Westclox also made about 5000 gold-plated reproductions. when did westclox stop using radium; when did westclox stop using radium. My Grandmother had a Westclox in her house. [Former Westclox workers Art and Mary Ann Windy (standing), 2015], This is amazing, Art said. I Have a small brass alarm clock,which is 1-3/4 Hieght Length & Width. Baby Ben and other Westclox clocks and watches have been assigned styles. In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. Stoddard: Some of the old American pocket watches are just beautiful so I have several in my collection. Underneath the #12 on the face it says: G. Falconer & Co. LTD. Hong Kong. People did some bad things over the years just to get them running. At the start of the decade, the company brought in a skilled new industrial designer named Henry Dreyfuss; a true modernist. Stoddard: The main thing is the originality of the dial and if its a wooden shelf clock, having the original painting in the door would be really important. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses . 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.. I have a similar clock. 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. If you want to identify an item, try posting it in our Show & Tell gallery. How do you date a Westclox Baby Ben? 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. Style 1 has three screws through the bezel visible from the front, style 1a doesnt (compare figures 3 and 7); Style 1 has two screws holding the bell back, style 1a has three. Thanks so much These clocks were produced in the thousands and many can be bought on eBay for under $10. These efforts, combined with an ahead-of-its-time factory welfare department and employee benefits packages, led to a lot of workers spending their whole lives with Westclox. The pioneering spirit is there, but the business skills soon appear lacking. Just remember, old luminous clocks are full of radium! This dustproofing is accomplished by fittings around the set knobs and winding keys and on the regulator. Theyll take an old Big Ben from 1930 and make a new dial that says Indian Motorcycle or Victola, and put it on eBay. Also, its not just Americans who collect, its worldwide. Westclox style series. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. "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. 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. In the 1970s, radium was phased out of wristwatches and clockdials. Radium is an almost pure white alkaline radioactive earth metal, and is found in nature in uranium ores. They asked me to give some programs myself at some of the chapter meetings so I became a little bit better at being a public speaker, and its been great meeting people. 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. 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. It had beneath that four long tubes and they were the chimes for the door bell. Westclox Scotland produced its first clock on 21 September 1948; a spring wound alarm with a 4-inch (10cm) dial. I tend to be a nitty gritty detail kind of guy. But this is not how the story of Westclox began. How can people be exposed to Radium? I have been searching for one like as the clock went with the house after my Grandmother passed away. $38.00. The clock is several houndred pounds, and keeps great time. Can anyone direct me on how to find this clock? The use of Radium changed over several years but it was not until late 1960ies when the last were made. Beginning in the 1910s, the girls instructed to put radium in their mouths didn't bat an eyelash. National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc (A 501c3 non-profit corporation). 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. It emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage. I cannot date it. The factory contained a bowling alley, and Ristau said his father was an excellent bowler. How do you set the time on a old fashioned alarm clock? Stoddard: Its really hard to say. Stoddard: The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) is headquartered in Pennsylvania but has chapters throughout the country. Dont know if someone ingraved date on when took down or if the original. It is something that we should know before everyone starts throwing away every luminous dial clock they own. We pay his railroad fare on all orders for a dozen or more, we brand him with your name in lots of 24.. As the dark cloud of fear and suspicion grew over the small town of Ottawa into the 30s, the Radium Dial Company itself refused to take any responsibility, claiming innocence and ignorance. 400-day clocks are also known as anniversary clocks, they would run 400 days on one winding. Clocks produced in the early 1900's are particularly concerning in this regard. While promoting Westclox products in Europe, the breakout of World War I and the laws of mandatory military service in his native France forced Le Roy to get his affairs in order and head for the front in 1914. I met somebody then who told me about the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors and then I joined that and in their bi-monthly magazine I found a man looking for early Westclox information, he is now one of the foremost Westclox researchers. Company in 1888 and installing another talented German, Ernst Roth, as the general manager. About 1931 they made the first electric Big Ben, and they were plug ins. Big Ben style 1a continued in production until its discontinuation in 1935. Posted on 1 second ago; June 24, 2022 . The only thing I found is the word Germny engraved on the back. 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. I try to get all the pictures I can and keep them all chronologically and study the history. The drinking fountain worked.. Big Ben style, and there are other styles with names instead of numbers. It is in working order and chimes on the hour and half hour. Can anyone tell me the meaning or significance of this eye? 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? If someone has restored it in the past, make sure the correct dial was put on it and the movements, which have probably been repaired a lot, have been done nicely. 