too thin. The cord on mine is about 1/4 inch thick and matches the wheel it rides in well. Looks like a cotton rope. It is only held to the wheel by friction, so it needs as much as it can get.

 

[blueloon]

Thanks for the info, Harold. It seems simple enough. But that usually means I'll find a BIG problem somewhere along the way.

 

[Scottie-TX]

Scottie, I think venetian blind cord would be too thin.

Please don't take my word for it. It only worked on every clock I used it except one. That one has a metal drum.

 

[blueloon]

I got some 1/8" x 45' cotton/poly from Home Depot (has a picture of venetian blinds on the package) and it works great. The size of the cord looks exactly like the pieces I got with this clock. I added up the lengths of the three pieces that were there and got just over 7 feet for the length, so that's what I used. Cleaned it up, put the new cord in, and it's been running since. Not too bad a time-keeper. Thanks, Harold and Scottie!

 

[harold bain]

Scottie, certainly you have much more experience with these than I do. I probably shouldn't assume the cord on mine is original, but it works well.

 

[Scottie-TX]

Well HAROLD that is a very unusual version I've never had but have seen. I suspect your cord very probably is original and that perhaps this version may need heavier cord. I have seen others that do need heavier cord. Most don't.

 

[leeinv66]

This is the stuff Scottie is talking about. Being a natural fiber, it is a larger diameter than its more common synthetic cousin. It is the perfect size for these clocks.

 

[Scottie-TX]

Yeah, SEE, and it even says, "Satisfaction Guaranteed"!

 

[Joseph Jones]

Hello All,

I have a Buco table or shelf clock (verge, spring wound) a number of which have already been posted. I disasembled and cleaned it and it appears to be running fine except for...

It gains an hour about every 6 hours! Extremely fast! I've moved the flags to the outermost ends of the verge bar, but still very fast! How do I slow the critter down?

Thanks,

Joe
Cincinnati

 

[Scottie-TX]

Well that is very unusual. I've had several of these and most regulate with wag weights half or further inboard. Are wag weights original? You might could add weight to them. That would slow it down.

 

[amrobinson]

Hi,
Just bought one of these clocks in an antique fair in Platja d'Aro in Spain .. exactly like the one pictured above for 5 euros. Seems to be missing weights from upper arms .. any clues as to how to make it work?
Thanks in advance
amrobinson

 

[amrobinson]

Here are a couple of mine that I find interesting Scottie!


My flying ball type. It can be a pain to set up and is a shocking time keeper. But once running, it is fascinating to watch.



Note the unusual method used to move the hands. Where most are driven by pins on the front of the winding arbor, this one uses levers.



This one is made of some kind of compressed plastic. Much more robust than the normal plastic kit clocks you see. It is a very good time keeper and not at all fussy.



This one is an on going project. Started out as all plastic, but now only has plastic gears, hand and wag arm. I will finish it one day!

Ok, trying again .. just bought one identical to the one pictured third down in this post .. same question as before .. any ideas as to how to make it work, it seems to be missing arm weights ..
amrobinson

 

[Scottie-TX]

I'm a tad confluzed: Your recent acquisition is like the resin plastic one? I've never had an Ignatz flying ball model so I won't be much help there. Like yourself I also have reconstructed the plastic version with wood structure, retaining plastic wheels.
Now back to your question. Which are you trying to resurrect. I could help with a dial for your project if you'd like.

 

[Scottie-TX]

Rob?

 

[Nick Ryan]

Before you all jump up and down, I know the last post (bugle plays in background) was 2011 but as it has not been closed and is entitled Post Your Foliot, Anno, Columbus, ( _ _ _ _ ) Clock Here that's what I am going to do, my latest addition to the foliot department. Nick

 

[Scottie-TX]

Wull NICK thank you very much! That is indeed an unusual version of this ubiquitous timepiece. Appears to be entirely metal? I really like that oversized contrate escape wheel and that it is skeletonized to the max. I note also it is a two wheel version that is less common. Looks very reminiscent of perhaps a SELVA product. It more closely imitates the original version. Nice. VERY nice. Thanx NICK! Can you tell us any more about your clock? Any time you get tired of looking at this PLEASE contact me!

