Our next Mart will be on March 10th, 2024

Presidents Message,

We will continue to need some help setting up and taking down.  So arrive at 9:00 and help setup and stay after the educational talk to help return the room in the condition we found it in.  Thank you for your help in this.

Opens at 9:00 for setup and mart.
Robert Olney will be demonstrating glass cutting beginning at 10:00 during the mart.
Educational talk at 11:00.
Cleanup at 12:00.

We need a new secretary.  The main job is just to put this newsletter together.  Please offer to help so no one is overburdened, only takes around an hour per meeting.

We have some demonstrations planned for upcoming meetings as follows:

  • Mar – Glass cutting (Robert Olney)
  • May – Re-pivoting clock and watch arbors (Dempsey)
  • Sep– Balance staff and hairspring replacement (Dempsey)
  • Nov – Winding clock & watch mainsprings (Osterud/Dempsey)
  • Jan – Resilver dials (White)

We had to presentations at our February mart. Harry Schultz gave a talk on Making a Calendar Wheel to replace a damaged wheel from an English Tall Case Clock.  He created a “simple” dividing plate and used it to layout his part.  He then cut the teeth with a splitting saw and jewelers saw.  After the part was cut Harry then filed it to shape and fitted it to the clock. Thanks Harry for this informative talk.

Michael Figueira discussed letting down the spring on a 1986 vintage Elgin 400-day clock.  This clock is known as a German time bomb.  It received this nickname from its less than obvious way to let down the tension in the mainspring. Letting the spring down incorrectly can cause the clock to rapidly disintegrate. Mike has successfully let down the spring, rebuilt the movement and currently keeps the clock in his wife’s sewing room for some reason. It is kept away from where his wife sits!

Thanks to Harry and Michael for these informative talks.

“A group of timepiece enthusiasts is gathering weekly in Mukwonago on Thursday evenings through April 11. The group consists mainly of former students of the defunct WCTC community extracurricular education program, and is seeking to expand its attendance with anyone who has an interest in learning about timepieces OR SHARING THEIR KNOWLEDGE. Currently, the meetings are BYOC (bring your own clock). As the attendees work on their timepieces, they share advice and opinions, troubleshoot and converse. If interested in attending, contact Kevin Schultz at usmc2nbpd@yahoo.com.”

Future educational talks planned:

  • March 10 – Danno will make a Presentation on Renaissance and other Clocks at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
  • May 19 – Craig White will make a presentation “Restoring a Scottish Musical Tall Case Clock”
  • Sept 22 – Amelia Osterud will give a talk entitled “Chauncey Jerome vs PT Barnum: The Great Bankruptcy of 1856”
  • Nov 17 – ?

We still need a volunteers for talks for 2024 & 2025.  Please contact Harry Schulz or myself with ideas or suggestions.  

Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.  We had some more clocks donated which the chapter will be selling at the silent auction table.

Hope to see you all there.
Thanks,
Craig

Sunday February 11th is our next mart

Doors open at 9:00 for setup. Educational talk at 11:00.  Cleanup at 12:00.
NOTE MEETING DATE CHANGE to not compete with Chapter 3 meeting date.

Presidents Message
We will continue to need some help setting up and taking down.  So arrive at 9:00 and help setup and stay after the educational talk to help return the room in the condition we found it in.  Mike Dempsey and I will be presenting a Seminar on “Burnishing clock and watch pivots” beginning at 10:00 during the mart.  Educational talk at 11:00. Cleanup at 12:00.

We also need a new secretary.  The main job is just to put this newsletter together.  Please offer to help so no one is overburdened, only takes around an hour per meeting.

For this marts educational talk you get two for the price of one! Harry Schultz will be giving a talk on Making a Calendar Wheel and Michael Figueira will discuss an Unusual Anniversary Clock.

We have had some requests to add some hands-on teaching seminars in basic clock and watch repair.  We started with Tool Sharpening in November during the mart and it was well attended.

  • Feb – Burnishing clock and watch pivots (White/Demsey)
  • Mar – Re-pivoting clock and watch arbors (Dempsey)
  • May – Balance staff and hairspring replacement (Dempsey)
  • Sep – Winding clock & watch mainsprings (Danno/Dempsey)
  • Nov – Resilver dials (White)

Tony Zimmer gave a very interesting talk on screw drivers.  He brought in at least 100 different screw drivers for both watch and clock work.  He emphasized the need to get screw drivers that feel right in your hands as everyone has different hands.  Start with finding the diameter of the handle that feels good to you.
Tony then suggested looking at handle lengths, some screw drivers sets have various handle lengths. The handle length increases with the size of blade the handle gets longer. Other sets all have the same length for all blade sizes.  Again, personal preference. 

