20 January 2011

Project "Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock, Style 6" (3/3)

EDIT: PLEASE READ!!!! before attempting any sorts of repairs to any sort of antique clock be aware that the luminous paint used on the face might contain radium which is extremely risky if it is ingested and/or inhaled. this can happen when you open the clock and the dust from inside gets out. if it glows regardless of whether you charged the face with an external light source or not then it surely contains radium or other radioactive substances and must be treated with care!

i have tested this clock for a few days already and it works fine and keeps accurate time. there is actually a way to set the speed of the regulator on the back of the clock to fine tune the time if it ever goes too fast or too slow. i suppose it was built in to take into account that the springs/regulator might not be consistent in the future and gave the option to recalibrate the timing.








the alarm works on time, and is LOUD...they weren't kidding when they put the 'loud alarm' wordings on the face. the clock is effectively one big bell and the internal striker hits the side of the clock and it sounds just like a fire bell (just not at such a high frequency). there is no 'snooze button', the alarm is toggled on and off by a knob at the back. the alarm will keep ringing for about 10 seconds, then stop for about 5, then ring again and will keep repeating this cycle until the alarm spring is unwound (about 2mins of ringing) so you will definitely wake up when this clock rings!

the clock itself runs for about 24 hours one a full winding. if the clock is left running until the spring has fully unwound, all that is needed to restart it is to wind it back up again and it should restart. i tried this a few times and there are times where the regulator doesn't kick in and all that is needed is a little jerk in the clockwise/anticlockwise direction and the clock starts up again without fail.

(link to page 2/3)

1 comment:

  1. Could you please tell me if this clock is for sale? It is the same one that my grandparents had when I was a young girl. I have been looking for one. This is the exact model. You can also email me at: greco.peppi2@yahoo.com Thank you kindly !

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