Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses . I know that it is electric and it requires a dime deposit to set the alarm on it. These clocks were produced in the thousands and many can be bought on eBay for under $10. Because it was one degree removed from the radium business itself, Westclox seems to have largely dodged the controversy and lawsuits altogether. When did clocks stop using radium? AD x Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. The style 7 Big Ben and Baby Ben (1956 to 1964, the first Bens with concentric alarm hand) has minute markings. Accueil; Services; Ralisations; Annie Moussin; Mdias; 514-569-8476 At this moment I study horology at West Dean College in the UK. His ideas were patented on as US patent #326,602. 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 thing I remember most is working with the people, Ristau said. They have meetings every two months, and educational programs, so thats a really great way to meet collectors and get all kinds of advice. From that time on, Baby Bens first and then Big Bens were available with either the plain or luminous dial. After several changes of ownership, it became . 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). [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. Stoddard: I was pretty much on my own until college. I am looking to get an approxmiate value of this 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. I try to get all the pictures I can and keep them all chronologically and study the history. I know it was purchased in 1937 because it belonged to my elderly friends who were married in 1938. T. tkarter Registered User. Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. 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. Gordon Goodrum The new features, according to a synopsis from the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum, included: 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.. 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. . Without a crystal poses a serious Health risk because the Radium paint flakes off and can become airborne. when did westclox stop using radiumcapricorn and virgo flirting. 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. 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? How do you set the time on a old fashioned alarm clock? Before we get to that, though, we have to start with the issue of geography as it concerns the business in question. then 4 symbols a crown an 18 and to unkown symbols in a square patern but on its side square pattern. 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. I have an Pine State Ice Cream Milk clock that I would like to find out how much it may be worth. Dont know if someone ingraved date on when took down or if the original. Ive been trying to compare lots of different clocks to find out what original parts go together. 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. Facts About Radium | Live Science when did westclox stop using radium. July 17th, 2008. It still works. I also like some of the older American weight-driven clocks. 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 . [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. That was the first antique clock I owned myself. theres the problem, there were two gears that were in backwards. The center is in the shape of the world map. So yes. How To Turn Off The Loud And Persistent Big Ben Alarm Clock Stoddard: Ive been there several times. Can you help I first saw the clock in 1957. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses were being caused by internal contamination from the radium they ingested. . With a half-life of only 3.8 days, radon "seeds" (Rn gas contained in thin walled gold tubing, crimped and cut into units up to 1cm in length) could be left permanently implanted in the body. At the start of the decade, the company brought in a skilled new industrial designer named Henry Dreyfuss; a true modernist. 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. There are many Westclox alarm clock models named Big Ben. It would be greatly appreciated. I am a retired mechanical engineer, the quality has floored me, hats off to this company. The use of Radium changed over several years but it was not until late 1960ies when the last were made. 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. It has a patent June 18-1882 and says Dakota on the back,can you tell me more? The Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage is an iconic timepiece that has been around since the early 1900s. Buy Now. Can anyone direct me on how to find this clock? How did I get interested in clocks? 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. The Ingersoll Watch division of the Waterbury Clock Company, a nationally-known maker of low-cost pocket and wristwatches, was a leading popularizer of the use of radium for watch hands and indices through the introduction of their "Radiolite" watches in 1916. Am I missing something here? 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. Westclox - An Identification and Price Guide, and I added even more in 2012. 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. Big Ben style, and there are other styles with names instead of numbers. The magical glow, as was widely understood by everyone involved, was created by radiuma radioactive element discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. This eye is horizontally elliptical in general shape, about 4 3/4 long and 1 3/4 tall with a circle in the middle making it look like a single eye. 