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 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. 1968 Who made westclox? I tend to be a nitty gritty detail kind of guy. Was just trying to find out any information on this clock or if you may have ever come across one like it Radioactivity in Antiques | US EPA Sometimes getting parts is tough, too, although it turns out Westclox made lots and lots of spare parts. We are looking for any Westclox photographs, memorabilia etc between 1927- 1980s of the factory. I know very little about clocks in general. Like many East Coasters, he decides to pursue his fortune out West, but unlike many of his peers, he skips the bustling Second City in favor of a promising river & railroad region downstate; where the towns of Peru, LaSalle and Ottawa intersect. I thought, oh boy, I just need four more and Ill have them all! Would you please direct me to someone that can do this for me? It was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. During World War II they had some fantastic ads that you can see on my website like, Victory Wont Wait for the Nation Thats Late, and Guard Your Big Ben where they show a bulldog and a soldier with a gun guarding a Big Ben because during the war they stopped making clocks for the consumer market and totally switched over to military work. 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. 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. So yes. The pioneering spirit is there, but the business skills soon appear lacking. I am looking to get an approxmiate value of this clock. 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. 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. then 4 symbols a crown an 18 and to unkown symbols in a square patern but on its side square pattern. You do not want to open them up, lest you breath radioactive dust from old paint or spread it around. Am I missing something here? Here you can see production dates, original retail prices and other Westclox Model 66 Movement Series Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. Also, its not just Americans who collect, its worldwide. It has a patent June 18-1882 and says Dakota on the back,can you tell me more? I know that it is electric and it requires a dime deposit to set the alarm on it. If you want to identify an item, try posting it in our Show & Tell gallery. 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. Any help would be appreciated. At this moment I study horology at West Dean College in the UK. 1919 -1922, Luminous, Westclox in Roman text: 1923 - 1927, Luminous, projection on the "x": 1928 - 1935. Eventually we became best friends and started researching together. Thanks for any info you may be able to supply . From that point on I really liked those. Is a Glow-in-the-dark Clock Any Cause for Alarm? Are Watches With Radium Dials Safe? New Study Offers Warning She was 18. [7], Ingestion of radium has been linked to anemia, cataracts, broken teeth, and reduced bone growth.[8]. Theres a seller on eBay now whos doing some really outstanding restorations of Big Bens. CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO RELEASE THE CLICK ON A WESTCLOX MANS WRISTWATCH MODEL A-201? [9] The element was phased out of use by industry acting under its own volition as superior and safer luminous materials entered the marketplace. That was the first antique clock I owned myself. Style 5 dial design]. When did Junghans stop manufacturing Westminster Chimes, and when did Keinzle stop manufacturing Westminster chimes. . . (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. I will be watching for more articles from Bill Stoddard Similarly, A key point to bear in mind is this: the dial is still highly radioactive. It is something that we should know before everyone starts throwing away every luminous dial clock they own. I am reading, studying, and learning more about the Westclox. It looks like you mount it to the wall. UHR (CW arrow) knob sets clock time. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. 1919 - 1920 on a small proportion of clocks, "Westclox" in Roman text, Wide lettering at bottom: 1923, "Westclox" in Roman text, Narrow lettering at bottom:1924 to 1927, "Westclox" in Roman text, Projection on the "x": 1928 - 1935, Luminous, "Westclox" in italics: ca. Another thing people do is make fake advertising clocks. Your email address will not be published. Read more about "Radium Girls" here. This past weekend, thanks to the Westclox Museum, its doors were opened and former workers were welcomed back for Homecoming Day. [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. Just remember, old luminous clocks are full of radium! While the painting technique of the Ghost Girls was replaced with supposedly safer methods like silk screening, traces of radium were still used by many companies to get that desired glow effect throughout the 1940s and even as late as the 60s. who can refurbush big ben still runs good perfect time purchased in 1950 cataloge #885(885). Westclox closed its Peru factory 35 years ago. Westclox Big Ben Style 1a Alarm Clock Date Summary: 1918 - 1935 (and a reproduction was made in 1970) Characteristics: Ring on top, two legs in front, no screws through the front of the bezel. They made the most of the perk, wearing their good dresses to the plant so theyd shine in the dance halls at night, and even painting radium onto their teeth for a smile that would knock their suitors dead.. When did Westclox go out of business? - Ufoscience.org 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. They were officially Americas preferred wake-up call provider. I cannot date it. In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. Based in Flora, Indiana, Bill can be reached via his website, clockhistory.com, which is a member of our Hall of Fame. WECKER (CCW arrow) knob sets alarm time. How old is my Westclox? - Rampfesthudson.com Behind the light, theyd been left in the dark. I recently wrote an article on Hong Kong Watch and Clockmakers for the Antiquarian Horology Society Journal. It was put away for years and last year it was given to me as I have small collection of United novelty clocks. 