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These folks here that are responsible for this are doing a marvelous job, Ristau said. The end of the Great War began what was, in many respects, a halcyon time for Westclox, now arguably the best-known timekeeping brand in the world. First, if your clock is for display only, I think it is harmless if the paint on the hands is not disturbed. In a few short years, thanks to Dr. Douglas's efforts, the amount of radium available in the US more than quintupled. Could you suggest how I could go about finding out this information. Radium Baby Ben by Westclox ( Still Glows) : r/clocks - reddit About the only. Back then, radium wasn't considered to be dangerous in small doses. I have a collection of alarm clocks, but slowly selling many. 1978. Can someone get back to me as to what it is and possibe age of it. 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. This particular clock is made in China while other similar Westclox alarm clocks at the time were made in Taiwan. Thank you. Stoddard: Pay attention to quality. 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. I always wondered why the dial of my Baby Ben clock, which I have had from late 60s, was marked off in 48ths of an hour instead of minutes. I think it is a clock made by Sessions. All Rights Reserved. One of the objects on display in the Benton County Historical Society's Corvallis Museum is this Westclox Radium Dial Clock. Richard Tjarks introduced I am sure I can give Mr. Shields further information about his clock. Stoddard: Its really hard to say. Instrument dials painted with radium-based paint, United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, "WWII Military Watches 'Potentially Pose Serious Cancer Risk,', "Health Effects of Radium Radiation Exposure,", "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Radium Dials,", "Lume 101: Watch Luminescence Explained,", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Radium_dial&oldid=1123475907, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Jane Brickman, "Radium Girls: Women and Industrial Health Reform, 19101935,", This page was last edited on 23 November 2022, at 23:30. Good old fashioned branding played a major role, as well. If someone has restored it in the past, make sure the correct dial was put on it and the movements, which have probably been repaired a lot, have been done nicely. Is a Glow-in-the-dark Clock Any Cause for Alarm? I also need it repaired so that it will be functional and need to find someone that will do that for me. They typically have a round brass base with a glass dome over them; they were made in Germany from the 1890s up through the 1970s, and a lot of people collect them. American manufacturers were quick to see that the millionaires are a negligible quantity as consumers, and that, not chronometersnot marvels of intricacy and originalitywere needed, but timepieces within the reach and want of all. The center is in the shape of the world map. In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. Handle on top: down alarm off; up alarm on. When did the use of radium stop? A key point to bear in mind is this: the dial is still highly radioactive. JavaScript is disabled. The front is in Roman Numerals with a dome shaped raised glass. Which is interesting because many of the electrics are scarcer but people just arent into collecting electric clocks. Western Clock MFG Co. (Westclox), est. 1888 - Made-in-Chicago Museum The story begins with a Connecticut clockmaker named Charles Stahlberg getting a patent for a new alarm clock design in 1885. Im always interested in the history and the variations of clocks and how they fit in the scheme of things, what came before and what came after. Theyre just scattered in different places all over the country, little collections of hands, springs, screws, and things like that. 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. Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. Theres a clock that came down the family, my great great granddad bought it used in about 1885, it was actually sold new in about 1839, one of the first of the weight-driven brass clocks. Thank to several professionals who Ive met on Ebay, I have become quite skilled with my restorations plus making dials and alarm function indicators. I have a sessions mantle clock duet#1. Accueil; Services; Ralisations; Annie Moussin; Mdias; 514-569-8476 Many folks might not realize that early vintage clock dials were painted with radioluminescent paint, which is a mixture of fluorescent salts (these produce the glow) and radium-226, which is a dangerous and highly radioactive element. AD x Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. If you do not expect to work hard and carefully, you are in the wrong place., Big Ben is a handsome, well built, refined and bright looking fellow with a clean-cut open face and a deep cheerful voice,, A well-dressed, steady and punctual chap, up to the minute and always on the job., Big Ben always comes to you straight from home, LaSalle, Illinois,, But he only comes upon receipt of signed price agreement. The magical glow, as was widely understood by everyone involved, was created by radiuma radioactive element discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. Buy Now. With alarm clocks, they were so common that when people repaired them they did whatever they could to get them going. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. See the top of this page for a current list of The NAWCC is dedicated to providing association services, promoting interest in and encouraging the collecting of clocks and watches including disseminating knowledge of the same. Radium dials are watch, clock and other instrument dials painted with luminous paint containing radium-226 to produce radioluminescence. Never underestimate the value of an alarm clock when yours broke two years ago and nobody has manufactured a new one since. At one time they employed about 3500 people, making about 35, 000 clocks and watches per day. A lot of American clocks have veneer over the base wood so if thats starting to peel it can be really expensive to get fixed. Westcloxs Manual for Employees read, We expect you to work hard, and the pay is accordingly large . They were officially Americas preferred wake-up call provider. 