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. WECKER (CW arrow)/UHR (CCW arrow) knob with ring: CW winds alarm; CCW winds clock. 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 . Clock Repair and Hermle Chime, Mantel and Wall Clocks for Sale at Bill's Clockworks. It is encased in hard polymer Plastic and the ends have rivets . Kind regards, Ben van Vliet. Even if the Western Clock Co. wasnt born in Chicago or headquartered here, the immediate aftershocks of the companys cultural and industrial impact certainly reached our shores in a hurry, no interstate required. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that watches with radium dials should not be taken apart[5] without proper training, technique, and facilities. 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. I have a Seth Thomas Mantle clock that my older sisters husbands Aunt had on her mantle for years. Westclox Model 66 Movement Series Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. Charles Stahlberg had an idea for making a better, but less expensive alarm clock. I have a sessions mantle clock duet#1. In this interview Bill Stoddard talks about collecting antique Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben alarm clocks, and discusses clock collecting in general. Dave, Your question about a Big Ben containing radium, and in fact about which clocks actually do contain radium, is a good one. Nowadays, Super-LumiNova, which is entirely non-radioactive and non-toxic, is the most used lume in watchmaking. document.write(year) Richard Tjarks introduced I have a small westclox alarm clock. Thank you. Radium - a key element in early cancer treatment - RSC Education With George Kerns new alarm clock, specifically, Le Roy decided it would be wise to craft a new brand name, and to leave the Western name off of the clock face entirely, since the company was overly associated with cheap goods at the time. In some respects, the early rise of the Western Clock MFG Co. is even more impressive considering the company didnt have all the resources of an established, major metropolis to draw from. Westclox closed its Peru factory 35 years ago. 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, read another. The greater surprise, though, is that they didnt abandon the use of radium in the years that followed. We thought it was 1890 or older. It was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc (A 501c3 non-profit corporation). 7&a half X 6..desk clock. In 1914, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky and Dr. George S. Willis founded the Radium Luminous Material Corporation. 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. 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. 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. They worked in unvented rooms, they wore smocks that they laundered at home. 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. Behind the light, theyd been left in the dark. 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. Back then, radium wasn't considered to be dangerous in small doses. It is battery operated and takes a D battery. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. In the United States there does not seem to have ever been prohibitory legislation passed banning the use of radium in clocks and watches. I have a Westclox Bachelor alarm clock from probably the 50s as it was always there when I was growing up. According to Periodic. 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. [Westclox advertisements from WWII period, ft. See the top of this page for a current list of Its basically all forward momentum from here. I cant find out anything about him or any other clocks by him. Site of the Old Westclox factory 211-201 Hunter Street, Peterborough Ontario. [left to right: F.W. Well, the company certainly maintained some major salesrooms here, and many of their employees came from the city and its suburbs. The massive success of the Big Ben design wasnt just about function and style. It is in working order and chimes on the hour and half hour. 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. Old Rose (pink) crackle finish Baby Ben with luminous dial: 1929 1930. That way I got myself another Baby Ben, bringing my collection to three by age 12. This has probably been discussed before but my search turned up nothingdo the luminous hands on a Big Ben alarm clock contain painted radium? The company made luminescent paint. 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. I know Bill Stoddards name from other publications on Westclox. The only problem is a standard size D battery does not fit. They were sold in a very attractive hexagonal box which has pictures of antique items on the sides (tricycle, telephone, carriage, etc.) lds missionary clothing stores; June 24, 2022 . [Left: The first national Big Ben advertisement appears in the Saturday Evening Post in 1910: Big Ben is a thin, beautiful and punctual sleepmeter with a silent motor that will not annoy you on your lie-awake nights and a deep musical voice that will call you on your sleepiest mornings. Right and Below: A style 1A Big Ben from our museum collection, circa 1920s.]. I was told it was long ago before even my aged family was servicing watches. Theres a clock that came down the family, my great great granddad bought it used in about 1885, it was actually sold new in about 1839, one of the first of the weight-driven brass clocks. I have a Westclox Big Ben 1910 style 1a and have not been able to find out the present value/worth. 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. The clock is several houndred pounds, and keeps great time. 