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. 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. The center is in the shape of the world map. If you do not expect to work hard and carefully, you are in the wrong place. credit: Northern Illinois University]. On the Style 9, they went back to actual minute markings. All I really want to know is about the raised horizontal single eye type decoration on this top removable piece. Within two decades she had lost all her teeth. The story begins with a Connecticut clockmaker named Charles Stahlberg getting a patent for a new alarm clock design in 1885. 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. Within in another ten years, the workforce had tripled again, powered by employee George Kerns 1908 invention of the first Big Benthe sleek, iconic model that basically set the template for the 20th century wind-up alarm clock. Which is interesting because many of the electrics are scarcer but people just arent into collecting electric clocks. 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 company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. . This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. 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. It can be found with some other clocks in a case in the second floor hallway. Can you confirm? This 1964 Westclox Christmas ad describes their features. 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., In this particular branch of the clock industry the Western Clock Manufacturing Company has achieved great results in the last twenty years. A 'radium cow' or sample of radium would continually yield a supply of the nuclide. I'll start with a 19j Bunn, Looking for Somebody with Some Bandwidth to do a Repair. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. See the top of this page for a current list of Question: Are both 1) and 2) marriages of Style 2 mechanisms put in a Style 1A Big Ben and Style 1 Baby Ben. Helen. The NAWCC is dedicated to providing association services, promoting interest in and encouraging the collecting of clocks and watches including disseminating knowledge of the same. Thank to several professionals who Ive met on Ebay, I have become quite skilled with my restorations plus making dials and alarm function indicators. 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. Dave, Your question about a Big Ben containing radium, and in fact about which clocks actually do contain radium, is a good one. thank you, My Husband and I just purchased an antique mantle/shelf clock at an estate sale. Any help would be appreciated. It was passed on to my sister and for years it was on their mantle along time until it stopped. In a few short years, thanks to Dr. Douglas's efforts, the amount of radium available in the US more than quintupled. She was 107 when she died on March 1 in Middlebury, Conn . 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. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. So, does Westclox really belong in the Made In Chicago Museum? 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. . Technically speaking, though, Westclox did still produce clocks during the gap years that followed. This has probably been discussed before but my search turned up nothingdo the luminous hands on a Big Ben alarm clock contain painted radium? Debbie Blake, I have a small Westclox wind up clock dating around 1937. 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. Because it was one degree removed from the radium business itself, Westclox seems to have largely dodged the controversy and lawsuits altogether. 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. I think we threw it away. Big Ben: butler nickel case, gold leaf numeral dial 1930 1932. 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. I have a mantel clock,its floral in color,made by Ansonia Cock Co.USA.New York. 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. 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]. In all my research I can not confirm that The Style 1 models every had 1) and 2) above. 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. People will still look for a good wind up but the quality declined in the later years just because the companies tried so hard to keep the prices low. Thank you. It looks like you mount it to the wall. In 2006 I started collecting vintage advertisements. About the only. "[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. 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. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. into groups of similar models. Their use in prostate brachytherapy dates from 1926. The policy of the company is one of highly specialized production. Stopping this practice drastically reduced the amount of radium ingested and therefore, the incidence of malignancy. Credit: pinimg. If you look at a Baby Ben in the 1959 Sears catalog, they sold for about nine dollars and if you go to a Wal Mart today you can still buy a Baby Ben for about nine dollars, but the quality isnt the same. It is in good condition and has the original pendulum and key. So I brought it home and left it hanging and would wind it up every once in a while. Chronic exposure to high levels of radium can result in an increased incidence of bone, liver, or breast cancer. Theres a clock called a Crystal Regulator which is about a foot tall with a brass case and glass on all four sides. Im trying to determine if it is a legit or reproduction that someone made. Sep 23, 2011 Before we get to that, though, we have to start with the issue of geography as it concerns the business in question. I have never seen this mentioned anywhere. 0 Comments; Uncategorized newark advertiser obituaries 2021 . Over time, she contracted terrible cancerous tumors, lost most of her teeth, and suffered countless other health problems. Even today, with the considerable help of a thing called Interstate 80, its still about a two-hour journey from LaSalle Street to LaSalle County. This was a wonderful article to read. theres the problem, there were two gears that were in backwards. 