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. We pay his railroad fare on all orders for a dozen or more, we brand him with your name in lots of 24., unconsciously characterized the manunaffected, direct, devoted to his cause., Radiums luminosity was part of its allure,, The dial painters soon became known as the ghost girls because by the time they finished their shifts, they themselves would glow in the dark. When radium was discovered in the early 1900s, people were fascinated by its mysterious glow and it was added to many everyday products, including paints. They had one in Brazil for a while and I think also in Hong Kong. i use a 1980s I believe westclox pocket ben sweep 2nd hand, I actually had a westclox bullseye from the early 1990s when I was in elementary school. Seeking the Big 3 goals of convenience, cleanliness, and cheap production, Dreyfuss rolled out his new-look Big Ben in 1931. Radium dials held near the face have been shown to produce radiation doses in excess of 10Sv / hour. The front is in Roman Numerals with a dome shaped raised glass. When did westclox stop using radium? The movement was mounted to the inner case back. 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. 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. From that point on I really liked those. A few years later my grandma gave me one that worked, and my aunt gave me another one. Don Spayer, volunteer and former Westclox employee, said the bulk of the museums collection was built through donations. In 1931 it merged with Seth Thomas Clock Co. and both became divisions of General Time Corp. Despite Westcloxs deep German roots, the Illinois factory was a huge contributor to the U.S. military again during World War II, supplying upwards of a billion small parts for use in various defense products. 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. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Contact the Webmaster for perceived copyright infringement (DMCA Registration Number 1010287). I have been collecting, repairing, and restoring mostly Westclox Big Bens for several years. Immediately after, substances like promethium and tritium were used as a luminous material, and they're still being used today. If you look at a Baby Ben in the 1959 Sears catalog, they sold for about nine dollars and if you go to a Wal Mart today you can still buy a Baby Ben for about nine dollars, but the quality isnt the same. It is something that we should know before everyone starts throwing away every luminous dial clock they own. Am I missing something here? So, rather than having the classic oversized bell or double-bell on top of the unit (to smash with your palm at 6am), the ringing mechanism was housed inside the back of the case, and a big winding key occupied the summit. $26.95. We are very proud to be living in this building and would love to know more about this specific site. Stoddard: Ive been there several times. 5 17 15 is May 17, 1915 . Did Westclox use radium? radium - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica 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. She was 18. I am looking to get an approxmiate value of this clock. There are many Westclox alarm clock models named Big Ben. These styles constitute the Can anyone direct me on how to find this clock? "[4], According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, "radioactive antiques [including watches] are usually not a health risk as long as they are intact and in good condition. Various lettering on the dial and various patent dates (later, numbers) on the Like style 1a non-luminous with dealer name on dial. Stoddard: Its really hard to say. Just as pilots in World War II had radium on the dials in their cockpits for all-condition visibility, many people who purchased Big Ben alarm clocks during the same periodincluding the very style in our museum collection (made from 1939-1946)went to bed each night sleeping next to a tiny box of radioactivity. Site of the Old Westclox factory 211-201 Hunter Street, Peterborough Ontario. document.write(year) Frank Baker. From that time on, Baby Bens first and then Big Bens were available with either the plain or luminous dial. Westclox travel alarm clock made in China - Antique And Vintage Clocks I would like to know the value of a #4 black, #321(in original cardboard Christmas box), mint condition, Baby Ben alarm clock is. Not everyone involved with the manufacturing of Westclox products was employed directly by Westclox, however. Annie Moussin designer intrieur. I had developed some sort of fascination for Big Ben and Baby Ben clocks. These clocks were produced in the thousands and many can be bought on eBay for under $10. Also Telechron, which was a big maker of electric clocks. They are just gorgeous watches and very well made. Its got a round brass dial and a painting in the door, really neat. In the 1970s, radium was phased out of wristwatches and clockdials. var year = today.getFullYear() Was just trying to find out any information on this clock or if you may have ever come across one like it It is battery operated and takes a D battery. As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. the knobs have foreign words ie wecker & UHR.would like to know about his clock Art and Mary Ann Windy [pictured] have been married for 49 years, met as Westclox employees and were present for the open house. The women also left a legacy to science that has been termed invaluable.. JavaScript is disabled. From 1942 to 1945, Westclox ceased all production intended for domestic civilian sale and dedicated its production resources to the war effort. It has a patent June 18-1882 and says Dakota on the back,can you tell me more? It led to life-saving regulations and, ultimately, to the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which now operates nationally in the United States to protect workers. Westclox closed its Peru factory 35 years ago. . Although old radium dials generally no longer produce light, this is due to the breakdown of the crystal structure of the luminous zinc sulfide rather than the radioactive decay of the radium. The first Big Bens and Baby Bens in 1910 were wind ups.. Big Ben style 1a continued in production until its discontinuation in 1935. Im trying to determine if it is a legit or reproduction that someone made. can anybody tell me about this piece? 