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Our next Mart will be on March 10th, 2024

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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

Our next mart is November 12th.

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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

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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

Upcoming Events

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Sunday September 18th- Chicagoland Chapter 3 mart.

Sunday September 25th– Chapter 47 ‘s next mart.

Saturday October 1st– Chapter 47, Chapter 3 and Chapter 171 Joint One Day Mart in Antioch Il. (This is the Combined mart for Chapter 3, 47 and 171. It is on Saturday, not Sunday.)

May 1st is our next Mart.

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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 had learned a tip or two from my presentation.  Being locked up in my workshop for a couple of years during the pandemic did lead to improvements in my shop and tools.  Having lots of time allows one to think of improvements and having the time to get them done was useful.  Not my first choice of how to spend a couple of years but glad I have a hobby that keeps me busy and entertained.

We still need a volunteer for a talk and/or demonstration for December 2022.  Please contact Harry Schultz or myself with ideas or suggestions. 

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

Educational Talks Scheduled:
The May Educational  talk will be entitled “Digging for Gold” by Mike Dempsey.  Learn some tips and tricks on what to look for in and out of a mart room will be discussed. Featured will be watches from the 1600’s until the 1950’s that I am sure very few of you have ever seen before.  Photographs and descriptions will be shown in a PowerPoint format.  Sure to be very interesting even if you are not a watch collector.
Bill Galinsky will demonstrate making clock hands November 13.

Hope to see you all there. 
Thanks,
Craig

Note from the Treasurer
Dues for 2022 are now due. If you haven’t already paid, please pay today.  We have had fewer renewals than usual for this point in the year, and in order to keep holding these meetings we need people to pay their dues.  Even if you aren’t planning on coming now, if you want to be able to come in the future, we need people to pay their dues. 

If you have any questions about whether your dues are paid, or how much you owe, please contact Danno at NAWCC.Chapter47@gmail.com.
Thanks,
Danno Osterud
Treasurer

Chapter 3 is holding a Tailgate Mart on May 7th.

Admission is free, reserving a parking space is $15.
“Chapter 3 will be conducting a special TAILGATE MART on Saturday, May 7, 2022. Parking spaces will be ready for reservation at the April 3rd meeting. Due to the expected high turnout of sellers for this event, it is suggested to place your reservation ASAP. Sellers from Chapters 47, 83, and 171, will also be invited to participate in our tailgate mart.”
Location: Robert J. Coulter Jr. American Legion Hall-
900 S LaGrange Rd (5100 South) LaGrange Il.60525

Our next mart is on March 13th

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Presidents Message
Masks will be required to reduce everyone’s risk on COVID-19.  Please continue to be considerate of others and wear a mask covering your nose and mouth.  Thank you for your help in this.

I hope you had some fun learning about lost wax casting clock case parts.  I had fun learning about how to do what has been done for 6000 years.  Luckily I am persistent, because even with our modern tools I had some learning to do before successfully making some brass castings for clock cases.  The adventure is half of the fun though.  The other half is telling about how big the fish was that got away

We still need a volunteers for a talk and/or demonstration for December 2022.  Please contact Harry Schultz or myself with ideas or suggestions.  

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

Educational Talks Scheduled:
March’s talk will be given by Craig White.  Title – “Tools – What I did During COVID”.     Many short different ideas will be presented from vacuum hoses, thread cutting, Argon back filling of varnish and many more.  Talk will be a power point slide show.   Some are bound to be of interest to most of you.  During long periods of confinement to my shop in the basement I came up with many new tools and concepts to use.  Come see what is new in the White shop.

May’s talk will be on Old and Unique Pocket Watches by Mike Dempsey.  I am sure very few of you have ever seen watches like these.  Photographs and descriptions will be shown in a PowerPoint format.  Sure to be very interesting even if you are not a watch collector.

Bill Galinsky will demonstrate making clock hands November 13

Hope to see you all there. 

Thanks,
Craig

Our next mart is January 9th, 2022 at 9:00am.

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President’s Message

Masks will be required to reduce everyone’s risk on COVID-19.  Please be considerate of others and wear a mask covering your nose and mouth.   Thank you for your help in this.