 

[Nick Ryan]

Wull NICK thank you very much! That is indeed an unusual version of this ubiquitous timepiece. Appears to be entirely metal? I really like that oversized contrate escape wheel and that it is skeletonized to the max. I note also it is a two wheel version that is less common. Looks very reminiscent of perhaps a SELVA product. It more closely imitates the original version. Nice. VERY nice. Thanx NICK! Can you tell us any more about your clock? Any time you get tired of looking at this PLEASE contact me!

Hi Scottie, did you notice that it has 2 cords?, you normally wind these by turning that fiddly little capstan wheel a 1/4 turn or whatever you can get your hands on and it seems to take forever, well this clock is different, it has a second cord with a counter weight on the end, as the main weight drops through gravity the small counter weight and its cord is wound ONTO the back of the drum, then when the clock has stopped you simply pull the counter weighted cord downwards which winds the main weight cord back onto the drum.

Also it does not have the little plastic bushes, they are all brass. I know the main weight is wrong, I have to make a replacement out of some lead I have. Nick

 

[leeinv66]

That's a nice clock Nick!!! How long does it run on a wind?

 

[Nick Ryan]

Hi Pee Tah, depending on how high I hang it I can get 24 hours out of it, it all depends on the length of string, how long is a piece of string LOL. Thanks for the nice comment. Where do you live? PM me if you want to, kind regards, Nick

 

[JDCKent]

Hello guys,
Found this thread a little late, but nonetheless here's another version of a verge and foliot. Don't know if this would have been made Selva as well. Maybe someone out there might be able to shed some light. I've had this one for almost a decade. Best, Justin

 

[steeeve]

Hello clock word! I am not much of a clock collector, but I am considering purchasing a supposedly 14th-15th century verge and foliot wall clock, but I am not sure of it's authenticity. I did some research of my own online, but I could not find anything about this particular clock given the numerous variations and companies that produced these kinds. I would very much appreciate it if anyone on this thread or website could give me any direction or information about this clock(age, value, rarity, etc...). Thank you, Steve.

 

[ballistarius]

Steve, if that clock were a true medieaval timepiece, its price would be astronomical...
If the price asked fro this one isn't astronomical, then it is a replica and, if the price is astronomical... most probably it is a replica too
As to the clock itself, I would say that it has very nice and authentic-looking details, like the frame, the winding system and the gears with apparently triangular teeth. Not the same about the compound pulley for avoiding too frequent rewindings.

Aitor

 

[steeeve]

Thankyou so much for responding quickly ballistarius. I thought the same upon first inspection and after reading an article that said that no clock made in the 14th century still existed, but the fellow who is selling the clock said that the history of it is that it was a museum piece in Vienna, Austria, and then sold and given as a wedding gift to a couple who was wed in 1901, from whom he purchased it from their children. The only reason I believe it may be as old as he claims (15th century) is: 1.This article with an almost identical clock which is supposedly also from 1450-1600 (http://www.a-place-in-time.com/museum/Foliot.html) and 2. The iron work on the the frame and face appears to be hand forged with notches and imperfections. As far as the price is concerned, the man who is selling it is not a clock enthusiast and he doesn't know much about this clock or clocks in general, and I don't suppose he he would know the true value of the clock if it were as rare as you say. Still, he is not asking a minuscule price. He is asking a few thousand dollars which is why I wanted to confirm it's authenticity before making any moves. Thank you.

 

[ballistarius]

Steve,
There are people at this site with more horological knowledge than I have but...
BEAR IN MIND:
1.The clock on that website you link can be clearly seen in detail and, positively IT IS NOT MEDIEVAL. Hand forged iron, handmade, of course, but fairly recent, IMHO.
2. The clock you are interested in is EXACTLY like that on the website. The pics are dark and blurry and the metal seems to have been (artificially?) aged. Only a handful of medieval clocks survive and, two identical ones are, to say the least, supicious.
Just my two cents

Aitor

 

[pharmonic]

My first time here and I love it!
I have one of these clocks from my father.
It's still packed up in it's shipping box but I opened it to take pictures.
(The weights seem heavy)
I doubt that I will keep it so I am looking for opinions on what to do with it.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated!

 

[mcandrewji]

Hello
Does any one know what wood the the Baumann Buco Clocks were made from I need to fabricate some parts and want to try to match to the original material where possible. I am not really certain exactly what it is?

