No.2

Once I'd finished my first piece, I had a clear picture of how things worked in a basic clock movement. Now it was time to explore some trickier clockmaking techniques in order to open up the creative flexibility I needed.

In this project, I incorporated what's called a 'compound' pendulum. In most clocks, the pendulum hangs down, and a very specific length is needed to achieve the correct timing. A compound pendulum goes both up and down, and the counter-balance on top means that a slower beat can be reached without having the pendulum over 40 inches long. The large three pointed form gracefully swaying around the clock body of No.2 utilizes this type of pendulum.

Another curious thing that makes this piece stand out is the ticking that's been reduced to a whisper. The escape pallets of this clock have spring steel on the faces, rather than the traditional solid piece of steel. Most of the impact is absorbed, and the regulating ticks become much softer. Other features include an escape wheel which functions on the outside of the frame for easy viewing, ball bearings for all of the gear arbors, and a handmade chain which mirrors the form of the clocks body.

Overall, this was a very successful second project. It's very striking visually, runs for 3 weeks without winding, and is accurate within a minute a week.

7 photos | 403 views

items are from between 23 Aug 2007 & 10 Dec 2007.