I hope you all enjoyed the best talk and demonstration of the 2020’s.  This one was special with great introduction and a chance to see some old tools in action that I am sure most of you have not seen before.  Thanks Mike and Danno. Danno showed many photos of horological tools from the 17th, 18th and 19th century and the toolmaking industry that made them.

So, we had 39 people attend this mart, 4 new members joined, which is  awesome.  We had 7 guests, 5 of which was their first time here, and at least one said he was going to join in January.

We need volunteers for talks and/or demonstrations for 2022.  Please contact Harry Schultz or myself with ideas or suggestions.  Bill Galinsky will demonstrate making clock hands November 13.

Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.  We received $110 in donations from sales at the silent auction table at the November meeting.

January talk will be on Lost Wax Process to Cast Brass Clock Case Parts by Craig White.  I have step by step instructions on how I cast parts.

Hope to see you all there.

Thanks, Craig

 Horological Trivia and Tidbits

Many of us have shelves of horological books, but how often do we use them?  Each issue we will feature a repair tip or historical tidbit taken from a common reference book. 

From Abbott’s American Watchmaker and Jeweler by Henry G. Abbott on Galileo:

A celebrated mathematician, born 1564, who discovered the use of the pendulum.  It is related that one morning he was in church and saw a lamp which was suspended by a silken cord from the ceiling, swinging to and fro after having been carelessly struck by one of the attendants.  He noticed  the regularity of the swing, comparing it with his pulse, and concluded that, by reason of its regularity, a simple pendulum might become a valuable agent in the measurement of time.

Next meeting is November 14, 2021.

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Presidents Message,
Hope everyone enjoyed the well-made video on the amazing Strasbourg clock.
Masks will be required to reduce everyone’s risk on COVID-19.  Please be considerate of others and wear a mask covering your nose and mouth.  Thank you for your help in this.

Come for the best talk and demonstration of the 2020’s.  This one will be special with great introduction and a chance to see some old tools in action that I am sure most of you have not seen before.
Danno will be taking a brief look at 18th and 19th Century horological tools and the tool making industry that made them.
There will also be a display of early tools and Mike Dempsey will be giving hands on demonstrations of how they work during the mart.

Ed Buc is stepping down from his secretary position which he has helped us for the last 10+ years.  Thanks you Ed for all your work!
Karyn Critelli has volunteered to take on the secretary, position.  Thanks Karyn for your help.

See 2022 dates for our meetings, no conflicts with Chicago chapter 3 so all should be able to attend.
September meeting had 21 people attend, a good start after a long pause in meeting.The chapter had received a tool donation and got donations for the tools for a total of $390. Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.

You will be given credit on your dues for the missed meetings in 2020.  If you already paid dues for 2020 at $25/year you will be given a $20 credit towards 2021 and 2022 as we only had 1 out the 5 scheduled meetings.  The dues will be only $10 for 2021 as only 2 meetings are planned.

Hope to see you all there. 
 
Thanks,
Craig

September 12th, 2021 will be next mart.

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September 2021 Presidents Message,
Well, it is time for us to restart our chapter 47 meetings beginning on September 12 at the South Milwaukee Knights of Columbus.  Let’s start with a large mart.  Bring all those items that have been collecting dust waiting for us to restart or bring lots of money to buy clocks, watches and tools you have been yearning for.  

Masks will be required to reduce everyone’s risk on COVID-19.  Please be considerate of others and wear a mask covering your nose and mouth.  Thank you for your help in this.

We have been given a donation from the family of Lewis Wienske of tool boxes filled with tools.  Lewis was a watch and clock repairer and a former student at the MATC Horology class.  The items will be sold to members at the meeting.  Proceeds will go to the chapter.
Free tables!!  A free silent auction table will also be available.

I will be giving our educational talk in September on the Strasbourg Astronomical Clock, certainly one of the world’s greatest clocks.

Congratulations to Ralph Ferone for receiving the NAWCC Fellow award.  Well-earned and deserving. Thanks Ralph for all you do!

A November meeting is planned for November 14, 2021.
You will be given credit on your dues for the missed meetings in 2020.  If you already paid dues for 2020 at $25/year you will be given a $20 credit towards 2021 and 2022 as we only had 1 out the 5 scheduled meetings.  The dues will be only $10 for 2021 as only 2 meetings are planned.

Hope to see you all there. 
Thanks,
Craig