Making Metal Clockworks for Home Machinists. Stan Bray

      Introduction

      Clockmaking appears to hold a fascination all of its own, particularly among model engineers, many deciding to make a clock after having made models of various types. There is something absolutely fascinating about clockmaking that seems to draw one toward it. This book is intended as a brief introduction to the tools, materials, and methods generally used and to offer an explanation of general forms of construction. It is not a book of plans, but those who have sufficient confidence could use the information it contains to make a simple clock.

      Although clocks come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, the basic principle behind a mechanical clock has not changed for about five hundred years. Of course, modern materials and tools have superseded some of the older ones, but apart from this, the horologist will still tend to work in the traditional fashion.

      Clockmaking has long been part of the model engineering hobby rather than being entirely the preserve of the horologist, and the type of workshop owned by the average model engineer is quite suitable for the work. Although a special workshop is not required, one thing that will not do is to work in a workshop that is full of swarf and other rubbish. Accepting that we cannot always have a clinically clean place in which to operate, particularly if it serves several purposes, it is still possible to make a clean area for special use, and this should be a priority. A corner of the workshop can be cleaned and any oil or grease lying on the bench swabbed off. Keep this area clean while clockmaking operations are in progress. It is a good idea to make a false top for the workbench and cover it with baize or a similar material that is soft and will not cause damage to polished metal.

      As with all new projects, do not try to run before you can walk. Don’t start by trying to build a complicated mechanism such as a full Westminster Chime, but rather make something simple. A mechanism with a single hand is a good idea; such a piece when well polished can look attractive as well as being fascinating to watch when it is working. Visit museums where clock movements can be studied and note how they work. There is actually nothing very complicated about clocks, and most people should soon grasp the basic principles of construction.

      All we are looking for when making a clock is a means of making a spindle with a hand attached to it rotate at a given speed. The spindle needs to be driven by some form of power, usually a very primitive form. A means to regulate that power is also required, in order for it to run at a particular speed. If you are hoping to finish your first efforts in this side of the hobby with a masterpiece that neither loses nor gains more than a second or two a year, then you are probably going to be disappointed. It will be possible to achieve a reasonable degree of accuracy and, more importantly, to discover how to improve that accuracy as a result of what has been learned.

      When one purchases a very old clock, the chances of it ever being regulated to keep accurate time are generally very small. In this day and age, we are used to being able to buy very cheap clocks almost anywhere that are remarkably accurate. They are controlled by what amounts to a computer chip, and this is how that accuracy is obtained. These timepieces are what one might describe as soulless—they do not have the fascination of the mechanical device—although it must be admitted, they do their job perfectly. The fact that we cannot get this high degree of accuracy does not mean that our clock will be outrageously inaccurate and, after all, for many years it was quite customary to set a clock to the correct time once every week or so.

       Seen at an exhibition at the British Horological Institute were these clocks made basically from Meccano.

      Fortunately for those who are beginning, the material that will be used is neither extensive nor expensive when compared to the castings, etc., used for model engineering purposes, so do not be frightened to make a part more than once if something has gone wrong. It is far better than trying to recover something that has not been correctly made in the first place. Unlike building model locomotives or traction engines, where there are expensive castings to be bought, some brass sheet, a few bits and pieces of drill rod, and we are in business.

       Although we generally think of brass as the material used for clockmaking, there is no reason why other materials should not be used. The photograph shows a wheel for a clock made from

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