About the only. But for years the majority were wind ups, they were so popular. These clocks were produced in the thousands and many can be bought on eBay for under $10. In this interview Bill Stoddard talks about collecting antique Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben alarm clocks, and discusses clock collecting in general. That batch was in production non-continuously from 1939 to 1946, housed in gunmetal cases with nickel trim. According to Chemistry Explained, radium is extracted today from uranium ores in much the same way that Marie and Pierre Curie did in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Something about them has always been ingrained in me. Just remember, old luminous clocks are full of radium! During the early 1900's, the effects of radiation exposure were not well understood, and radium was frequently . In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. I wonder if the younger generations are as interested in the older things as we are, although there are some younger collectors out there learning how to do clock repair. George Kern died on July 27, 1918 from a ruptured appendix, but his basic clock design lived on for years. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses . . I love the Hamiltons in particular, probably some of the best watches made in America. Above all else, though, the rise and fall of Westcloxand the deeper history of these Big Ben clocks, in particularis simply far too intriguing to dismiss just because of a long-distance commute. The first Big Bens and Baby Bens in 1910 were wind ups.. Westclox Big Bens and Baby Bens are full of the stuff. Soon, he was running the Western Clock Co. advertising department, and proving his worth with some clever marketing strategies. the clock face is 16, ca 1900. the clock belonged to pheobe appersons family at their ranch in sunol california. 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. Am I missing something here? 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. Unfortunately, they also hint at a tragic chapter in American industrial history, when the appeal of a luminous new kind of paint wound up putting hundreds of workersmostly young womenat great personal risk. Debbie Blake, I have a small Westclox wind up clock dating around 1937. Ive been trying to compare lots of different clocks to find out what original parts go together. I live in Scotland but my clock was made in USA. 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.
When did Westclox go out of business? - Ufoscience.org Its got a round brass dial and a painting in the door, really neat. My moms father had a small collection of antique clocks and when I was a little boy he showed me how to wind them and regulate them. They typically have a round brass base with a glass dome over them; they were made in Germany from the 1890s up through the 1970s, and a lot of people collect them. In 1931 it merged with Seth Thomas Clock Co. and both became divisions of General Time Corp. When did Junghans stop manufacturing Westminster Chimes, and when did Keinzle stop manufacturing Westminster chimes. Style 10 is the last numbered 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. Dave, Your question about a Big Ben containing radium, and in fact about which clocks actually do contain radium, is a good one. One employee, R.D. There are also some specialty chapters, like an alarm clock chapter and a 400-day clock chapter, one that specializes in wristwatches and one on early American pocket watches. Underneath the #12 on the face it says: G. Falconer & Co. LTD. Hong Kong. He also recalled playing in the factory. I would like to find the value of it. Hundreds of thousands of clocks were produced a year, until closing its doors in 1980. Did Westclox use radium? Also, its not just Americans who collect, its worldwide. When did they stop using radium on clocks? 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. Westclox Classic Alarm Clock Full Size 47602. In 1919 the company was incorporated as Western Clock Company, Ltd. dated:1990 ,decorated :hong cong.made in japan.cocacola tradmark. Posted on 1 second ago; June 24, 2022 .
Is a Glow-in-the-dark Clock Any Cause for Alarm? They were told that eliminating lip-pointing had ended earlier problems. 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. 1970s Many of these workers developed bone cancer . 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. 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. The story begins with a Connecticut clockmaker named Charles Stahlberg getting a patent for a new alarm clock design in 1885.
Are Watches With Radium Dials Safe? New Study Offers Warning when did westclox stop using radium. Within two decades she had lost all her teeth. I would like to know the value of a #4 black, #321(in original cardboard Christmas box), mint condition, Baby Ben alarm clock is.
A Westclox Museum has been opened within the original facility, showing off rare collections from the millions of timepieces once manufactured there. Most importantly, they were forbidden to point the tip with their lips, and they avoided to ingest or inhale the luminous paint. can anybody tell me about this piece? Never underestimate the value of an alarm clock when yours broke two years ago and nobody has manufactured a new one since. The movement was then used with minor changes in Loud Alarm models until 1956. Westclox Radium Dial Clock. its a Gold coloring and the bottom is well worn like it was slid into something regularily. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses were being caused by internal contamination from the radium they ingested. It looks like you mount it to the wall. [6] Decaying radium also produces the gas radon, recognized as the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States[6] and the United Kingdom. See the top of this page for a current list of I hope to document Style 5 Baby Bens this winter. In all my research I can not confirm that The Style 1 models every had 1) and 2) above.
What You Want To Know About Watch Luminant - aBlogtoWatch My clothes, hanging in a dark closet, gave off a phosphorescent glare. 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. 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.
Health effects of Radium radiation exposure | Mass.gov In terms of my own collection, Im still trying to find some of the really early Big Bens. thanks for your time, was doing research.. Appears from search engine a conversation about D batteries but cant find it in the text.. Can anyone inform me of the different size of D? Over time, she contracted terrible cancerous tumors, lost most of her teeth, and suffered countless other health problems. They worked for the United States Radium Corporation painting the numbers and hands on watch. Can anyone direct me on how to find this clock? For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. I believed it was manufacturing tag. 5 17 15 is May 17, 1915 . Sep 6, 2008. potz said: Afaik Radium was used right up to the 1950's. Some sources even say it was used up to 1968 in watches and 1978 in clocks. Condition is important, but clocks can be restored. These styles constitute the The clock is shielded From the glass crystal. . 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. Westclox style series. The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. 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. A 'radium cow' or sample of radium would continually yield a supply of the nuclide. Seeking the Big 3 goals of convenience, cleanliness, and cheap production, Dreyfuss rolled out his new-look Big Ben in 1931. On the Style 9, they went back to actual minute markings. 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. Radium is highly radioactive. Medical researchers extended the use of radium to cure impotence in men and women by creating fertility drugs with the element to "stimulate" reproduction. when did westclox stop using radiumcapricorn and virgo flirting. 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.
Is Westclox still in business? - Quick-Advice.com any info would be appreciated. Technically speaking, though, Westclox did still produce clocks during the gap years that followed. The factory contained a bowling alley, and Ristau said his father was an excellent bowler. Thank you. Theres a seller on eBay now whos doing some really outstanding restorations of Big Bens.
Unbelievable true story of the 'radium girls' - NZ Herald Leg model with ring on top, dustproof case. Thank you I was about 3ft high and recessed into the wall. By the 1970s, radium was no . Charles Stahlberg had an idea for making a better, but less expensive alarm clock. Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. 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. They call it Shabby Chic and sell it on eBay for 60 to 80 dollars. 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. Thank you for your input. its about 2 inches long maybe 1/2 in thick with holes on either end to be worn on a key chain perhaps? 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. Which is interesting because many of the electrics are scarcer but people just arent into collecting electric clocks.
Hot Times in "Radium Hospital": The History of Radium Therapy at MSK Westclox closed its Peru factory 35 years ago. Could you suggest how I could go about finding out this information. 1968 Who made westclox? She was 18. Thank to several professionals who Ive met on Ebay, I have become quite skilled with my restorations plus making dials and alarm function indicators. As my first name is Ben, I started to collect these alarmclocks since about 1970. 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. Baby Ben and other Westclox clocks and watches have been assigned styles. Can anyone tell me about this? 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. 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 .