My Grandmother had a Westclox in her house. Don Spayer, volunteer and former Westclox employee, said the bulk of the museums collection was built through donations. Yet Mrs. Keane was a survivor who later conquered colon and breast cancer. This particular clock is made in China while other similar Westclox alarm clocks at the time were made in Taiwan. In 1919 the company was incorporated as Western Clock Company, Ltd. 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 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. As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. It started early in the 20th century, around 1910, when some companies began to use radium on watch dials and hands to create a "glow in the dark" effect. The massive success of the Big Ben design wasnt just about function and style. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. Were finally at a point, where were ready to do more than just sit here, said Ruth Spayer, curator for the museum. Dont know if someone ingraved date on when took down or if the original. [9] Prior to that date, "the federal government had a limited role, if any, in ensuring the safe use of radium," according to the NRC. JavaScript is disabled. 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. Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. The pioneering spirit is there, but the business skills soon appear lacking. We thought it was 1890 or older. 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 . Most are in nickel finish cases, but some were made in gold plated cases. I also need it repaired so that it will be functional and need to find someone that will do that for me. Can you help Westcloxs Manual for Employees read, We expect you to work hard, and the pay is accordingly large . A lot of the American Shelf clocks from the 1820s up to 1900 have reverse paintings in the door, on the backside of the glass. One of the objects on display in the Benton County Historical Society's Corvallis Museum is this Westclox Radium Dial Clock. [5] Indeed, the body treats radium as it does calcium, storing it in bone where it may cause bone degeneration and cancer.[5]. July 17th, 2008. [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. About the only. Westclox Radium Dial Clock. Can anyone direct me on how to find this clock? Contact the Webmaster for perceived copyright infringement (DMCA Registration Number 1010287). The phosphor deterioration means you can't see a glow anymore, but . People did some bad things over the years just to get them running. For at least four generations, the Western Clock Manufacturing Company, aka Westclox, was the lifeblood and largest employer in the small town of Peru, Illinois (with a mailing address in its twin city of LaSalle). As the 1960s began, over 50 million Big Ben clocks had been produced in total, and additional Westclox plants were now in operation everywhere from Athens, Georgia, and Ontario, Canada, to Scotland and Australia. Baby Ben and other Westclox clocks and watches have been assigned styles. It is a Medbury-4W #4910. The magical glow, as was widely understood by everyone involved, was created by radiuma radioactive element discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. They worked for the United States Radium Corporation painting the numbers and hands on watch. Westclox Model 66 Movement Series Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. This classic clock is known for its loud and distinct bell-like . The precise, delicate skill of painting clock dials with radium powder promised a much higher salary than most factory jobs available to women at the time (upwards of $18 a week), and the company soon employed as many as 200 female workers in its Ottawa plant. I hung it on my wall and we tried to get it fixed but the repairman couldnt fix it. It is in working order and chimes on the hour and half hour. Thanks, Teri. This practice resulted in the ingestion of radium, which caused serious jaw-bone degeneration and malignancy and other dental diseases. It is encased in hard polymer Plastic and the ends have rivets . Importantly, the health risks tied to these old clocks is generally believed to be quite minimal, so long as one avoids long-term exposure or directly ingesting the paint as the Ghost Girls had. In its place, he ironically dubbed the little bedside clock Big Ben (apparently not copyrighted by the British Parliament), and introduced it to the public in early ads as a gendered he instead of an it., Big Ben is a handsome, well built, refined and bright looking fellow with a clean-cut open face and a deep cheerful voice, one ad read. Westclox Scotland produced its first clock on 21 September 1948; a spring wound alarm with a 4-inch (10cm) dial. There are also some other makers clocks Ive gotten into, like the Seth Thomas 30 hour ogee, which is a weight-driven shelf clock. So you find clocks where parts have been switched, so thats one challenge, determining originality. I have been purchasing these clocks as and when I got an opportunity. Ref comment #10 from Frank Baker. 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. 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. National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc (A 501c3 non-profit corporation). 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. Style Information: Plain dial: 1918 - 1935 Black luminous dial: 1921 - 1935 There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them. So yes. I think we threw it away. Buy Now. Radium dials are watch, clock and other instrument dials painted with luminous paint containing radium-226 to produce radioluminescence. England. [citation needed] After about 20minutes this delivers the equivalent of one whole day's worth of normal background radiation. Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. In 1931 it merged with Seth Thomas Clock Co. and both became divisions of General Time Corp. Similarly, 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. I have a sessions mantle clock duet#1. I am a retired mechanical engineer, the quality has floored me, hats off to this company. On 3rd January 2099, Terry Shields asked if anyone had information regarding his clock signed G .Falconer, Hong Kong. 