O.T. Ukrainian watchmaker fixes Newfoundland clock tower that hasn't told time in decades

[Jim Christie]

I noticed a link to this story on my screen tonight so I thought I'd share it for some of the posters here who are into clock and watch making

Ukrainian watchmaker fixes Newfoundland clock tower that hasn't told time in decades

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - In an improbable confluence of geopolitical strife, childhood wonder and salty air, a Ukrainian watchmaker has repaired a 118-year-old town clock in eastern Newfoundland that hadn't

www.thecanadianpressnews.ca

There are some more pictures shown of the clock in this link

Ukrainian Residents Fix Old Town Office Clock in Carbonear

The clock in the clock tower at the old Carbonear town office is finally working again thanks to a little help...

vocm.com

I'm not sure how long the links will work but there are several versions of the story on line .

carbonear clock tower - Google Search

Jim

 

[dundeeshopnut]

"Leave it to a woman. She just climbed up and fixed the damm thing." said Mother upon reading this,,,,

 

[animal12]

We don't protect woman cause their weak , we protect them cause we need them .
Don't remember where I read that , but I like it . Real nice story !
animal

 

[L Vanice]

My father found out a local tower clock was about to be scrapped in 1965. We went to look at it and I was a bit doubtful about how to get it home. It was a fairly big single dial timepiece by Seth Thomas. Luckily, another clock collector bought it before I could decide if I wanted to try to move it. He installed it in a second floor room of his house with the hands exposed on the adjoining wall facing a stairway. Sure glad he got it because it was a few years later before I got comfortable moving largish lathes and stuff.

The setting dial on the Carbonear tower clock has a name on it, but I could not read it in the picture. In the US around 1905, Seth Thomas was the most common maker, followed by E. Howard. There may have been Canadian makers and there were certainly English makers.

Tower clock collecting is a very specialized corner of the hobby because of the limited supply and size of the things. These days they tend to be quite expensive. Here is a sample of a collection in Illinois. Left and right are timepieces (no striking) and the center clock strikes (striking gear train left of the time train). All three are by E. Howard, Boston. The owner liked to have his collection restored to new or better appearance and employed very talented people.

Larry

 

[rustyironism]

Fine Arts Models is no longer there, but The Mariner, in Marine City, Michigan, is still open and the two clocks were still there a few months ago.

Headquarters for Fine Art Models – Fine Art Models

The 18 foot long Titanic model was sold several years ago.

Mariner

In addition to movies, the Mariner now includes an art gallery, and unique retail that provides a narrative shopping experience. The stage at the Mariner offers an eclectic use of space from art exhibitions, sit down activities, special events, presentations and more.

mariner-mc.com

I think at one time the clocks were for sale....
Mike

 

[Jim Christie]

Thanks to Mike and Larry for their posts with the pictures and links.
There was a story about a clock that was restored in Almonte Ontario a few years ago that I thought I may have shared here before but the search I tried didn't turn it up .
It was restored by Ron Caron who has since passed away

Almonte man makes time work for him

ALMONTE - Time waits for no man, except Ron Caron.

www.insideottawavalley.com

Ron Caron passes away

Ron Caron, a remarkable citizen of Mississippi Mills, died last night. Since his retirement from the CBC, where he served as a skilled machinist, Ron donated countless hours of his time and provided technical and production expertise to many local arts organizations – including the Mississippi Va

millstonenews.com

There was a radio or TV news video at the time he handed the care of the clock over to the next caretaker but I can't find it now.
I did find this YouTube video of where the new caretaker demonstrates the clock

Some more pictures connected with it here.

Almonte clock tower clock tour

I captured the image from the video showing the Almonte clock was made in Birmingham by W.F. Evans and Sons.
In my search I did find this older thread about the tower clock in Toronto's Old City Hall and then YouTube video and some of the other links still work.

Changing the time on a big clock

I saw this on TV last night and and thought some here might like to see it The You Tube link may work better for longer for some of you . Changing the time on a big clock Changing the time on a big clock - YouTube copied from the link,. “Published on Nov 2, 2018 “As daylight time comes to an...

www.practicalmachinist.com

Some of you may have seen it before.
Jim

 

[dundeeshopnut]

Very interesting. I have seen the clock in Almonte, but didn't get the "backstage tour".