Also look at size and shape of pad, ease of replacing blade and knurled feel of handle.  Some screw driver blades require removing 2 set screw while others are changed by just removing a nut holding the blade in handle.  Thanks, Tony, for explaining all the choices in screwdriver selection.

Future educational talks planned:
February 11 – Harry Schultz willbe giving a talk on Making a Calendar Wheel and Michael  Figueira will discuss an Unusual Anniversary Clock. Two for the price of one this month!
March 10 – Danno will make a Presentation on Renaissance Clocks
May 19 – Craig White will make a presentation “Restoring a Scottish Musical Tall Case Clock”
Sept 22 – TBA
Nov 17 – TBA

We still need volunteers for talks and/or demonstration for 2024.  Please contact Harry Schulz or myself with ideas or suggestions. 

Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.  We had some more clocks donated which the chapter will be selling at the silent auction table.
Hope to see you all there. 
Thanks,
Craig

Our next mart is November 12th.

 

Presidents Message,
Next meeting is November 12, 2023

We had our location temporarily moved to the larger hall just behind and to the south of our normal location and it seemed to work out well.  This is likely a one time move due to some conflicts with the normal location from the American Legion perspective.
We will continue to need some help setting up and taking down.  So arrive at 9:00 and help setup and stay after the educational talk to help return the room in the condition we found it in. 
Opens at 9:00 for setup and mart. Mike Dempsey and I will be presenting a Seminar on Tool Sharpening with Focus on Jewelers’ Lathe beginning at 10:00 during the mart.  Educational talk by Tony Zimmer on “Finding the Right Screwdriver” at 11:00. Cleanup at 12:00.

We also need a new secretary.  The main job is just to put this newsletter together.  Please offer to help so no one is overburdened, only takes around an hour per meeting.

We have had some requests to add some hands-on teaching in basic clock repair.  We are starting with Tool Sharpening in November during the mart.    At the close of this first one we will discuss future subjects. Please email me any ideas you have for future seminars. 

Congreve Clocks
Craig White gave a talk on the history of the Congreve rolling ball clock. Mike Demsey and Mike Figueira brought some of their Congreve rolling ball clocks to show as examples.  Both Mikes talked about their clocks.  Mike Figueira’s clock was even working during the Mart and Talk.  Thanks for bringing your examples.

The rolling ball clocks are mesmerizing to watch the ball going back and forth in its zig-zag pattern until the ball triggers the table to tilt in the other direction.  Then the ball moves in the opposite direction.  The clocks are not good time keepers but are fun to watch.

Sir William Congreve was able to obtain a patent for his clock design in 1808 but he was not a clockmaker.  Rather, Congreve fancied himself as an inventor and his designs included counterfeit-proof paper, pneumatic canal locks, and even a perpetual motion machine. He is probably most famous for his development of the Congreve rocket, a weapon which was successfully used at the battle of Leipzig (Germany) in the Napoleonic wars and less successfully at the siege of Baltimore during the war of 1812.  These were the rockets alluded to in the American National Anthem.

Why are they poor time keepers?  The answer lies partly in the way they operate.  The clocks are intriguing to watch as a small ball rolls down a zig-zag path on the pivoted table.  When the ball reaches the end of the path, the table tilts and the ball rolls back the other way.  The tilting of the table is the oscillation that the clock depends on.

The single largest timekeeping problem of these clocks is that the oscillator has no natural period of vibration.  The clock is completely dependent on the time taken between the two trigger levers being moved by the ball. This is, of course, dependent on the time taken for the ball to move down the zig-zag slope.  Any perturbation of the movement of the ball will result in an inaccuracy in timekeeping. It is necessary that the surface of the ball and the groove in the table be kept free of dirt, particularly oil or grease which would increase the friction between the surfaces and slow the ball’s descent.  This is not the only cause of error. To be truly accurate, the ball must take an equal time to complete its movement in both directions on each and every cycle.  Reproducibility is paramount.  A major problem exists in that as the table is lifted the ball begins its descent.  If there is a lack of uniform motion in the gear train of the movement through friction or other means, then the acceleration given to the ball will not be uniform and its rate of travel will be different on each pass.  Congreve was unaware of the importance of this dependency of his clock as opposed to a clock with a pendulum or balance wheel that is oscillating with a natural frequency.