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. they played a deep rich tone. I took it back and the repairman told me it was like a large Timex watch and just not worth being fixed. Because it was one degree removed from the radium business itself, Westclox seems to have largely dodged the controversy and lawsuits altogether. So, does Westclox really belong in the Made In Chicago Museum? When did Junghans stop manufacturing Westminster Chimes, and when did Keinzle stop manufacturing Westminster chimes. In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. WECKER (CCW arrow) knob sets alarm time. It might be the only one in the country, Spayer said. "[5] However, radium is highly radioactive, emitting alpha, beta, and gamma radiation the effects of which are particularly deleterious if inhaled or ingested since there is no shielding within the body. Thanks so much In all my research I can not confirm that The Style 1 models every had 1) and 2) above. Radium dials held near the face have been shown to produce radiation doses in excess of 10Sv / hour. Geiger counters could pick up readings from pants returned from a dry cleaner and from clothes stored away in a cedar chest. Stoddard: The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) is headquartered in Pennsylvania but has chapters throughout the country. If you do not expect to work hard and carefully, you are in the wrong place., Big Ben is a handsome, well built, refined and bright looking fellow with a clean-cut open face and a deep cheerful voice,, 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,, But he only comes upon receipt of signed price agreement. Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide , Remembering the Great War and The Clock That Caused a Near Riot . 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. Sometimes getting parts is tough, too, although it turns out Westclox made lots and lots of spare parts. 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. styles to organize them Annie Moussin designer intrieur. when did westclox stop using radiumcapricorn and virgo flirting. 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. Good old fashioned branding played a major role, as well. Through it all, Peru remained the companys home base, as over 3,000 employees now enjoyed the rapidly expanding space of the factory and its attached campus, with gardens, tennis courts, a bowling alley, and other things worthy of a Matthiessen estate. Westclox began as the United Clock Company in Peru, Illinois in 1885. Thank you. 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. 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. 514 Poplar Street In the 1970s, radium was phased out of wristwatches and clockdials. Instead, it would be better to take the box outside and remove the lid there, which would allow any built-up gas to rapidly dissipate." The watches tested were produced from the 1920s through the '60s, and are a mix of British, Swiss, and American origin. 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. By the 1960s production went offshore to achieve economies of scale . Buy Now. The style 1a can be distinguished from style 1 in several ways: The movement was changed for style 1a so that the mounting nuts were on the back. You do not want to open them up, lest you breath radioactive dust from old paint or spread it around. Next year, well have been married for 49 years, Mary Ann said. 1978. They managed to extract 1 mg of radium from ten tonnes of the uranium ore pitchblende (uranium oxide, U 3 O 8), a considerable feat, given the chemically methods of separation available to them.They identified that it was a new element because its atomic spectrum revealed new lines. That summer at an antique store I came across one that wasnt even in the book, and I thought that was exciting. . Buy Now. Sometimes Ive seen them for 300 to 600 dollars. Well, the company certainly maintained some major salesrooms here, and many of their employees came from the city and its suburbs. 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]. I like to find the ones before that and study their history. 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. WECKER (CW arrow)/UHR (CCW arrow) knob with ring: CW winds alarm; CCW winds clock. Westclox 0.9" LED Plasma Screen Alarm Clock with USB Charging Port 71014X. any info would be appreciated. Any guidance or help is appreciated. Technically speaking, though, Westclox did still produce clocks during the gap years that followed. Required fields are marked *. 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. 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. Its got a round brass dial and a painting in the door, really neat. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. It is 3 diameter with Westclox on the back and PAT.APLOFOR. 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. 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. This will broaden my view in the clock. [9] The element was phased out of use by industry acting under its own volition as superior and safer luminous materials entered the marketplace. The incidents occurred at three different factories in United States: one in Orange, New Jersey, beginning around 1917; one in Ottawa, Illinois, beginning in the early 1920s; and a third facility in Waterbury, Connecticut, also in the 1920s. 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. 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.. They were officially Americas preferred wake-up call provider. A lot of American clocks have veneer over the base wood so if thats starting to peel it can be really expensive to get fixed. then 4 symbols a crown an 18 and to unkown symbols in a square patern but on its side square pattern. It is too large (wide). The drinking fountain worked.. bailey oceans tide clock dated 1880, with a Fusee movement. For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. Thank to several professionals who Ive met on Ebay, I have become quite skilled with my restorations plus making dials and alarm function indicators. How do you date a Westclox Baby Ben? Big Ben style, and there are other styles with names instead of numbers. 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. Back then, radium wasn't considered to be dangerous in small doses. The first style 1a cases had double-hexagon legs, but after about a year they were changed to standard single hex form. 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. 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. I read (but cant remember where) that about 40,000 were made. George Kern died on July 27, 1918 from a ruptured appendix, but his basic clock design lived on for years. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that watches with radium dials should not be taken apart[5] without proper training, technique, and facilities. Thank you "[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. Richard Ristau Jr., former plant manager, said hes happy to see the space being used for the museum. German: WECKER (alarm); UHR (clock). When he made his first clock and plugged it into the wall it worked fine except it wasnt accurate, it was off by plus or minus a half hour a day, because the 60 cycles were not regulated at that time, so it could vary quite a bit. document.write(year) By Dave Margulius The only problem is a standard size D battery does not fit. when did westclox stop using radium; when did westclox stop using radium. 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. who can refurbush big ben still runs good perfect time purchased in 1950 cataloge #885(885).