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. 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? But for years the majority were wind ups, they were so popular. document.write(year) Westclox closed its Peru factory 35 years ago. Old Rose (pink) crackle finish Baby Ben with luminous dial: 1929 1930. when did westclox stop using radium; when did westclox stop using radium. 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. 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 women also left a legacy to science that has been termed invaluable., 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., 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., For That Healthy Glow, Drink Radiation . Westclox Classic Alarm Clock Full Size 47602. In the 1970s, radium was phased out of wristwatches and clockdials. So, does Westclox really belong in the Made In Chicago Museum? 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. Going back further in time, here is a pretty hypnotizing silent film released by Westclox in the early 1920s to promote the Big Ben and other products. First, if your clock is for display only, I think it is harmless if the paint on the hands is not disturbed. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. Hi I need the face plate for a black face big ben with the alarm dial on its face do you have any you could sell me alonf with the radio dials, it was probably outsourced meaning westclox sold some watches to hot wheels, I had a westclox electric dialite like that.
when did westclox stop using radium - Trustedacquisitions.com It is battery operated and takes a D battery. There are many Westclox alarm clock models named Big Ben. Located at 41.3275 N, 89.1290 W on the map, the companys former plant is admittedly on the absolute fringes of what would typically be designated Chicagoland turf. Origin of the eye, forklore or legends surrounding????? Immediately after, substances like promethium and tritium were used as a luminous material, and they're still being used today. Westclox style series. Its basically all forward momentum from here. I have a collection of clocks, and amongst my collection are Westminster chime wall clocks, I have two Keinzle and two Junghans. For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. When I got out of college I started going to the watch and clock conventions and met a man who was giving a program about the history of Big Bens and Baby Bens. when did westclox stop using radiumcapricorn and virgo flirting. Also Telechron, which was a big maker of electric clocks. 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. There are some blemishes on the wood on the right side. Within two decades she had lost all her teeth. Any suggestions of where to get a replacement preferably in Canada? The NAWCC has an online forum with a lot of different categories. 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. 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. We are looking for any Westclox photographs, memorabilia etc between 1927- 1980s of the factory. Charles Stahlberg headed a group from Waterbury, Connecticut, who came to Peru in 1884 to build clocks based on a new idea by Stahlberg. Theyll take an old Big Ben from 1930 and make a new dial that says Indian Motorcycle or Victola, and put it on eBay. Never underestimate the value of an alarm clock when yours broke two years ago and nobody has manufactured a new one since. Radium dials were typically painted by young women, who used to 'point' their brushes by licking and shaping the bristles prior to painting the fine lines and numbers on the dials. You just cant imagine the size of this factory its just gigantic. 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.. I have a small westclox alarm clock. She was 107 when she died on March 1 in Middlebury, Conn .
WHAT IS A Moonbeam clock? - Thecrucibleonscreen.com The policy of the company is one of highly specialized production. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Style 10 is the last numbered In the United States there does not seem to have ever been prohibitory legislation passed banning the use of radium in clocks and watches. Sometimes extensive casework can be more time consuming than getting the movement running. Geiger counters could pick up readings from pants returned from a dry cleaner and from clothes stored away in a cedar chest. Here you can see production dates, original retail prices and other Most are in nickel finish cases, but some were made in gold plated cases. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. Patton, had joined Charles Stahlbergs original start-up back in 1886 at the age of just 13, and he was still on board in 1936, 50 years later. My father (Richard Ristau Sr.) worked here for 48.. 7&a half X 6..desk clock. I like to find the ones before that and study their history. [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. These paints were used on the dials of clocks and watches to make them glow-in-the-dark. Collectors Weekly: When did you discover that there were other clock collectors? If you do not expect to work hard and carefully, you are in the wrong place. credit: Northern Illinois University]. thank you, My Husband and I just purchased an antique mantle/shelf clock at an estate sale. 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 Glow In The Dark Watches Stop Using Radium? A pair of teenage boys broke into the abandoned factory and set a fire that quickly spread and enveloped much of the central complex. Don Spayer, volunteer and former Westclox employee, said the bulk of the museums collection was built through donations. Thanks, I have come across a mantle clock that has been in my husbands family for as long as he can remember He estimates his bother purchased the clock around 1950. Thank you. I have a Westclox Big Ben 1910 style 1a and have not been able to find out the present value/worth. Westclox Radium Dial Clock. 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. Helen. Required fields are marked *. I have never seen this mentioned anywhere. Their use in prostate brachytherapy dates from 1926. Radium was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898[1] and was soon combined with paint to make luminescent paint, which was applied to clocks, airplane instruments, and the like, to be able to read them in the dark.[2]. Jessie, good observation. 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. That way I got myself another Baby Ben, bringing my collection to three by age 12. 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. We have photos of all the employees between 1927-1945 at the Peterborough Ontario Location but not much else. then 4 symbols a crown an 18 and to unkown symbols in a square patern but on its side square pattern. Can anyone tell me the meaning or significance of this eye? 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]. Well, the company certainly maintained some major salesrooms here, and many of their employees came from the city and its suburbs. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. the clock face is 16, ca 1900. the clock belonged to pheobe appersons family at their ranch in sunol california. The massive success of the Big Ben design wasnt just about function and style. I'll start with a 19j Bunn, Looking for Somebody with Some Bandwidth to do a Repair. Only reason I can think of and it looks pretty odd not to have minutes on a clock face. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. The magical glow, as was widely understood by everyone involved, was created by radiuma radioactive element discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. Up until this point in time (pun intended), quality time pieces had been considered a rich mans game. 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. 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. I have been collecting, repairing, and restoring mostly Westclox Big Bens for several years.
