document.write(year) Thanks so much I like to find the ones before that and study their history. T. tkarter Registered User. into groups of similar models. Westclox Wrought Iron Look Wall Clock 12" 32021A. . [citation needed] This rate probably only represents the dose rate from gamma emission, as the alpha emission will be stopped by the lacquer, or crystal, or case; hence, the dose rate following ingestion or inhalation of the dust could be much higher. . This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. This will broaden my view in the clock. when did westclox stop using radium old restaurants in lawrence, ma . I have been collecting, repairing, and restoring mostly Westclox Big Bens for several years. Westclox Clock Construction and Quality. I also like some of the older American weight-driven clocks. Instead, it would be better to take the box outside and remove the lid there, which would allow any built-up gas to rapidly dissipate." The watches tested were produced from the 1920s through the '60s, and are a mix of British, Swiss, and American origin. This Christmas (1930) ad illustrates 61-F Dura Case, style 2 crackle finish Big Ben and Baby Ben, Auto Clock, Pocket Ben and Country Club pocket watches. You must log in or register to reply here. The style 8 Big and Baby Bens were introduced in 1964. [citation needed] After about 20minutes this delivers the equivalent of one whole day's worth of normal background radiation. It can be found with some other clocks in a case in the second floor hallway. These efforts, combined with an ahead-of-its-time factory welfare department and employee benefits packages, led to a lot of workers spending their whole lives with Westclox. The only thing I found is the word Germny engraved on the back. In 1914, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky and Dr. George S. Willis founded the Radium Luminous Material Corporation. How do you set the time on a old fashioned alarm clock? Without a crystal poses a serious Health risk because the Radium paint flakes off and can become airborne. Did westclox stop using radioactive paint by the 1960s? I hung it on my wall and we tried to get it fixed but the repairman couldnt fix it. Radium dials were produced throughout most of the 20th century before being replaced by safer tritium-based luminous material in the 1970s and finally by non-toxic, non-radioactive strontium aluminatebased photoluminescent material from the middle 1990s. I have an antique mantle clock given to my Aunt & Uncle for a wedding gift (approximately 1949) FROM my great grandparents. Eventually we became best friends and started researching together. The first style 1a cases had double-hexagon legs, but after about a year they were changed to standard single hex form. It was only with the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was given oversight of the use of radium. From that time on, Baby Bens first and then Big Bens were available with either the plain or luminous dial. Stoddard: The prices for larger wall clocks, three feet tall and up, have increased dramatically, while prices on some of the more common clocks have remained the same for the past 20 years. For my 14th birthday I got a book called The Treasury of American Clocks and there was a picture showing the seven types of Baby Bens. The dial painters soon became known as the ghost girls because by the time they finished their shifts, they themselves would glow in the dark. $25.99. Art and Mary Ann Windy [pictured] have been married for 49 years, met as Westclox employees and were present for the open house. My moms father had a small collection of antique clocks and when I was a little boy he showed me how to wind them and regulate them. Was just trying to find out any information on this clock or if you may have ever come across one like it [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. The clock is shielded From the glass crystal. After several changes of ownership, it became . . From 1917 to 1926, the United States Radium Corporation used radium to produce wristwatches and clocks. It was a gift from him to her the year before they were married. The style 7 Big Ben and Baby Ben (1956 to 1964, the first Bens with concentric alarm hand) has minute markings. Importantly, the health risks tied to these old clocks is generally believed to be quite minimal, so long as one avoids long-term exposure or directly ingesting the paint as the Ghost Girls had. As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. 1970s Many of these workers developed bone cancer . AD x Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. The NAWCC has an online forum with a lot of different categories. Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. Radium dials were typically painted by young women, who used to 'point' their brushes by licking and shaping the bristles prior to painting the fine lines and numbers on the dials. But for years the majority were wind ups, they were so popular. Your email address will not be published. Initially hired as a low level clerk, Le Roy worked his way up the company ladder in the early 1900s as an on-the-road sales rep, soliciting business from Chicago to New York to parts unknown. Style 1 has three screws through the bezel visible from the front, style 1a doesnt (compare figures 3 and 7); Style 1 has two screws holding the bell back, style 1a has three. Hi I need the face plate for a black face big ben with the alarm dial on its face do you have any you could sell me alonf with the radio dials, it was probably outsourced meaning westclox sold some watches to hot wheels, I had a westclox electric dialite like that. I was looking at it and said, aha! Created with WordPress. How did I get interested in clocks? I was told it was long ago before even my aged family was servicing watches. My husband has a Big Ben clock that he inherited, it was took down from a mill and given to his grandma. So I swapped them, and its worked perfectly ever since. Could you please try to help me find out what kind of clock this is. Then my friend and I went around the neighborhood asking people if they had anything they wanted to give away, like old clocks and cameras and tape recorders. Former employees showed up to view a collection of watches, clocks, tools, photographs of the old factory, a short black and white film of the factory in action and remember working for Westclox. Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide , Remembering the Great War and The Clock That Caused a Near Riot . Production was back in full force and at an all-time high by 1956, with 3,000 employees on staff. In the United States there does not seem to have ever been prohibitory legislation passed banning the use of radium in clocks and watches. I also need it repaired so that it will be functional and need to find someone that will do that for me. Theres a seller on eBay now whos doing some really outstanding restorations of Big Bens. In this interview Bill Stoddard talks about collecting antique Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben alarm clocks, and discusses clock collecting in general. Advertisement: Illustrates crackle green Tiny Tim, crackle blue Big Ben and crackle pink Baby Ben clocks. Hundreds of thousands of clocks were produced a year, until closing its doors in 1980. It started early in the 20th century, around 1910, when some companies began to use radium on watch dials and hands to create a "glow in the dark" effect. This classic clock is known for its loud and distinct bell-like . Columbia, PA 17512 A radium dial clock from the 1930s. The sound is very good when I compare it with the Howard Miller and the Jauke I just purchases, its loud and resonates very well. Kind regards, Ben van Vliet. It is stamped on the back of the casing DRP&GM. Thanks, I have come across a mantle clock that has been in my husbands family for as long as he can remember He estimates his bother purchased the clock around 1950. Most are in nickel finish cases, but some were made in gold plated cases. In the 1970s, radium was phased out of wristwatches and clockdials. We would like to redo the entrances and lobby areas and show the history of the building right on site but have not found much anywhere. In 1913, with help from the US government, Dr. Douglas formed the National Radium Institute, to mine radium from uranium ores recently discovered in Colorado. Even so, our case-less dials are certainly best left behind glass and out of reach, a sad reminder of a terrible and preventable episode in industrial history, the effects of which continued to plague the town of Ottawa for many years afterward. Could you suggest how I could go about finding out this information. Radium paint itself was eventually phased out and has not been used in watches since 1968. Am I missing something here? These clocks were produced in the thousands and many can be bought on eBay for under $10. It is in working order and chimes on the hour and half hour. Henry Warren invented a little synchronous motor that could go inside a clock. She was 107 when she died on March 1 in Middlebury, Conn . They worked for the United States Radium Corporation painting the numbers and hands on watch. The company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. Through it all, Peru remained the companys home base, as over 3,000 employees now enjoyed the rapidly expanding space of the factory and its attached campus, with gardens, tennis courts, a bowling alley, and other things worthy of a Matthiessen estate. Site of the Old Westclox factory 211-201 Hunter Street, Peterborough Ontario. Origin of the eye, forklore or legends surrounding????? Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. Even today, with the considerable help of a thing called Interstate 80, its still about a two-hour journey from LaSalle Street to LaSalle County. Theyll take an old Big Ben from 1930 and make a new dial that says Indian Motorcycle or Victola, and put it on eBay. A Big Ben typical of those made from late 1910 to mid-1915. Unfortunately, they also hint at a tragic chapter in American industrial history, when the appeal of a luminous new kind of paint wound up putting hundreds of workersmostly young womenat great personal risk. its a Gold coloring and the bottom is well worn like it was slid into something regularily. In terms of my own collection, Im still trying to find some of the really early Big Bens. According to Chemistry Explained, radium is extracted today from uranium ores in much the same way that Marie and Pierre Curie did in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Back then, radium wasn't considered to be dangerous in small doses. Any guidance or help is appreciated. So yes. The Ingersoll Watch division of the Waterbury Clock Company, a nationally-known maker of low-cost pocket and wristwatches, was a leading popularizer of the use of radium for watch hands and indices through the introduction of their "Radiolite" watches in 1916. This has probably been discussed before but my search turned up nothingdo the luminous hands on a Big Ben alarm clock contain painted radium? Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year; today, it is just over 4,500. "[4], According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, "radioactive antiques [including watches] are usually not a health risk as long as they are intact and in good condition. The factory contained a bowling alley, and Ristau said his father was an excellent bowler. (All images in this article courtesy Bill Stoddard, www.clockhistory.com), I found this article very complimentary to the Westclox company and an intriguing piece to read. Westclox Big Bens and Baby Bens are full of the stuff. 5 17 15 is May 17, 1915 . The pioneering spirit is there, but the business skills soon appear lacking. While promoting Westclox products in Europe, the breakout of World War I and the laws of mandatory military service in his native France forced Le Roy to get his affairs in order and head for the front in 1914. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. Dates Stamped on Big Ben and Baby Ben Clock Movements Dates were stamped on a movement plate of most Big Ben and Baby Ben alarm clocks made up until mid-1970's. Numbers are used for the month, day and year; or just the month and year (e.g. The Windys said their union confirms an old Westclox employee rumor about the long-lasting nature of a relationship struck up near a certain fountain. Leg model with ring on top, dustproof case. As seen below, the company made something of a symbolic gesture out of honoring the last Big Ben to roll off the assembly line on July 31, 1942, the day when all production shifted to government contracts for the duration of the war. I live in Scotland but my clock was made in USA. This eye is horizontally elliptical in general shape, about 4 3/4 long and 1 3/4 tall with a circle in the middle making it look like a single eye. The lume used on vintage Rolex watches was radium-based, and radium remained the standard for nearly all Rolex lume until 1963, when growing health concerns forced a shift away from it. Just remember, old luminous clocks are full of radium! Nowadays, Super-LumiNova, which is entirely non-radioactive and non-toxic, is the most used lume in watchmaking. I was pained to learn how the girls had suffered while working here and sacrificed their lives to give the name of the company which it has today. It is and Elias Ingraham Brass Clock with a patent stamp of September 30, 1862. I recently wrote an article on Hong Kong Watch and Clockmakers for the Antiquarian Horology Society Journal. Some years ago I intended to do a write-up on my collection and started researching on the internet and found the Westclox history site with a wealth of info. $26.95. I love the Hamiltons in particular, probably some of the best watches made in America. It is in good condition and has the original pendulum and key. When I went home and washed my hands in a dark bathroom, they would appear luminous and ghostly, an original Ghost Girl named Catherine Donohue (nee Wolfe) later testified. National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc (A 501c3 non-profit corporation). Was this done so the alarm could be more easily set on the quarter or half hour? var year = today.getFullYear() I would also like photo and more details of his clock, since I intend to write a follow-up article. During the early 1900's, the effects of radiation exposure were not well understood, and radium was frequently . At this moment I study horology at West Dean College in the UK. Underneath the #12 on the face it says: G. Falconer & Co. LTD. Hong Kong. Stoddard: The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) is headquartered in Pennsylvania but has chapters throughout the country. Early in the 20th century there was a medical practice that revolved around a new treatment involving the radioactive material called radium. I have a similar clock. Something about them has always been ingrained in me. 1968 Who made westclox? Theyre making some really nice reproductions of it in China and if you dont know what youre looking for you could be fooled easily. My father (Richard Ristau Sr.) worked here for 48.. Jessie, good observation. and again 1243 is this an antique its gold but looks brand new but also an antique at the same time does anyone know what kind of pocket watch this is or if its gold or a replica of something or what it might be worth?? In all my research I can not confirm that The Style 1 models every had 1) and 2) above. This practice resulted in the ingestion of radium, which caused serious jaw-bone degeneration and malignancy and other dental diseases. I worked here for 28 years. then 4 symbols a crown an 18 and to unkown symbols in a square patern but on its side square pattern. I am a retired mechanical engineer, the quality has floored me, hats off to this company. Ristau said he remembered when the Westclox factory was the heart of the city, and recalled enjoying his time with Westclox. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. Which is interesting because many of the electrics are scarcer but people just arent into collecting electric clocks. So I brought it home and left it hanging and would wind it up every once in a while. Has the mechanics of the clock been changed/upgraded or could there be another issue at play?
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