Congreve was also unaware that when the detent wheel is abruptly stopped by the pin hitting the end of the detent lever there is kinetic energy which must be converted.  In John Wilding’s clock design, he places a fly on the detent wheel arbor in an attempt to absorb some of this energy.  Nonetheless, on close examination of the table’s movement in slow motion, the energy in the table as it comes to rest in its new position causes the table as it to “flutter”.  This fluttering will significantly affect the movement of the ball as it starts its downward journey.

Mike Dempsey and Craig White will each be making a Congreve Rolling Ball Clock to John Wildings design.  Further talks at the chapter meets will be given showing our progress.

Future educational talks planned:
November 12 – Tony Zimmer will give a talk and demonstration entitled “Finding the Right Screwdriver”
February 4 – Harry Schultz will be giving a talk on Making a Calendar Wheel
March 10 – Danno will make a Presentation on Renaissance Clocks

We still need volunteers for talks and/or demonstration for 2024.  Please contact Harry Schulz or myself with ideas or suggestions.  
Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.  We had some more clocks donated which the chapter will be selling at the silent auction table.

Hope to see you all there. 
Thanks,
Craig

Our next mart is September 17th

Presidents Message.

We had our second meeting at the new location and it seemed to work out well.  Let me know if you saw something that we need to change to make it work better.

We will continue to need some help setting up and taking down.  So arrive at 9:00 and help setup and stay after the educational talk to help return the room in the condition we found it in.  It will be easier next time now that we know what it needs to look like.
Doors open at 9:00 for setup.  Educational talk at 11:00.  Cleanup at 12:00.

We also need a new secretary.  The main job is just to put this newsletter together.  Please offer to help so no one is overburdened, only takes around an hour per meeting.

Mike Dempsey gave a great talk on CNC machining on a lathe, 3D printer and 2 mills he owns.  They all start with a completely enclosed accurate 3D model of the part you want to make.  Then add some features to allow for location and hold down and parting method.  Lots of experience helps to achieve the final product you are looking for.  CNC machining is a great prototype tool that can easily be modified or tweaked to make a functionally part.

We had $97 dollars in donations from the sale of donated clocks at the May meeting.  Thanks to all that participated.

Additional talks planned are as follows:
Sept 17 – Craig White will be presenting History of Congreve Rolling Ball Clocks, bring one if you have one to show
Nov 12 – Tony Zimmer will give a talk and demonstration entitled “Finding the Right Screwdriver”
February 4 – Harry Schultz will be giving a talk on Making a Calendar Wheel
March 10 – Danno will make a Presentation on Renaissance Clocks

We still need volunteers for talks and/or demonstration for 2024.  Please contact Harry Schulz or myself with ideas or suggestions.  

Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.  We had some clocks donated which the chapter will be selling at the silent auction table.

Dates for 2024:
Feb. 4
March 10
May 19
Sept 22
Nov 17

Hope to see you all there. 
Thanks,
Craig

Our next MART is May 21st, Doors open a 9:00am for setup.

Presidents Message,
New Permanent Location Starting February 26, 2023:
American Legion Post 434
9327 S. Shepard Ave.
Oak Creek, WI 53154.

We had our first meeting at the new location and it seemed to work out well.  Let me know if you saw something that we need to change to make it work better.

 We will continue to need some help setting up and taking down.  So arrive at 9:00 and help setup and stay after the educational talk to help return the room in the condition we found it in.  It will be easier next time now that we know what it needs to look like.

Opens at 9:00 for setup.  Educational talk at 11:00.  Cleanup at 12:00.

We also need a new secretary.  The main job is just to put this newsletter together.  Please offer to help so no one is overburdened, only takes around an hour per meeting.

Mark Frank gave a talk about his Astronomical clock at the February Meeting.   The clock is now finished and at his house.

Born of a happy convergence of artist and artisan, exuberant creativity, and exquisite craftsmanship, this machine is a work of art in which mechanics, visual fantasy, and fun converge. It is where John Harrison meets Rube Goldberg and is based upon the achievements of the past masters of horology, from Harrison to Tompion, Breguet, Hahn, Janvier and Fasoldt just to name a few, not to mention a few unique designs we invented along the way. The project took twelve years to produce, and has 71 complications. There about 8000 parts; 480 wheels and is one of the most complex skeleton clock made.

Mark gave an amazing presentation about the clock and some fun stories about it’s design and creation.

There is an amazing amount of information on his web site about this clock. 
Take a look at http://www.my-time-machines.net/astro_index.htm

Additional talks planned for 2023 are as follows:
May 21 – Mike Dempsey will make a Presentation entitled  –  CNC in Clock Repair
Sept  17 – Craig White will be presenting History of Congreve Rolling Ball Clocks
Nov 12 –  Danno will make a Presentation on Renaissance Clocks

We still need volunteers for talks and/or demonstration for 2024.  Please contact Harry Schulz or myself with ideas or suggestions.  

Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.  We had some clocks donated which the chapter will be selling at the silent auction table.

Hope to see you all there. 
Thanks,
Craig

February 26th MART, New Location, New Time.

New Location:  American Legion Post 434
9327 S. Shepard Ave, Oak Creek, WI 53154.
New Start Time: Doors open at 9:00 am for setup

Presidents Message

We voted to change our meeting place to American Legion Post 434 in Oak Creek. We will be paying $50 per meeting versus $300 at the Knights of Columbus in South Milwaukee.  Our finances will be much improved.  Next year we will review our dues and admission fees to cover our costs. The new place will require us to do some setup and take down.  We will need some help setting up and taking down.  So please arrive at 9:00 and help setup and plan to stay after the educational talk to help us with the take down to return the room to the condition we found it in.

Doors open at 9:00 for setup.  Educational talk at 11:00.  Cleanup at 12:00.

We also need a new secretary.  The main job is just to put this news letter together.  Please offer to help so no one is overburdened.

In January I gave a presentation on “Restoring a French Lantern Clock by LeBel of Orbec Normandy.” Designing and replacing missing side and back doors by cutting out a complicated shape was shown first using aluminum and paper to get the shape right. Then this shape was transferred to brass and cut out with jewelry’s saw and files.  

Sand casting and machining missing side frets were shown.  Custom screws to the original diameter and thread count were made using a Shirleline lathe and mill.  Making a wooden bracket to hold the clock to the wall was also shown.

Mark Frank will be giving a talk about his amazing Astronomical clock at the February Meeting. 

Born of a happy convergence of artist and artisan, exuberant creativity, and exquisite craftsmanship, this machine is a work of art in which mechanics, visual fantasy, and fun converge. It is where John Harrison meets Rube Goldberg and is based upon the achievements of the past masters of horology, from Harrison to Tompion, Breguet, Hahn, Janvier and Fasoldt just to name a few, not to mention a few unique designs we invented along the way. The project took twelve years to produce, and has 71 complications. There about 8000 parts; 480 wheels and is one of the most complex skeleton clocks ever made.

This is one show not to miss!

Additional talks planned for 2023 are as follows:

  • February 26 – Mark Frank will give a presentation on his recently completed astronomical clock.
  • May 21 – Mike Dempsey will be presenting using a CNC mill
  • September 17– Danno will make a presentation on Renaissance and other clocks at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

We still need volunteers for talks and/or demonstration for one more event for 2023.  Please contact Harry Schultz or myself with ideas or suggestions.

Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.

Hope to see you all there.
Thanks,
Craig White

Directions to the New Oak Creek Location:    
Exit I-94 at Ryan Rd, then head East for 1.7 miles on Ryan Rd, then turn Left (North) on Shepard Ave, Drive 4/10 of a mile, the Legion Post will be on the left.
9327 S. Shepard Ave, Oak Creek, WI 53154.

 

 

January 8th is the next mart

Presidents Message
I will be presenting an option for a new meeting place.  This candidate venue has a much lower rental rate.  It offers an opportunity to keep our costs in line with our current membership levels.  Be prepared to view the presentation and discuss.  The membership will then vote on if we want to move forward with this new meeting place.  Come and participate in the discussion.

The educational talk for November was given by Bill Galinski.  He showed some photos and videos of cutting out the raw material for hands from cow bone.  He freezes the bone first and then cuts slices on a band saw.  The bone is then dried on cardboard for approximately 1 month flipped over every day to equalize the drying. 

He demonstrated copying hands by tracing the outline with a sharpie.  Then holes are drilled for attachment to center arm and for easier access for the jewelers saw.  A jeweler’s saw  with wire blade is used to cut out the bone.  Then the bone is filed to final shape.  Cutting on bone does release some odors reminding us that the raw material came from a living animal.   Attendees were allowed and encouraged to try their hand at cutting out a hand and some of us gave it a go.

At our next meetings the presentation will be “Restoring a French Lantern Clock by LeBel of Orbec Normandy” by Craig White.  Replacing missing side and back doors will be shown.  Also casting and machining missing side frets and making custom screws.  All this and more will be shown in a PowerPoint presentation. 