Unbelievable true story of the 'radium girls' - NZ Herald All I really want to know is about the raised horizontal single eye type decoration on this top removable piece. Theres a seller on eBay now whos doing some really outstanding restorations of Big Bens. Your email address will not be published. Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. The center is in the shape of the world map. At the top was a clock covered with a glass door. In her 2017 book, The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of Americas Shining Women, author Kate Moore notes that many of the new girls at the Radium Dial factory started out painting the famous Westclox Big Ben clocks before moving on to the smaller and more challenging Baby Ben, and finally the Pocket Ben and Scotty pocket watches, all produced at the Westclox Works. Thank you for your input. 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. A 'radium cow' or sample of radium would continually yield a supply of the nuclide. 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. It looks like you mount it to the wall. I was looking at it and said, aha! Ive been trying to compare lots of different clocks to find out what original parts go together. Stoddard: Its really hard to say. Lynda Hinshaw, At this moment I am research a clock by Falconer& co HongKong. But he only comes upon receipt of signed price agreement. Would you please direct me to someone that can do this for me?
[citation needed] The use of radium to provide luminescence for hands and indices on watches soon followed.
Is Radium Lume Really That Dangerous? - WahaWatches The movement was then used with minor changes in Loud Alarm models until 1956. How can people be exposed to Radium? The standard operating procedure of their daily work involved literally placing radium flecked paint brushes between their lips to create a finer point before application. The only thing I found is the word Germny engraved on the back. In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. Donohue, like many of her young peers in the radium industry, eventually realized that her amusing glow had been a warning of severe exposure to a radioactive substance. 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.
How To Turn Off The Loud And Persistent Big Ben Alarm Clock Eventually, safer options were discovered, and the use of radium was discontinued in the 1960s. The radium isotope (226Ra) used has a half-life of about 1,600years,[6] so radium dials remain essentially just as radioactive as when originally painted 50 or 100 years ago, whether or not they remain luminous. Can you confirm? Buy Now. 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. Thanks for any info you may be able to supply 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., [Automatic machinery certainly sped up the manufacturing process, by plenty of human skill and attention was still required to make the Big Ben. How do you set the time on a old fashioned alarm clock? when did westclox stop using radium. I would like to find the value of it. I am reading, studying, and learning more about the Westclox. 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. Chronic exposure to high levels of radium can result in an increased incidence of bone, liver, or breast cancer. The lume used on vintage Rolex watches was radium-based, and radium remained the standard for nearly all Rolex lume until 1963, when growing health concerns forced a shift away from it. Soon, he was running the Western Clock Co. advertising department, and proving his worth with some clever marketing strategies. Can anyone tell me about this? Once I was winding it and one of the main springs broke, so I decided to take it all apart and fix the main spring. Radium is an almost pure white alkaline radioactive earth metal, and is found in nature in uranium ores. Question: Are both 1) and 2) marriages of Style 2 mechanisms put in a Style 1A Big Ben and Style 1 Baby Ben. It was put away for years and last year it was given to me as I have small collection of United novelty clocks. 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. Ristau said he remembered when the Westclox factory was the heart of the city, and recalled enjoying his time with Westclox. Theres a clock called a Crystal Regulator which is about a foot tall with a brass case and glass on all four sides. He corresponded with Westclox General Manager Ernst Roth over the weeks that followed, but after a final letter that September, he went silent.
Facts About Radium | Live Science But hes taken some that are really rusty and had the backs replaced beautifully and reproduced some dials, and hes actually had some selling for several hundred dollars, so thats a totally different thing. Their factory in LaSalle, Illinois closed down in about 1980 when they moved all their production down south, but the building is still there.
