when did westclox stop using radium

As my first name is Ben, I started to collect these alarmclocks since about 1970. Richard Ristau Jr., former plant manager, said hes happy to see the space being used for the museum. Most importantly, they were forbidden to point the tip with their lips, and they avoided to ingest or inhale the luminous paint. Thank you. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. Thanks, Teri. The greater surprise, though, is that they didnt abandon the use of radium in the years that followed. I would like to find out about this clock. In 2006 I started collecting vintage advertisements. 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. 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. I am pleased that I came across your article. I also need it repaired so that it will be functional and need to find someone that will do that for me. As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. . Style 5 dial design]. A few years later my grandma gave me one that worked, and my aunt gave me another one. . It would be very interesting if you could provide me with some pictures of the clock. 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. When I was 11 or 12, I started mowing lawns for money and paid another man to repair it for me, but when it came back it would run for a while and then stop, pretty erratic. 2023 by Andrew Clayman. It is battery operated and takes a D battery. It also says that the patent was re-issued March 31, 1868. My dad was one of the top bowlers here, Ristau said. Luminous Processes employees interviewed by a journalist in 1978 stated they had been left ignorant of radium's dangers. It is too large (wide). 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 Model 66 Movement Series Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. Sometimes extensive casework can be more time consuming than getting the movement running. Site of the Old Westclox factory 211-201 Hunter Street, Peterborough Ontario. By Dave Margulius 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. . So I brought it home and left it hanging and would wind it up every once in a while. 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. It has a patent June 18-1882 and says Dakota on the back,can you tell me more? 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. You just cant imagine the size of this factory its just gigantic. We have photos of all the employees between 1927-1945 at the Peterborough Ontario Location but not much else. Also Telechron, which was a big maker of electric clocks. I have a Westclox Bachelor alarm clock from probably the 50s as it was always there when I was growing up. A radium dial clock from the 1930s. Without a crystal poses a serious Health risk because the Radium paint flakes off and can become airborne. This particular clock is made in China while other similar Westclox alarm clocks at the time were made in Taiwan. This was a wonderful article to read. The Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage is an iconic timepiece that has been around since the early 1900s. Stopping this practice drastically reduced the amount of radium ingested and therefore, the incidence of malignancy. 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. From 1917 to 1926, the United States Radium Corporation used radium to produce wristwatches and clocks. Westclox Scotland produced its first clock on 21 September 1948; a spring wound alarm with a 4-inch (10cm) dial. George Kern died on July 27, 1918 from a ruptured appendix, but his basic clock design lived on for years. It is made by The Sessions Clock movement, appears to be brass, a bucking horse with cowboy riderjudgeing from the clothes design of the cowboy it is quite old. 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. Within two decades she had lost all her teeth. 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. Am I missing something here? 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. They are just gorgeous watches and very well made. The use of radium was discontinued since the 1960s. Well, the company certainly maintained some major salesrooms here, and many of their employees came from the city and its suburbs. 7&a half X 6..desk clock. The clock is shielded From the glass crystal. The company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. The clock is several houndred pounds, and keeps great time. It looks like you mount it to the wall. . Thanks very mutch, I just acquired a sir w.h. I have been purchasing these clocks as and when I got an opportunity. I think the clock was electric but could have been a wind up or maybe even a pendulum. 1970s Many of these workers developed bone cancer . [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. 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. Westclox Clock Construction and Quality. By the 1970s, radium was no . Here you can see production dates, original retail prices and other On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Thats another story. We thought it was 1890 or older. Another thing people do is make fake advertising clocks. The only thing I found is the word Germny engraved on the back. 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]. That batch was in production non-continuously from 1939 to 1946, housed in gunmetal cases with nickel trim. Recently Ive seen people taking an old Baby Ben thats worth a few bucks or so and gluing rhinestones around the bezel on the clock. 