 

[discodan]

A local tower clock collector and restorer donated his machine shop to Tuckahoe this summer. He also gave us the winding mechanism for the clock that came out of Wrigley Tower in Chicago. Pretty cool.

 

[Jim Christie]

Part of my interest in tower clocks comes from the fact that a small drill grinder came from an estate of a fellow who did tower clock repairs .
I thought I'd take a look and see what else I could find on line about them .
I found this book on making a tower clock that I took a relatively quick scroll through ,

The tower clock designed and made for the University of Chicago, by the Chicago manual training school of the University of Chicago. By Earl Bixby Ferson ...​

The tower clock designed and made for the University of Chicago, by the Chicago manual training school of the University of Chicago. By Earl Bixby Ferson ...

I noticed in the introduction that the students also made some machinery that is shown at the end of the book.
I attached a paragraph below.
I will start another thread showing these in case a survivor turns up somewhere later on or perhaps they have as an unknown machine.
Jim

 

[animal12]

E Howard also built the clocks in the Ferry Building in San Francisco . To Quote Wikipedia
" The Ferry Building has its original Special #4 clock made in 1898 by the Boston clock maker E. Howard. It was the largest wind-up, mechanical dial clock in the world but is now powered by an electric motor. The four dials are each 22 feet (6.7 m) in diameter, and a portion of the dial appears to be back-lit at night. This is the effect of two concentric dials on each clock face, in which the inner dial is lit and visible at night . My mom once told that her pop did some work on that clock .
animal

 

[EmGo]

" The Ferry Building has its original Special #4 clock made in 1898 by the Boston clock maker E. Howard. It was the largest wind-up, mechanical dial clock in the world but is now powered by an electric motor. The four dials are each 22 feet (6.7 m) in diameter, and a portion of the dial appears to be back-lit at night.

Well damn. Was going to illustrate your point with a recent photo but looks like the dirty rat bastards are trying to save electricity. Either that or someone forgot to turn on the clock lights that night, cuz I thought they were lit up too ....

 

[Jim Christie]

I found this example of a Seth Thomas tower clock

here ,

Illustrated catalogue of Seth Thomas, New Haven, E. N. Welch and Welch, Spring & Co., clocks.

Jim

 

[animal12]

I spent just about every other weekend in SF up tell 69 when my grand pa died . Going to the zoo & the park & museum , aquarium & playland at the beach . Last time I spent any time in the city after that was up till Winterland closed . I used to love that city . Now it's something I may drive through to get somewhere else . MY folks were both born & raised in that city & I'm sure glad their not here to see it now .
animal

 

[animal12]

Never seen a large mechanical clock in the wild , maybe one in a museum somewhere . Me & a bud were talkin bout some of the clock guys on youtube that make & fix old vintage clocks & he said it's wonder they were able to design things like this with no cad back in those days . I told him they had cad , a pencil/pen ,paper & a slide rule . I gotto wonder lookin at pic's of the large clocks is how many guys lost a finger tip workin on one of these machines .
animal

 

[MrStretch]

I was lucky to have twice been up to see the Great Clock at Westminster and stand just a few feet from Big Ben at noon. The clock is the size of a flat bed truck and is quite a few flights of narrow stairs above ground. Got to walk around behind the giant dials as well.

 

[EmGo]

I spent just about every other weekend in SF up tell 69 when my grand pa died . Going to the zoo & the park & museum , aquarium & playland at the beach . Last time I spent any time in the city after that was up till Winterland closed . I used to love that city . Now it's something I may drive through to get somewhere else . MY folks were both born & raised in that city & I'm sure glad their not here to see it now .

You should spend more time there. Lots of techie idiots (but they are losing their jobs, good riddance and fuck you, Ed Lee) ... it's still good. Not "the same" but none of us get to stay young forever. Can't bring back 1965.

If you think the city has gone to shit, try Marin.

 

[L Vanice]

I was lucky to have twice been up to see the Great Clock at Westminster and stand just a few feet from Big Ben at noon. The clock is the size of a flat bed truck and is quite a few flights of narrow stairs above ground. Got to walk around behind the giant dials as well.

Closest I got to the clock tower was attending Christmas morning service at Westminster Abbey in 1976, then walking along the Thames to have dinner at the Savoy. At my age, 334 steps up and back down would not be possible.

https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/...Visitors must be aged 11,end of the tour only. Touring the clock tower.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben All about the clock and a video closeup of winding and oiling it.

Larry