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. So I brought it home and left it hanging and would wind it up every once in a while. A well-dressed, steady and punctual chap, up to the minute and always on the job., Big Ben always comes to you straight from home, LaSalle, Illinois, read another. 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. I am pleased that I came across your article. Lynda Hinshaw, At this moment I am research a clock by Falconer& co HongKong. Westcloxs Manual for Employees read, We expect you to work hard, and the pay is accordingly large . By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. But for years the majority were wind ups, they were so popular. The thing I remember most is working with the people, Ristau said. I read (but cant remember where) that about 40,000 were made. How do you set a manual alarm clock? - AnswersAll 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. [citation needed] The use of radium to provide luminescence for hands and indices on watches soon followed. It is a Medbury-4W #4910. Not everyone involved with the manufacturing of Westclox products was employed directly by Westclox, however. Am I missing something here? At the end of one hand is a star and the other hand is the moon. can anybody tell me about this piece? Over time, she contracted terrible cancerous tumors, lost most of her teeth, and suffered countless other health problems. After several changes of ownership, it became . It was put away for years and last year it was given to me as I have small collection of United novelty clocks. Radium is an almost pure white alkaline radioactive earth metal, and is found in nature in uranium ores. I live in Scotland but my clock was made in USA. At the start of the decade, the company brought in a skilled new industrial designer named Henry Dreyfuss; a true modernist. Stoddard: The main thing is the originality of the dial and if its a wooden shelf clock, having the original painting in the door would be really important. Can anyone tell me the meaning or significance of this eye? When did Westclox close? It still works. In 1919 the company was incorporated as Western Clock Company, Ltd. It can be found with some other clocks in a case in the second floor hallway. As Kate Moore explains it, The radium girls case was one of the first in which an employer was made responsible for the health of the companys employees. It is in the manufacture of alarm and one-day clocks that these results are the most noticeable, because in this field the quality of the product had always been subordinated to the market value, and the general feeling was one of let good enough alone., In this particular branch of the clock industry the Western Clock Manufacturing Company has achieved great results in the last twenty years. As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. I have an antique mantle clock given to my Aunt & Uncle for a wedding gift (approximately 1949) FROM my great grandparents. Radium paint can be ingested by inhaling flaking paint particles. The Evolution Behind Rolex Luminous Material | Bob's Watches Eventually, safer options were discovered, and the use of radium was discontinued in the 1960s. Ive recently acquired a New Haven decorative wall clock. Thanks so much They make alarm and one-day lever clocks only, and with practically two different articles, known as the 4-inch and 2-inch movements, they have an output of in their factory at LaSalle, Ill., of nearly two million clocks a year. The clock is several houndred pounds, and keeps great time. They arent hurting it permanently, its just kind of weird. Created with WordPress. The new company tripled in size by the turn of the century, employing 232 people at its growing Peru plant (145 men, 73 women, 14 children) and producing 500,000 clocks annually. Before we get to that, though, we have to start with the issue of geography as it concerns the business in question. Just remember, old luminous clocks are full of radium! In the United States there does not seem to have ever been prohibitory legislation passed banning the use of radium in clocks and watches. Stahlbergs company goes bankrupt not once, but twice, within its first several years. 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. [9] Prior to that date, "the federal government had a limited role, if any, in ensuring the safe use of radium," according to the NRC. The alpha particles emitted by the radium, which is taken up in bone, will kill off surrounding bone tissue, resulting in a condition loosely referred to as radium jaw. Thanks, Paula. They can be identified by having the modern type of flat head screws Westclox - An Identification and Price Guide, The Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide, Clock Repair and Hermle Chime, Mantel and Wall Clocks for Sale at Bill's Clockworks. Westclox did make a couple of documented advertising clocks, but very few. 7&a half X 6..desk clock. Clock Repair and Hermle Chime, Mantel and Wall Clocks for Sale at Bill's Clockworks. when did westclox stop using radium. I am looking to get an approxmiate value of this clock. . Production was back in full force and at an all-time high by 1956, with 3,000 employees on staff. I cannot date it. Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage. American manufacturers were quick to see that the millionaires are a negligible quantity as consumers, and that, not chronometersnot marvels of intricacy and originalitywere needed, but timepieces within the reach and want of all. Buy Now. Is radium still used on watches? 