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. The Crystal blocks a significant amount of The radiation. Westclox Classic Alarm Clock Full Size 47602. JavaScript is disabled. The only problem is a standard size D battery does not fit. [left to right: F.W. These folks here that are responsible for this are doing a marvelous job, Ristau said. 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. 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. [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. I have an Pine State Ice Cream Milk clock that I would like to find out how much it may be worth. 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. Advertisement: Illustrates crackle green Tiny Tim, crackle blue Big Ben and crackle pink Baby Ben clocks. Thank you Your response or advice would be much appreciated. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. Its got a round brass dial and a painting in the door, really neat. 5 17 15 is May 17, 1915 . 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. A pair of teenage boys broke into the abandoned factory and set a fire that quickly spread and enveloped much of the central complex. When did Westclox close? The style 8 Big and Baby Bens were introduced in 1964. Radium was even used in medical applications during the 20th century. Can you help Old Rose (pink) crackle finish Baby Ben with luminous dial: 1929 1930. How did I get interested in clocks? Westclox Wrought Iron Look Wall Clock 12" 32021A. They worked in unvented rooms, they wore smocks that they laundered at home. Columbia, PA 17512 It has a patent June 18-1882 and says Dakota on the back,can you tell me more? 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. Stoddard: Pay attention to quality. Various lettering on the dial and various patent dates (later, numbers) on the Like style 1a non-luminous with dealer name on dial. When did clocks stop using radium? This practice resulted in the ingestion of radium, which caused serious jaw-bone degeneration and malignancy and other dental diseases. 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. After several changes of ownership, it became . In 1919 the company was incorporated as Western Clock Company, Ltd. Origin of the eye, forklore or legends surrounding????? The first Big Bens and Baby Bens in 1910 were wind ups.. Theres a seller on eBay now whos doing some really outstanding restorations of Big Bens. We are very proud to be living in this building and would love to know more about this specific site. I worked here for 28 years. But it had always just been a matter of time (pun less intended) before industrial mass production made a wide-scale phenomenon like the Big Ben possible. 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. Thanks, Paula. These paints were used on the dials of clocks and watches to make them glow-in-the-dark. 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. So you find clocks where parts have been switched, so thats one challenge, determining originality. Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them. By the 1970s, radium was no . 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. I live in Scotland but my clock was made in USA. It also says that the patent was re-issued March 31, 1868. I never realized, even working here, they made so many different models.. I have a sessions mantle clock duet#1. 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. Westcloxs Manual for Employees read, We expect you to work hard, and the pay is accordingly large . I have a Westclox Bachelor alarm clock from probably the 50s as it was always there when I was growing up. I also like some of the older American weight-driven clocks. Stoddard: Ive been there several times. Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year; today, it is just over 4,500. In a way theyre preventing clocks from being thrown away so I cant totally condemn it, but it still seems like a funny thing to do. 514 Poplar Street when did westclox stop using radium old restaurants in lawrence, ma . Gary Biolchini added more style series in his book Radium dials usually lose their ability to glow in the dark in a period ranging anywhere from a few years to several decades, but all will cease to glow at some point. A Westclox Museum has been opened within the original facility, showing off rare collections from the millions of timepieces once manufactured there. I have been purchasing these clocks as and when I got an opportunity. 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. Was just trying to find out any information on this clock or if you may have ever come across one like it 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. [3] The Radiolite series, made in various sizes and models, became a signature of the Connecticut-based company. 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. Although old radium dials generally no longer produce light, this is due to the breakdown of the crystal structure of the luminous zinc sulfide rather than the radioactive decay of the radium. Did Westclox use radium? Radium paint can be ingested by inhaling flaking paint particles. I would also like photo and more details of his clock, since I intend to write a follow-up article. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses were being caused by internal contamination from the radium they ingested. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Gordon Goodrum Nowadays, Super-LumiNova, which is entirely non-radioactive and non-toxic, is the most used lume in watchmaking. I just had it repaired & it works & looks great. 7&a half X 6..desk clock. Buy Now. 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 . I was given an Elias Ingraham Clock many years ago and would like to know a bit more about it and its value. I am pleased that I came across your article. In 1914, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky and Dr. George S. Willis founded the Radium Luminous Material Corporation. [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. This particular clock is made in China while other similar Westclox alarm clocks at the time were made in Taiwan. 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. I think the clock was electric but could have been a wind up or maybe even a pendulum.