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. The magical glow, as was widely understood by everyone involved, was created by radiuma radioactive element discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. So you find clocks where parts have been switched, so thats one challenge, determining originality. 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 I walked along the street, Iwas aglow from the radium powder., [Mrs. Charlotte Purcell, like Catherine Donohue, was one of 15 former workers at the Radium Dial Company who contracted cancer and sought justice in the late 1930s]. I read (but cant remember where) that about 40,000 were made. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. My father (Richard Ristau Sr.) worked here for 48.. Geiger counters could pick up readings from pants returned from a dry cleaner and from clothes stored away in a cedar chest. My love is for the style 1 peg leg Big and Baby Bens; mostly Baby Bens. 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.. when did westclox stop using radiumcapricorn and virgo flirting. Behind the light, theyd been left in the dark. [5] Indeed, the body treats radium as it does calcium, storing it in bone where it may cause bone degeneration and cancer.[5]. I tend to be a nitty gritty detail kind of guy. On March 31, 1980, the Peru-LaSalle plant was officially closed, narrowly missing its 100-year anniversary. 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. They have meetings every two months, and educational programs, so thats a really great way to meet collectors and get all kinds of advice. It sits on a small brass stand with Westclox on it. Stahlbergs company goes bankrupt not once, but twice, within its first several years. The story begins with a Connecticut clockmaker named Charles Stahlberg getting a patent for a new alarm clock design in 1885. When I went home and washed my hands in a dark bathroom, they would appear luminous and ghostly, an original Ghost Girl named Catherine Donohue (nee Wolfe) later testified. Technically speaking, though, Westclox did still produce clocks during the gap years that followed. The Evolution Behind Rolex Luminous Material | Bob's Watches For me its kind of an inexpensive hobby because as a boy I could find them for about a dollar a piece, sometimes in good condition. Thanks. Stahlberg knows that no other noteworthy clock company has ever succeeded west of the Hudson, let alone smalltown Illinois, but he dives into the challenge, establishing his first factory. Westclox History Database Main Menu Lynda Hinshaw, At this moment I am research a clock by Falconer& co HongKong. 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. How can people be exposed to Radium? Entertainment & Pop Culture; Geography & Travel; Health & Medicine; Lifestyles & Social Issues; Literature; Philosophy & Religion; Politics, Law & Government Matthiessen [pictured below], who owns the powerful Illinois Zinc Company and most other things in Peru / LaSalle, decides to swoop in and save Stahlbergs little clock business, incorporating it as the Western Clock Mfg. His bigger job was to design a system so the power companies could regulate their generator so the clock could keep time. When the Radium Dial Company moved to Ottawa in the 20s to better serve its number one client, Westclox, they were welcomed with enthusiasm, particularly by the young, working class women in the town. Big Ben: butler nickel case, gold leaf numeral dial 1930 1932. Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. When was Westclox Big Ben made? - WhoIsWh Next to the original Westcloxes I have an interesting collection of European copies by a.o. Westclox also made about 5000 gold-plated reproductions. Finally, with Catherine Donohue serving as a key witness from her death bed in 1938, a groundbreaking Supreme Court case finally delivered some long awaited justice to the victims. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. I tried selling some of my surplus electric Big Bens on eBay and they just didnt go, you could get only about $0.99 for them. Buy Now. Underneath the #12 on the face it says: G. Falconer & Co. LTD. Hong Kong. Good old fashioned branding played a major role, as well. 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. . By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. About 1931 they made the first electric Big Ben, and they were plug ins. 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. Not to mention theres the Big Bens so that doubles it right there. With George Kerns new alarm clock, specifically, Le Roy decided it would be wise to craft a new brand name, and to leave the Western name off of the clock face entirely, since the company was overly associated with cheap goods at the time. I know it was purchased in 1937 because it belonged to my elderly friends who were married in 1938. Health effects of Radium radiation exposure | Mass.gov It can be found with some other clocks in a case in the second floor hallway. Phone: 717-684-8261. In all my research I can not confirm that The Style 1 models every had 1) and 2) above. What is Radium Used For? - WorldAtlas when did westclox stop using radium old restaurants in lawrence, ma . They were officially Americas preferred wake-up call provider. 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. Stoddard: The first Big Bens and Baby Bens went on the market in 1910 and they were wind ups. About 1920 the luminous dial using radium paint was introduced. It is in working order and chimes on the hour and half hour. WECKER (CCW arrow) knob sets alarm time. Radium is highly radioactive. CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO RELEASE THE CLICK ON A WESTCLOX MANS WRISTWATCH MODEL A-201? 