 

[D Crone]

Steve, did you end up buying this Foliot clock? I have one similar so I would like to know the rest of the story.

 

[D Crone]

D Crone

 

[dpaul7]

HELLO to all!

I have a number of these; I JUST got 3 working. One would run for maybe 45 seconds, then stop. Another one WANTED to run. A third one - - just didn't want to go! Here is how I fixed the problems: FIRST a good cleaning/dusting. Q-Tips helped a lot. All clocks seemed to need some lubrication... but I read about DO NOT OIL.
I had bought a clock kit (wood - modern design) that said to lightly sand the gears, then coat with PENCIL LEAD (graphite!)
I got some fine graphite, like you use in your car's keyhole - VOILA! 2 Clocks are "ticking" merrily away! On the third... well, there is a wheel at the top (I'm not knowledgeable enough yet to know what it's called... but little pins all around) - There are 2 wooden pins holding a thread connected to the wag arm. Pushed the pins in tight... clock is running. I really love these clocks... and for Medieval times, they were quite sufficient!

NOW a quick question: Does anyone have a spare pulley and the HEAVY weight for a continuous loop clock? (2 dials). I also need a pendulum... and the piece that supports the pendulum and attaches to the clock. OR a broken one (or two) for parts? I have 2 of these... again, I get a lot of joy out of these clocks!

DR

 

[kburke720]

Hello! I was recently gifted this clock from my Gramma, she lived in Germany in the 60s so I assume thats where it came from. There is no branding and it seems to be a more primitive build than most of the waaguhr(?) clocks I have seen online. It did not have wag arm weights or the drive weight and it looks a little beat up but I almost prefer it that way from an aesthetic stand point.

I have been trying to get it to run and have found the appropriate weights to get it to sustain 18 clicks before the top pallet flag crashes into the pins, always in the same few locations. By eye, the orientation of the pins and the rotation of escape wheel and verge look perfectly uniform. I am wondering if the problem is that the escape wheel is not aligned correctly, it does not intersect the verge at a right angle, but rather appears to be tipping forward a couple of degrees. It could also be possible the flags are not at the correct corresponding angles but I see no signs of bending. You can see the scratching on the flag from being forced past the pins. I would appreciate any thoughts on this, I have been unable to find a clock shoppe in the Detroit area where they were able to assist me. Thanks!

 

[leeinv66]

Hi kburke720, yes, that is an interesting variation you have there! I like the fact it has steel pinions. Most have wooden pinions and they are susceptible to wear and damage. Just looking at your pictures, I believe you are right that the problem is with the escape wheel alignment. It appears the steel front pivot is bent or incorrectly fitted to the arbor. What that does is vary the depth of the escape wheel pins as they pass the pallet flags and that is why the escapement is locking up. You will need to true up the rotation of the escape wheel before you can get this one to run.

 

[novicetimekeeper]

I've always wanted a flying pendulum clock for my preproom at work, but a foliot would be good too.

 

[leeinv66]

The flying ball clocks are a little tricky to set up. But, I like to watch mine run. Check it out at post #6

 

[shutterbug]

I agree with Peter that the front pivot is bent. There's where you'll need to focus your attention, and it will require disassembly to put right. When you get it apart, post a pic and we might be able to offer suggestions on how to fix it, if it's not just bent and can't be straightened.

 

[kburke720]

Thanks for the quick replies and solid input guys!

Not having the tools/confidence to take apart all of the verge and gear parts I was able to access the front pivot by just removing the clock face. It was very rigid and difficult to maneuver especially with everything in the way, but I managed to bend it up enough to bring the top and bottom pallets into an ~equidistant relation to the pins. I still had problems due to the escape wheel having too much give in-and-out, and was unable to bend the pivot inboard, but I altered a plastic washer to fix the gap without too much friction and still be removable.

The clock works now, at least it doesn't crash anymore... It will run for about half an hour and then creep to a halt. One manual tick of the escape wheel and it is off and running again. I hope this is just a weight issue? I have had best results so far with 5lb drive weight and 20 ounces for each regulator weight.

Also the ticks accelerate and decelerate within each rotation of the escape wheel, I assume this is because the front pivot is still not perfectly centered?