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. Ironically, the war that had cost them Gaston Le Roy had also stifled much of the companys European competition, opening up an even bigger share of the world marketplace in the 1920s. In the 1970s, radium was phased out of wristwatches and clockdials. I took it all apart and asked my dad to help me put it back together, but he cut his finger on the spring. . It has a removable bottom decorative piece as well as a top rounded top flat piece of wood with a verticle wooden slat on the back extending to become a peg-like extension to fit and secure the decorative piece into the top of the clock. var year = today.getFullYear() If you do not expect to work hard and carefully, you are in the wrong place. credit: Northern Illinois University]. Has the mechanics of the clock been changed/upgraded or could there be another issue at play? His ideas were patented on as US patent #326,602. I would also like photo and more details of his clock, since I intend to write a follow-up article. I will be watching for more articles from Bill Stoddard I have a collection of alarm clocks, but slowly selling many. In terms of my own collection, Im still trying to find some of the really early Big Bens. "[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. Theres a clock called a Crystal Regulator which is about a foot tall with a brass case and glass on all four sides. Technically speaking, though, Westclox did still produce clocks during the gap years that followed. Baby Ben and other Westclox clocks and watches have been assigned styles. One time a friend and I were down there behind the factory and we got talking to a man who was leasing the back half of the factory to make machinery for bakeries. These styles constitute the Hundreds of thousands of clocks were produced a year, until closing its doors in 1980. 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. I know very little about clocks in general. Your email (will not be published) (required), The Timeless Appeal of the Westclock Big and BabyBens, The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Not Your Grandmas Cuckoo: Decapitating, Rat-Eating Clocks of the Black Forest, The Care and Repair of 19th-Century American Clocks. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. it has a picture of a huck finn type boy,carying 2 bottles of coke& a fishing pole,with his dog. Buy Now. Frank Baker. I have never seen this mentioned anywhere. This will broaden my view in the clock. She was 107 when she died on March 1 in Middlebury, Conn . The pioneering spirit is there, but the business skills soon appear lacking. 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. This 1964 Westclox Christmas ad describes their features. It sits on a small brass stand with Westclox on it. 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 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. Quite a few who try to get every basic model, but fewer who get into the rarer models and do research. "[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. All I really want to know is about the raised horizontal single eye type decoration on this top removable piece. Radium dials held near the face have been shown to produce radiation doses in excess of 10Sv / hour. Charles Stahlberg headed a group from Waterbury, Connecticut, who came to Peru in 1884 to build clocks based on a new idea by Stahlberg. This has probably been discussed before but my search turned up nothingdo the luminous hands on a Big Ben alarm clock contain painted radium? 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. Style Information: Plain dial: 1918 - 1935 Black luminous dial: 1921 - 1935 There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. Stoddard: The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) is headquartered in Pennsylvania but has chapters throughout the country. I am a retired mechanical engineer, the quality has floored me, hats off to this company. Sep 23, 2011 Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. 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. Purchased from a man who claimed to have salvaged them from the backroom of an unnamed Chicago watch repair shop, each round and weathered face represents the lasting work of an international manufacturing giant at the peak of its powers. 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. 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. when did westclox stop using radium. It has a cracked front lens that I would like to replace. Museum Artifacts: Luminous Big Ben & Baby Ben Clock Dials (1940s) and Style 1A Big Ben Alarm Clock (1920s), Made By: Western Clock MFG Company, aka Westclox, 350 5th St., Peru, Illinois [LaSalle]. I am sure I can give Mr. Shields further information about his clock. They were told that eliminating lip-pointing had ended earlier problems. 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. 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]. Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage. Sometimes Ive seen them for 300 to 600 dollars. theres the problem, there were two gears that were in backwards. When I walked along the street, Iwas aglow from the radium powder., The radium girls case was one of the first in which an employer was made responsible for the health of the companys employees. They were officially Americas preferred wake-up call provider. lds missionary clothing stores; June 24, 2022 . When did Westclox stop using radium? We are very proud to be living in this building and would love to know more about this specific site. 