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. Sep 6, 2008. potz said: Afaik Radium was used right up to the 1950's. Some sources even say it was used up to 1968 in watches and 1978 in clocks. While studying the types of Big Ben style 1 and 1A in WestcloxHistory.com, I noticed the reproduction style 1A, and have acquired about 5 of them. Benton County Museums: Westclox Radium Dial Clock - Blogger 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. Here you can see production dates, original retail prices and other knowledge about vintage and antique Westclox clocks and watches. Luckily for Charles, however, he is living in the same small town as Frederick William Matthiessena fellow German, but one with a hell of a lot more money and business experience. dated:1990 ,decorated :hong cong.made in japan.cocacola tradmark. I have been collecting, repairing, and restoring mostly Westclox Big Bens for several years. hamilton radiation | NAWCC Forums Ruth Spayer at the Westclox Museum tracked down a newspaper story from the Daily Post-Tribune on March 21, 1944, describing a scene in which three women fainted, several clerks were trampled, and four showcase windows were shattered before police untangled a jam of 2,500 women and a few stout-hearted men who converged on the store.. Next to the original Westcloxes I have an interesting collection of European copies by a.o. In the comprehensive Big Ben & Baby Ben Identification Guide, organized by researchers Richard Tjarks and Bill Stoddard, they credit the original brilliant marketing of these little wonders almost entirely to one mana 28 year-old French immigrant named Gaston Le Roy. England. CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO RELEASE THE CLICK ON A WESTCLOX MANS WRISTWATCH MODEL A-201? When did they stop using radium for watches? In its place, he ironically dubbed the little bedside clock Big Ben (apparently not copyrighted by the British Parliament), and introduced it to the public in early ads as a gendered he instead of an it., Big Ben is a handsome, well built, refined and bright looking fellow with a clean-cut open face and a deep cheerful voice, one ad read. 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. Within in another ten years, the workforce had tripled again, powered by employee George Kerns 1908 invention of the first Big Benthe sleek, iconic model that basically set the template for the 20th century wind-up alarm clock. From 1917 to 1926, the United States Radium Corporation used radium to produce wristwatches and clocks. In clocks, as in all other lines of goods, there are two classes of consumersthe millions and the millionaires. Is this a product that the company would have made or something someone created? Radium dials usually lose their ability to glow in the dark in a period ranging anywhere from a few years to several decades, but all will cease to glow at some point. into groups of similar models. The Ghost Girls might have been the envy of the other girls in town, but no one yet realized just how much danger they were being subjected to. By the 1970s, radium was no . We are very proud to be living in this building and would love to know more about this specific site. Dave, Your question about a Big Ben containing radium, and in fact about which clocks actually do contain radium, is a good one. $26.95. The disease, radium-induced osteonecrosis, was recognized as an occupational disease in 1925 after a group of radium painters, known as the Radium Girls, from the United States Radium Corporation sued. [Left: The first national Big Ben advertisement appears in the Saturday Evening Post in 1910: Big Ben is a thin, beautiful and punctual sleepmeter with a silent motor that will not annoy you on your lie-awake nights and a deep musical voice that will call you on your sleepiest mornings. Right and Below: A style 1A Big Ben from our museum collection, circa 1920s.]. [citation needed] After about 20minutes this delivers the equivalent of one whole day's worth of normal background radiation. Theres a clock called a Crystal Regulator which is about a foot tall with a brass case and glass on all four sides. Can you confirm? According to Periodic. How did I get interested in clocks? I think the clock was electric but could have been a wind up or maybe even a pendulum. All the aforementioned to ask you if you know how many of the 1970 style 1As were made. Thank you The alarm mechanism was also improved as part of Kerns new patents, with an intermittent ringing that kind of acted as an archaic form of snooze alarm. I know Bill Stoddards name from other publications on Westclox. Company in 1888 and installing another talented German, Ernst Roth, as the general manager. Thank you. Luminous Processes employees interviewed by a journalist in 1978 stated they had been left ignorant of radium's dangers. I have a collection of clocks, and amongst my collection are Westminster chime wall clocks, I have two Keinzle and two Junghans. 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. Health effects of Radium radiation exposure | Mass.gov it has a picture of a huck finn type boy,carying 2 bottles of coke& a fishing pole,with his dog. When did they stop using radium on clocks? In 1931 it merged with Seth Thomas Clock Co. and both became divisions of General Time Corp. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. Thanks for any info you may be able to supply Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated. I have an Pine State Ice Cream Milk clock that I would like to find out how much it may be worth. then 4 symbols a crown an 18 and to unkown symbols in a square patern but on its side square pattern. The Crystal blocks a significant amount of The radiation. I Have a small brass alarm clock,which is 1-3/4 Hieght Length & Width. The next month, Roth got a cablegram from London; his friend and valued co-worker Le Roy had died for his country. Those simple words, Roth later wrote in the November 1914 issue of the company newsletter, Tick Talk, unconsciously characterized the manunaffected, direct, devoted to his cause., [Images from a 1922 issue of the Westclox company newsletter, the very cleverly titled Tick Talk].