Skeleton clocks

[Sam StonesParticipant @samstones42903]

As a time-served toolmaker (1950-1956) and now a retired engineer with a significant background in plastics technology, I have a renewed interest in model engineering.

Now the following may take some of you back in time because, soon after arriving in Melbourne c.1972, I began to build the Skeleton Clock which was previously featured in FIVE editions of `Model Engineer’.

I almost completed the build, but for many reasons and too many years, it has sat waiting to be finished.

Although I loaded the designs of almost all of the clock parts into CadKey (now KeyCreator), to give me a 3D solids version, a few of the parts were overlooked.

Foolishly, I gave away all my copies of `Model Engineer’, including those describing the clock. This means that I have no way of taking the clock to completion.

If anyone can provide details of the balance spring (as I recall it was made from 9 turns of 0.02″ x 0.005″ wire), AND the two items to which the ends of the balance spring were attached, I would be most grateful.

 

Regards,

 

Sam

[Sam StonesParticipant @samstones42903]

Missing details

[NilochParticipant @niloch]

Hello Sam,

My  Model Engineer collection doesn’t go back anywhere near to circa.1972 so I cannot be of immediate help, although, I suspect others here will have the information at their finger tips.  If you knew the name of the author of the clock serial it would help considerably, failing that the following might be of assistance:

http://www.ritetimepublishing.com

http://www.clockmaking-brass.co.uk

Good luck.

[Ian S CParticipant @iansc]

The copies of ME with the clock are, Vol 138, issues 3435, 3439, 3438, 3437, 3434. Someone may come up with perhaps copies of the articals, or even complete mags, hope this is of use. Ian S C

[WearyParticipant @weary]

The Balance Spring is in Volume 138, 1972, Number 3438, pages 326 and following.

Steel 0.0005in thick by 0.020 wide. (Per text not available commercially so reduced from wider strip).

 

If you send me your email I can send you more info’ if you wish.

[Sam StonesParticipant @samstones42903]

Thanks for all your replies.

 

With very limited workshop facilities, and not thrilled with the idea of trimming a wider strip of spring steel, I wondered if I could instead substitute round (piano) wire for the spring of the balance wheel.

 

Since the spring will operate primarily in bending through its thickness (0.005″ I believe), and a moment of inertia in that direction of 0.000087mm4, an equivalent round section would be 0.00807″ dia (0.205mm). I have no idea if this size is available.

 

A clock maker once advised me that a rectangular section was chosen so as not to sag in the vertical sense (this helical spring hangs vertically). Also there was some statement about the spring wobbling (as opposed to `breathing’), if not wound/made correctly. 

 

Sam 

[Mike Priest 1Participant @mikepriest1]

Hello Sam, My name is Mike. I'm from Blaenavon, S. Wales(G.B). I see that you have completed your skeleton clock with some success. I to am in the process of making the very same clock. I have no experience of clock building so I probably won't use the correct terms to tell my problem, but here goes anyway. I have all the original articles from the Model Engineer magazine from 1972 but I still don't know if I have missed some vital detail or not. There does not seem to be a clutch mechanism which connects the 'motion works' -as John Stevens calls it- to 'going train' so I can,t how the time could be set. It appears to me that the minute hand will always be connected to the going train.

I am not sure what the protocols for using this facility are because this is a first for me. Any help will be much

appreciated. Mike.

[Sam StonesParticipant @samstones42903]

Hi Mike,

I've sent you a personal message.

Meanwhile, try a few keywords in the All Topics drop down list (Clocks).

Eg. skeleton; spring; balance; fishy; … Most of my posts are about the skeleton clock.

Regards,

Sam

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

The 4 pages mentioned above from 3438 start here.

Right click & save image as …to save them

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