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. In clocks, as in all other lines of goods, there are two classes of consumersthe millions and the millionaires. Any guidance or help is appreciated. How do you set the time on a old fashioned alarm clock? 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. 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. Westclox began as the United Clock Company in Peru, Illinois in 1885. They worked in unvented rooms, they wore smocks that they laundered at home. Ive been trying to compare lots of different clocks to find out what original parts go together. 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. Is this a product that the company would have made or something someone created? 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. Radium is an almost pure white alkaline radioactive earth metal, and is found in nature in uranium ores. [Westclox advertisements from WWII period, ft. There is a small dial inside of the clock face that has roman numerals like another clock face. Would you please direct me to someone that can do this for me? 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. Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben Identification Guide , Remembering the Great War and The Clock That Caused a Near Riot . It is in working order and chimes on the hour and half hour. A Westclox Museum has been opened within the original facility, showing off rare collections from the millions of timepieces once manufactured there. They arent hurting it permanently, its just kind of weird. It is and Elias Ingraham Brass Clock with a patent stamp of September 30, 1862. any info would be appreciated. I was given an Elias Ingraham Clock many years ago and would like to know a bit more about it and its value. For my 14th birthday I got a book called The Treasury of American Clocks and there was a picture showing the seven types of Baby Bens. T. tkarter Registered User. This practice resulted in the ingestion of radium, which caused serious jaw-bone degeneration and malignancy and other dental diseases. I have an antique mantle clock given to my Aunt & Uncle for a wedding gift (approximately 1949) FROM my great grandparents. Sometimes getting parts is tough, too, although it turns out Westclox made lots and lots of spare parts. Copyright The massive success of the Big Ben design wasnt just about function and style. They call it Shabby Chic and sell it on eBay for 60 to 80 dollars. This past weekend, thanks to the Westclox Museum, its doors were opened and former workers were welcomed back for Homecoming Day. I first saw the clock in 1957. It emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. I love the Hamiltons in particular, probably some of the best watches made in America. Dreyfuss revised his changes at the end of the decade, designing the Style 5 and 5a Big Bens in 1938including the featured Loud Alarm dials from our museum collection. 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. They had one in Brazil for a while and I think also in Hong Kong. Some years ago I intended to do a write-up on my collection and started researching on the internet and found the Westclox history site with a wealth of info. 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. At the start of the decade, the company brought in a skilled new industrial designer named Henry Dreyfuss; a true modernist. [Left: The first national Big Ben advertisement appears in the. Handle on top: down alarm off; up alarm on. When did Westclox close? How can people be exposed to Radium? The Crystal blocks a significant amount of The radiation. Technically speaking, though, Westclox did still produce clocks during the gap years that followed. 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. When did Junghans stop manufacturing Westminster Chimes, and when did Keinzle stop manufacturing Westminster chimes. Radium was even used in medical applications during the 20th century. Leg model with ring on top, dustproof case. Helen. The Ghost Girls might have been the envy of the other girls in town, but no one yet realized just how much danger they were being subjected to. 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. 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. 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. Any suggestions of where to get a replacement preferably in Canada? Any help would be appreciated. Company in 1888 and installing another talented German, Ernst Roth, as the general manager. Collectors Weekly: When did you discover that there were other clock collectors? When Did They Stop Using Radium On Clock Hands? $38.00. $26.95. Im trying to determine if it is a legit or reproduction that someone made. Thanks so much Penetrating gamma radiation produced by some dials also represents a significant health risk. In a few short years, thanks to Dr. Douglas's efforts, the amount of radium available in the US more than quintupled. [left to right: F.W. Stahlbergs company goes bankrupt not once, but twice, within its first several years. Your email address will not be published. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. The only marking I can find are the letters ST in old english style inside of a diamond thats inside of a circle, on the clock works. Westclox Big Bens and Baby Bens are full of the stuff. "Westclox" in italics, double hexagon legs: 1918, "Westclox" in italics, regular legs: 1918 -1922, "Westclox" in italics, very narrow lettering at bottom: "MADE BY WESTERN CLOCK CO., LA SALLE, ILL., U.S.A.", ca. That way I got myself another Baby Ben, bringing my collection to three by age 12. Any information would be very helpful. Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year; today, it is just over 4,500. I have been searching for one like as the clock went with the house after my Grandmother passed away. When did westclox start making clocks? its about 2 inches long maybe 1/2 in thick with holes on either end to be worn on a key chain perhaps? The movement was then used with minor changes in Loud Alarm models until 1956. Big Ben style 1a continued in production until its discontinuation in 1935. 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. Thanks, Paula. So I swapped them, and its worked perfectly ever since. A clock without hands might seem indifferent to the passage of time, but these old Big Ben and Baby Ben dials have some serious stories to tell. Buy Now. 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? 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. I know the site informs readers the amount of Big Bens produced in any one year, but does NOT for the reproduction model produced in 1970. I think it is a clock made by Sessions. CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO RELEASE THE CLICK ON A WESTCLOX MANS WRISTWATCH MODEL A-201? I'll start with a 19j Bunn, Looking for Somebody with Some Bandwidth to do a Repair. Westclox style series. Dont know if someone ingraved date on when took down or if the original. The end of the Great War began what was, in many respects, a halcyon time for Westclox, now arguably the best-known timekeeping brand in the world. Over time, she contracted terrible cancerous tumors, lost most of her teeth, and suffered countless other health problems. Lynda Hinshaw, At this moment I am research a clock by Falconer& co HongKong. It is 3 diameter with Westclox on the back and PAT.APLOFOR. All the rods in my clocks are verticle that is from top to bottom of the case, four on each side at the back of the movement. We pay his railroad fare on all orders for a dozen or more, we brand him with your name in lots of 24.. Their use in prostate brachytherapy dates from 1926. 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. Eventually we became best friends and started researching together. Radium is highly radioactive. Similarly, Westclox also made about 5000 gold-plated reproductions. Even so, our case-less dials are certainly best left behind glass and out of reach, a sad reminder of a terrible and preventable episode in industrial history, the effects of which continued to plague the town of Ottawa for many years afterward. Thank you for your input. 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. Behind the light, theyd been left in the dark. This classic clock is known for its loud and distinct bell-like . These clocks were produced in the thousands and many can be bought on eBay for under $10. That was the first antique clock I owned myself. Don Spayer, volunteer and former Westclox employee, said the bulk of the museums collection was built through donations. See the top of this page for a current list of Art and Mary Ann Windy [pictured] have been married for 49 years, met as Westclox employees and were present for the open house. Required fields are marked *. The Canadian Clock Museum (http://www.canclockmuseum.ca/) may have some information. I hope to document Style 5 Baby Bens this winter. [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. 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. Can someone get back to me as to what it is and possibe age of it. when did westclox stop using radium old restaurants in lawrence, ma . Westclox Radium Dial Clock. 1919 -1922, Luminous, Westclox in Roman text: 1923 - 1927, Luminous, projection on the "x": 1928 - 1935. Radium was also used until the early 1970s in "glow-in-the-dark" paints, e.g., for dials on clocks, and in other industrial applications such as instrument calibration. So you find clocks where parts have been switched, so thats one challenge, determining originality. About the only. US radium dial painting factory. I have been collecting, repairing, and restoring mostly Westclox Big Bens for several years. At the top was a clock covered with a glass door. Annie Moussin designer intrieur. Both the Big and Baby Bens were housed in a newly refined bell-back clock case. After the discovery of radioactivity in 1896 by French physicist and Nobel Prize winner, Antoine Henri Becquerel, many other scientists began to search for uses of radioactivity. 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. Eventually, safer options were discovered, and the use of radium was discontinued in the 1960s. I know it was purchased in 1937 because it belonged to my elderly friends who were married in 1938. Thanks. The trademark "Westclox" which had appeared on their Big Ben alarm clocks as early as 1910 was officially registered in January 1916. My father (Richard Ristau Sr.) worked here for 48.. Can anyone tell me the meaning or significance of this eye? Contact the Webmaster for perceived copyright infringement (DMCA Registration Number 1010287). In this interview Bill Stoddard talks about collecting antique Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben alarm clocks, and discusses clock collecting in general. They were sold in a very attractive hexagonal box which has pictures of antique items on the sides (tricycle, telephone, carriage, etc.) 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. 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. glp capital partners, family feud script, real madrid coaching staff,