Hot Times in "Radium Hospital": The History of Radium Therapy at MSK Was westclox ever manufactured in germany and if so when? lds missionary clothing stores; June 24, 2022 . 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. 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. So you find clocks where parts have been switched, so thats one challenge, determining originality. Apr 14, 2011 501 1 18. Debbie Blake, I have a small Westclox wind up clock dating around 1937. its a Gold coloring and the bottom is well worn like it was slid into something regularily. Thanks, Teri. About 1920 the luminous dial using radium paint was introduced. Style Information: Plain dial: 1918 - 1935 Black luminous dial: 1921 - 1935 There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. I also need it repaired so that it will be functional and need to find someone that will do that for me.
Mae Keane, Whose Job Brought Radium to Her Lips, Dies at 107 When did they stop using radium on clocks? Not to mention theres the Big Bens so that doubles it right there.
Radium - Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table The internet is fantastic, you can find out anything about just any kind of clock, exchange pictures easily, correspond with people and work together on research. She was 18. This particular clock is made in China while other similar Westclox alarm clocks at the time were made in Taiwan. The use of radium was discontinued since the 1960s. In this interview Bill Stoddard talks about collecting antique Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben alarm clocks, and discusses clock collecting in general. Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them.
Westclox Big Ben Style 1a Alarm Clock - Clock History Entertainment & Pop Culture; Geography & Travel; Health & Medicine; Lifestyles & Social Issues; Literature; Philosophy & Religion; Politics, Law & Government "[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. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. Baby Ben and other Westclox clocks and watches have been assigned styles.
Radium dial - Wikipedia During the early 1900's, the effects of radiation exposure were not well understood, and radium was frequently . Omega stopped using radium around 1963. Posted on 1 second ago; June 24, 2022 . Your response or advice would be much appreciated. bailey oceans tide clock dated 1880, with a Fusee movement. Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. Charles Stahlberg had an idea for making a better, but less expensive alarm clock. Another thing people do is make fake advertising clocks. A Westclox Museum has been opened within the original facility, showing off rare collections from the millions of timepieces once manufactured there. Henry Warren invented a little synchronous motor that could go inside a clock. It is and Elias Ingraham Brass Clock with a patent stamp of September 30, 1862. Radium dials were produced throughout most of the 20th century before being replaced by safer tritium-based luminous material in the 1970s and finally by non-toxic, non-radioactive strontium aluminatebased photoluminescent material from the middle 1990s. The front is in Roman Numerals with a dome shaped raised glass. (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. Technically speaking, though, Westclox did still produce clocks during the gap years that followed. I have a quite a few pieces of both of them I have even one big Ben pocket watch which is still working after , I do not know how many years. I live in Scotland but my clock was made in USA. Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year; today, it is just over 4,500. $26.95. England. I spent many an evening here, watching him bowl..
Benton County Museums: Westclox Radium Dial Clock - Blogger At the end of one hand is a star and the other hand is the moon. Any guidance or help is appreciated.
How do you set a manual alarm clock? - AnswersAll There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. 226RA has a half life of about 1600 years and the glow of the paint used on dials and hands decreases because of the damage the alpha particles emitted by the Radium do to the ZnS . [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. Beginning in the 1910s, the girls instructed to put radium in their mouths didn't bat an eyelash. 1919 -1922, Luminous, Westclox in Roman text: 1923 - 1927, Luminous, projection on the "x": 1928 - 1935. 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]. Sep 23, 2011 This past weekend, thanks to the Westclox Museum, its doors were opened and former workers were welcomed back for Homecoming Day. I was about 3ft high and recessed into the wall. AD x Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. His ideas were patented on as US patent #326,602. Back then, radium wasn't considered to be dangerous in small doses. As stated it is working and keeps time. The company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. . In fact, one of their designs for the military, the terrifying sounding "WarAlarm," spurred a small shopping riot in Chicago in 1944 when a small batch of the clocks was made available for commercial purchase at a downtown store. Annie Moussin designer intrieur. It would be very interesting if you could provide me with some pictures of the clock. It also says that the patent was re-issued March 31, 1868. When did clocks stop using radium? In 1914, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky and Dr. George S. Willis founded the Radium Luminous Material Corporation. I was told it was long ago before even my aged family was servicing watches. WECKER (CCW arrow) knob sets alarm time. Over time, she contracted terrible cancerous tumors, lost most of her teeth, and suffered countless other health problems.
Store - The WestClox Source any info would be appreciated. knowledge about vintage and antique Westclox clocks and watches. The clock is shielded From the glass crystal. Radium was discovered in 1898 by Marie Curie and Pierre Curie. I recently wrote an article on Hong Kong Watch and Clockmakers for the Antiquarian Horology Society Journal. Did Westclox use radium?
hamilton radiation | NAWCC Forums This dustproofing is accomplished by fittings around the set knobs and winding keys and on the regulator. Most importantly, they were forbidden to point the tip with their lips, and they avoided to ingest or inhale the luminous paint.