Escapement

The bird atop our Sessions York banjo clock is very patriotic.  Seems like everyone is watching eagles these days.  As explicated in  our last episode your local horologist addressed the error of "beat" and the variants of in vs. out vs. going in and out.  But let's take a brief respite from tooth surgery and add just a bit more history. What is a banjo clock? The term banjo comes from the shape of the clock. As a style it was a uniquely American creation, patented by Simon Willard, a Massachusetts clockmaker, in 1802. A simple summary of the history of banjo clocks and their features can be found in this wikipedia entry.  Many in the field of horology call Willard the "father" of American clock making. Several of his family members were also clockmakers following his style. Original Willard (family) clocks are hard to come by ($$) and highly prized. Here is an example of an original (and the fuss auction houses make about them). Look here for more about ...

In our last episode we discussed the roughly 100 year-old Sessions York banjo clock emblazoned with Betsy Ross on its glass tablet and an eagle sitting on top.  And while in very good shape overall it was ticking and tocking in an uneven manner, what clockmakers call a "beat" problem.... What is a beat problem? Being in beat mean the clock is ticking and tocking very evenly, eg. tick-tock-tick-tock. That is a healthy beat for a clock. A tick or tock of a clock is the sound made when an escape wheel tooth hits a pallet... well... look at the gif above. You can see the escape wheel with its pointy teeth turning and gently colliding with the pallets of the pallet fork (that bent strip of grey metal). There are two pallets, one curved on top (the entrance pallet) and a second flat one on the bottom (the exit pallet).  See each one hitting a tooth? That pallet fork, also called an anchor, is attached to a crutch (the brass rod that is bent and then descends down below the image)...

Your local horologist has come to the conclusion that, increasingly and of late, more interesting horological finds can be had on the dreaded Faceb... (that place) than via that long standing, but slowly devolving, stalwart Craigslist. A few weeks ago Kelly posted for sale a "New Haven Banjo Wind-up Wall Clock."  Intriguing, as her photos of the beastie showed what was clearly marked as a Sessions clock with a very nicely intact back label. A little research turned up a 1927 Sessions clock catalog entry. Solid mahogany case? Hmm... An inquiry was made. Yes still available and a date, location and time were set.   YLH was warmly greeted by Kelly at a local Starbucks.  She had little history of the clock nor understanding of its workings. It came from a client of hers. The clock looked to be in very good shape overall, fully intact and with its key.  The bottom glass plate was in perfect condition displaying a charming historic scene of "Ye Upholsterer, Betsy Ross." L...