Thanks again, I am very excited to get this clock running again, it has been dormant for at least 35 years! Priority one now is finding suitable weights for it(see below)

 

[shutterbug]

5 lbs. sounds about right. Yes, even a little bend in the pivot will cause issues.

 

[kologha]

I recently obtained this clock from ebay. It was sold as a Rombach & Haas clock (the seller had it as Rombach Hass) who I very much doubt made it. I suspect the escape wheel is home made and the frame as well, with various other parts and stone weights taken from factory made clocks, the gears are plastic. It apparently came from a deceased estate. The stone weights were 22oz and 4oz respectively but the large one was removed prior to shipping the clock to me because the seller thought it might damage the clock if the parcel was roughly handled, to which I agreed. I found a suitable stone and fitted it together with two temporary foliot weights made from .54 calibre musket balls as it was minus the weights when purchased and it has been running for a week or so now. I have replaced the musket balls with better looking lead weights made from Snider bullets and the clock keeps time to within 15 minutes (one division on the dial) per day. All comments are welcome, especially any opinions on whether I should keep the clock running, or only run it occasionally as I am unsure how long the plastic gears are likely to last if it runs continuously.

 

[leeinv66]

Thanks for posting your clock kologha. I believe you are right that your clock started out as on of the plastic versions. Jacobi was the name of the company who made the plastic clock I have. I also made wooden plates for that one as a project. The arbors were prone to splitting when the steel pivots were inserted, so that probably explains why a new escape wheel was needed. I find these clocks only run for half a day at best, so I don't run mine all the time. I don't think you will wear out the plastic gears as long as they are meshing properly.

 

[kologha]

Hi Peter,
Thanks for your comments. I can't find a Jacobi on the 'net, did you purchase it locally or was it from the US? Mine will run about 9 hours as it is, but it is not yet in it's final position and I have had to shorten the cord by putting a loop in it. Once it's up in it's permanent position with the full length of cord I think it will run 12 hours. I don't want to put a pulley on the cord to extend the running time, and will probably also only run it occasionally. The mesh of the gears is good except for the pinion which drives the hand wheel. It is definitely home made and appears to be five panel pins (thin nails with small heads) hammered into the front of the winding arbour. One of them is tight when it engages the wheel, but the other four have plenty of backlash. It doesn’t appear to affect the running of the clock at all. Is the dial on your Jacoby wood or plastic? Mine has a wooden dial, hand and hand wheel which suggests it might be made from both a plastic as well as a wooden clock.
Cheers.

 

[leeinv66]

Mine has a plastic dial, so yes, yours could very well be a combination of wooden and plastic examples. The plastic ones I am familiar with were made in Germany. Here are the remnants of the packaging and instructions that I have acculturated. It might be of some use to you or others here.

 

[kologha]

Thanks Peter.
Cheers.

 

[Night_76039]

Hello All, hope the weekend is going well, I acquired what I'm told is the Bucco 1300. I found when I recieved it, that the top piece that holds the Left an Right weight blocks is broken off, with the left weight block an top wooden screw down, along with the arm, is missing ( broken off, an missing) along with someone used rocks on each endd of the rope instead what came as rope weight, an the small spline gear just below the face of the clock is missing. Is there anywhere u can get replacement parts for these clocks, I would like to get it back working to hang on the wall. My clock is the Bucco 1300 wood clock, not that plastic model kit that lots of people are selling on Ebay. I would like to find a copy of the instructions as well for this clock. Any help would be much appreciated, I will be posting some pics of the Bucco 1300 as soon. Please Forgive Me if I'm posting in the wrong area

 

[leeinv66]

Hi there Night_76039. The Buco model 1300 was made in Switzerland by a company called Baumann. We would need to see pictures of your clock and the broken parts to offer any advise on repairs or fabrication as new parts are not available for these clocks as far as I am aware.

 

[Night_76039]

Update to my post, now have pics, at the time of posting I had no pics of the Buco 1300 ( at least I think it is the 1300, forgive me if I'm incorrect ) wooden clock to go bye I apologize for that but here they are now

 

[leeinv66]

The good news is you are not missing a gear below the clock face. There should only be a (one) pin that advances the hand once per revolution. The wag are and weight are things you will either need to make or find from a donor clock. Many kits were designed to use rocks as weights. While these came in the kit with iron weights, the rocks will do the same thing.