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. My husband has a Big Ben clock that he inherited, it was took down from a mill and given to his grandma. Westclox Wrought Iron Look Wall Clock 12" 32021A. Next to the original Westcloxes I have an interesting collection of European copies by a.o. They asked me to give some programs myself at some of the chapter meetings so I became a little bit better at being a public speaker, and its been great meeting people. Many thanks. Clocks produced in the early 1900's are particularly concerning in this regard. Thank you, i have a pocket watch that says (inscribed inside) g. falconer ,,,rona & london or kona & london i dont know its in old english and says kona or hona it has 1243 all inscribed on the inside where when u open it u can see the gears, looks like an a8 and a crown with a 18 on the middle inside cover (that covers the gears) and also a 1243 and what looks like an 8 or an infinite symbol (sideways 8)then again on the part that clasps over everything on the inside an A3 or A8? That summer at an antique store I came across one that wasnt even in the book, and I thought that was exciting. Because it was one degree removed from the radium business itself, Westclox seems to have largely dodged the controversy and lawsuits altogether. They worked in unvented rooms, they wore smocks that they laundered at home. I cant find out anything about him or any other clocks by him. I spent many an evening here, watching him bowl.. A 2015 article by Ben Hohenstatt in the Illinois Valleys News Tribune included interviews with a few former Westclox workers who returned to see the museum and remember old times. On March 31, 1980, the Peru-LaSalle plant was officially closed, narrowly missing its 100-year anniversary. Apr 14, 2011 501 1 18. It has a removable bottom decorative piece as well as a top rounded top flat piece of wood with a verticle wooden slat on the back extending to become a peg-like extension to fit and secure the decorative piece into the top of the clock. He invited us in to look around, so we got to go up and down the big freight elevator and he found some old music boxes that were never used that he gave to us (Westclox made one or two little clocks with a music box in them). How did I get interested in clocks? The story begins with a Connecticut clockmaker named Charles Stahlberg getting a patent for a new alarm clock design in 1885. Did westclox stop using radioactive paint by the 1960s? Westcloxs Manual for Employees read, We expect you to work hard, and the pay is accordingly large . This end has been achieved by what is known as the Western Processa process in which the component parts of a clock are cast, or, so to speak, cemented together with an alloy, instead of staked, and in which all hand labor is replaced by automatic machinery., [Automatic machinery certainly sped up the manufacturing process, by plenty of human skill and attention was still required to make the Big Ben. Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year; today, it is just over 4,500. when did westclox stop using radium. Art and Mary Ann Windy [pictured] have been married for 49 years, met as Westclox employees and were present for the open house. All Rights Reserved. The greater surprise, though, is that they didnt abandon the use of radium in the years that followed. Westclox Radium Dial Clock. Credit: pinimg. . Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage. I hope to document Style 5 Baby Bens this winter. On 3rd January 2099, Terry Shields asked if anyone had information regarding his clock signed G .Falconer, Hong Kong. Stoddard: My grandma gave me an old Baby Ben alarm clock that didnt work when I was seven. Could you suggest how I could go about finding out this information. Also Telechron, which was a big maker of electric clocks. Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. 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. There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. 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. LandmarkHunter.com | Westclox clock factory, La Salle, IL The company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. Theyll take an old Big Ben from 1930 and make a new dial that says Indian Motorcycle or Victola, and put it on eBay. They can be identified by having the modern type of flat head screws with shoulders instead of round head screws, and by having a 1910 patent date on the back even though the case is style 1a. I have purchased 1) Style 1 Baby and Big Ben with the Gold Leaf dial (seller stated raised letters); and, 2) a Style 1 Baby Ben with Baby Ben De Luxe on the dial. 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. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated. From 1917 to 1926, the United States Radium Corporation used radium to produce wristwatches and clocks. As various larger corporate interests got involved in the years ahead, however, and as increasing competition from electronic clockmakers slowed the Big Bens dominance, the inevitable slow down began. WECKER (CW arrow)/UHR (CCW arrow) knob with ring: CW winds alarm; CCW winds clock. It is a Medbury-4W #4910. Radium was discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. Site of the Old Westclox factory 211-201 Hunter Street, Peterborough Ontario. when did westclox stop using radiumcapricorn and virgo flirting. A radium dial clock from the 1930s. In 1919 the company was incorporated as Western Clock Company, Ltd. At the top was a clock covered with a glass door. Is this a product that the company would have made or something someone created? Benton County Museums: Westclox Radium Dial Clock - Blogger 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. How We Realized Putting Radium in Everything Was Not the Answer In the 1970s, radium was phased out of wristwatches and clockdials. Even if the Western Clock Co. wasnt born in Chicago or headquartered here, the immediate aftershocks of the companys cultural and industrial impact certainly reached our shores in a hurry, no interstate required. The massive success of the Big Ben design wasnt just about function and style. My dad was one of the top bowlers here, Ristau said. when did westclox stop using radium - Fashionexclusiveuae.com 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. Thats another story. The first Big Bens and Baby Bens in 1910 were wind ups.. The aim of the Western Clock MFG Co. in entering the manufacture of alarms was to apply to nickel clocks, features which were previously found only in high-priced timepieces, and prohibited in low-priced lever clocks by the high cost of production involved. Recently Ive seen people taking an old Baby Ben thats worth a few bucks or so and gluing rhinestones around the bezel on the clock. 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. From that time on, Baby Bens first and then Big Bens were available with either the plain or luminous dial. [Left: The first national Big Ben advertisement appears in the.
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