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. theres the problem, there were two gears that were in backwards. Their Scottish factory was a full manufacturing plant, at which all their clocks were assembled from start to finish with only the basic raw materials being brought in by outside suppliers. Your email address will not be published. The whole clock seems to be origional and was maintained by my grandfather who was a watch/clock repairman. George Kern died on July 27, 1918 from a ruptured appendix, but his basic clock design lived on for years. Westclox style series. On 3rd January 2099, Terry Shields asked if anyone had information regarding his clock signed G .Falconer, Hong Kong. Theres a clock called a Crystal Regulator which is about a foot tall with a brass case and glass on all four sides. I cant find out anything about him or any other clocks by him. Their use in prostate brachytherapy dates from 1926. 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. Production was back in full force and at an all-time high by 1956, with 3,000 employees on staff. From 1917 to 1926, the United States Radium Corporation used radium to produce wristwatches and clocks. The use of radium was discontinued since the 1960s. When did they stop using radium on clocks? Just remember, old luminous clocks are full of radium! I have a Seth Thomas Mantle clock that my older sisters husbands Aunt had on her mantle for years. It has ingraved on it 2-20-31. Thanks, Paula. The new features, according to a synopsis from the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, included: shifting from serif to sans-serif typefaces and from slightly ornate to more streamlined minute and second hands, all of which eased legibility; setting the clock face closer to the glass, reducing shadows; and creating a slightly smaller form overall.. Created with WordPress. The movement is a windup almost identical to the original. We would like to redo the entrances and lobby areas and show the history of the building right on site but have not found much anywhere. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses . In the early 1920s, when the company introduced a new series of Big Ben and Baby Ben clocks with luminous dials, the work of painting on this special, glow-in-the-dark element was outsourced to the Radium Dial Companyan independent business located just up the road in the neighboring town of Ottawa, IL. That batch was in production non-continuously from 1939 to 1946, housed in gunmetal cases with nickel trim. Only reason I can think of and it looks pretty odd not to have minutes on a clock face. Can you help When Westclox changed over to the style 8 Big Ben and Baby Ben in 1964, they used 4 divisions per 5 minutes, I believe to make the alarm easier to set. In this interview Bill Stoddard talks about collecting antique Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben alarm clocks, and discusses clock collecting in general. As stated it is working and keeps time. Stopping this practice drastically reduced the amount of radium ingested and therefore, the incidence of malignancy. Radium was discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. [citation needed] The use of radium to provide luminescence for hands and indices on watches soon followed. $25.99. into groups of similar models. How old is my Westclox? - Rampfesthudson.com I know that it is electric and it requires a dime deposit to set the alarm on it. Stoddard: My grandma gave me an old Baby Ben alarm clock that didnt work when I was seven. The Crystal blocks a significant amount of The radiation. when did westclox stop using radium - Simssuccessgroup.com For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. 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. When I was eight we moved to a new house and my mom and I were looking in the attic and found an old octagon wall clock made by Waterbury, probably dated about 1880. When Did Glow In The Dark Watches Stop Using Radium? Many thanks. We pay his railroad fare on all orders for a dozen or more, we brand him with your name in lots of 24.. Ref comment #10 from Frank Baker. It was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. I also like some of the older American weight-driven clocks. How do you date a Westclox Baby Ben? Its hard to fathom in retrospect, but in the early 20th century, it was generally believed that small amounts of radium were perfectly harmless to humans, and thus, the substances natural, long-lasting glow actually made it something of an attractive novelty of the time periodnot just on clock dials, but in the worlds of quack medicine, fashion, cosmetics, and even a proto version of energy water, called Radithor.. The NAWCC has an online forum with a lot of different categories. July 17th, 2008. credit: Northern Illinois University], According to a 1909 article in Commercial America, In clocks, as in all other lines of goods, there are two classes of consumersthe millions and the millionaires. The dial painters soon became known as the ghost girls because by the time they finished their shifts, they themselves would glow in the dark. Never underestimate the value of an alarm clock when yours broke two years ago and nobody has manufactured a new one since. Is Westclox still in business? - Quick-Advice.com How do you set the time on a old fashioned alarm clock? While most of our Big Ben dials are black with luminous numbers, there were also white dials with black numerals in production at the same time. Selling for $2.50 in the years before World War I (or about $60 in modern money), the 5-inch diameter Big Ben and its half-pint cousin the Baby Ben combined to move over 900,000 units in just 1913 alone, and the Western Clock MFG Companynot yet officially known as Westcloxwas producing more than twice that many clocks annually in total. These folks here that are responsible for this are doing a marvelous job, Ristau said. A Big Ben typical of those made from late 1910 to mid-1915. Any help would be appreciated. It is stamped on the back of the casing DRP&GM. Another thing people do is make fake advertising clocks. I think it is a clock made by Sessions. Vintage Clocks and Radium Risks - Ken's Clock Clinic [citation needed] This rate probably only represents the dose rate from gamma emission, as the alpha emission will be stopped by the lacquer, or crystal, or case; hence, the dose rate following ingestion or inhalation of the dust could be much higher. Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them. Richard Ristau Jr., former plant manager, said hes happy to see the space being used for the museum.
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