Additional talks planned for 2023 are as follows:

  • February 26 – Mark Frank will give a presentation on his recently completed astronomical clock.
  • May 21 – Mike Dempsey will be presenting using a CNC mill
  • September 17– Danno will make a presentation on Renaissance and other clocks at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

We still need volunteers for talks and/or demonstration for one more event for 2023.  Please contact Harry Schultz or myself with ideas or suggestions. 

Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.

Hope to see you all there. 
Thanks,
Craig

We are looking for a volunteer to help out the club.
We are looking for someone to take over the position of Secretary.  The duties involve putting together the newsletter and taking notes at board meetings.   The newsletter involves putting together the presidents message, treasurer’s report, taking photos at the mart and writing some sort of interest piece to fill out the newsletter.

Our Next Mart is November 13th

At our November meeting  Bill Galinski will present a workshop on how to make clock hands from bone. See the presidents message below for details.

Note from the Treasurer. 
Just want to let everyone know that there will be an increase in admission rates for 2023. Admission will be going from $3 to $5, and the price of a Gold Card will go from $10 to $15. The board reached this decision after a discussion about our expenses and income. In an effort to remain financially viable, we decided this was the best course of action. Expenses are rising, hall rental for 2023 is going up by $50 a mart, and I am sure everyone is aware of the overall rise in prices due to inflation.  In my last trip to Chicago’s Chapter 3 mart, admission at the door was $12 and prepaid admission was $8, so at $5 I feel we are still a bargain.  We have had some very generous donations from club members in the last couple of years that have helped immensely with the chapters finances. Membership is down slightly from pre-Covid times, hopefully we will get more people returning as things return to normal.  If you think you know someone who might be interested in what we do, please bring them along to the mart, maybe we can get them to join.
Treasurer, 
DannO Osterud.

Presidents Message,
Next meeting is November 13, 2022. 
The educational talk for September was given by Craig White.  I showed the restoration of an Illuminated Alarm Clock.  Slides and a video showed how the clock wakes you up with clanging on a bell and lighting an alcohol lamp.  Goal of coarse was also to not burn ones house down in the process.  I also managed to not burn down the hall.  As always there were some lessons to be learned to get the mechanism to work properly. Type of matches and match strike surfaces turned out to be an unanticipated hurdle, but Amazon to the rescue.
At our November meeting  Bill Galinski will present a workshop on how to make clock hands from bone.  To give it a try bring the following tools:
1) Small table clamp vice or drill press vice (3 inch jaw), or a small Jorgenson clamp.
2) Exacto knife.
3) Fine Sharpe
4) Dental picks.
5) Set of needle files (5 files contoured or not).
6) A small scrap piece of wood to work on.
7) Jeweler saw or coping saw with a wire blade.
8) Broken hand and/or the dial if you want to make a replacement hand. You can also make a hand just for the purpose of learning. Prepared bone material will be provided.  

We still need volunteers for talks and/or demonstration for 2023.  Please contact Harry Schultz or myself with ideas or suggestions.  
Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.
Hope to see you all there.
Thanks,
Craig

Next Mart is September 25th

May 2022 Presidents Message,

COVID seems to be subsiding and mask guidance from the CDC have been reduced.  Masks will not be required for those of us that are fully vaccinated and boosted.  Please continue to be considerate of others and wear a mask covering your nose and mouth if you have not received all your vaccinations.  Thank you for your help in this.

I hope you all are practicing your new miner’s techniques when out at mart tables looking for great horological finds.  Thanks Mike for your talk on “Digging for Gold”.  We all learned some tips and tricks on what to look for in and out of a mart room.  You need to look at things others are not looking for.  Grow by looking for things you are not used to be looking for.  Learn by asking and reading.  The emphasis was on watches from the 1600’s until the 1950’s that most of us have never seen before. 

The educational talk for September will be by Craig White.  I will be showing the restoration of an Illuminated Alarm Clock.  I will show how the clock wakes you up with clanging on a bell and lighting an alcohol lamp.  Goal of coarse was also to not burn ones house down in the process.  As always there were some lessons to be learned to get the mechanism to work properly.

We still need volunteers for a talk and/or demonstration for 2023.  Please contact Harry Schultz or myself with ideas or suggestions.  

Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.

The November Educational talk will be by Bill Galinsky.  Bill will be demonstrating carving Cuckoo clock hands.

Chapter 47 is in charge this year of the 2022 Midwest Watch and Clock Mart in Antioch IL.  I need a few volunteers to help with checking in non-members and table holders.  Please let me know if you can help me out on Saturday October 1st.  Send me an email at cswhite5@yahoo.com or call at (414)712-0129 if you can help.

Hope to see you all there. 
Thanks,
Craig