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. When did Bulova stop using radium? That batch was in production non-continuously from 1939 to 1946, housed in gunmetal cases with nickel trim. The women also left a legacy to science that has been termed invaluable.. [citation needed] The use of radium to provide luminescence for hands and indices on watches soon followed. when did westclox stop using radium - Fashionexclusiveuae.com Style Information: Plain dial: 1918 - 1935 Black luminous dial: 1921 - 1935 There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. Hot Times in "Radium Hospital": The History of Radium Therapy at MSK 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. It is a Medbury-4W #4910. I also need it repaired so that it will be functional and need to find someone that will do that for me. It can be found with some other clocks in a case in the second floor hallway. $38.00. JavaScript is disabled. They make alarm and one-day lever clocks only, and with practically two different articles, known as the 4-inch and 2-inch movements, they have an output of in their factory at LaSalle, Ill., of nearly two million clocks a year. 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. 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. Westclox Wrought Iron Look Wall Clock 12" 32021A. I spent many an evening here, watching him bowl.. 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. WECKER (CCW arrow) knob sets alarm time. 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 I went home and washed my hands in a dark bathroom, they would appear luminous and ghostly,, My clothes, hanging in a dark closet, gave off a phosphorescent glare. Just as pilots in World War II had radium on the dials in their cockpits for all-condition visibility, many people who purchased Big Ben alarm clocks during the same periodincluding the very style in our museum collection (made from 1939-1946)went to bed each night sleeping next to a tiny box of radioactivity. 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. At one time they employed about 3500 people, making about 35, 000 clocks and watches per day. The pioneering spirit is there, but the business skills soon appear lacking. Westclox Big Ben Alarm Clock Vintage. From that point on I really liked those. The other thing is reproductions. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. Is radium still used on watches? Big Ben: butler nickel case, gold leaf numeral dial 1930 1932. 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. I have been searching for one like as the clock went with the house after my Grandmother passed away. Thank you. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Western Clock MFG Co. (Westclox), est. 1888 - Made-in-Chicago Museum This dustproofing is accomplished by fittings around the set knobs and winding keys and on the regulator. How old is my Westclox? - Rampfesthudson.com He also recalled playing in the factory. . Is Westclox a good brand? How do you set a manual alarm clock? - AnswersAll 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. 5 17 15 is May 17, 1915 . Theyre making some really nice reproductions of it in China and if you dont know what youre looking for you could be fooled easily. 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 radium? I Have a small brass alarm clock,which is 1-3/4 Hieght Length & Width. In all my research I can not confirm that The Style 1 models every had 1) and 2) above. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. I read (but cant remember where) that about 40,000 were made. 1888. 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. 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. 0 Comments; Uncategorized newark advertiser obituaries 2021 . [Left: The first national Big Ben advertisement appears in the. I have never seen this mentioned anywhere. 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. It was passed on to my sister and for years it was on their mantle along time until it stopped. Over time, she contracted terrible cancerous tumors, lost most of her teeth, and suffered countless other health problems. Buy Now. But for years the majority were wind ups, they were so popular. How do you date a Westclox Baby Ben? How can people be exposed to Radium? Good old fashioned branding played a major role, as well. I like to find the ones before that and study their history. Ive recently acquired a New Haven decorative wall clock. Safety Radium dials are watch, clock and other instrument dials painted with luminous paint containing radium-226 to produce radioluminescence. 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. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated. Westclox travel alarm clock made in China - Antique And Vintage Clocks . Stoddard: Its really hard to say. There are some blemishes on the wood on the right side. It had beneath that four long tubes and they were the chimes for the door bell. I think we threw it away. Your response or advice would be much appreciated. I took it back and the repairman told me it was like a large Timex watch and just not worth being fixed. 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. Most are in nickel finish cases, but some were made in gold plated cases. A Big Ben typical of those made from late 1910 to mid-1915. Frank Baker. There are also some other makers clocks Ive gotten into, like the Seth Thomas 30 hour ogee, which is a weight-driven shelf clock. when did westclox stop using radium. Would you please direct me to someone that can do this for me? Westclox Big Ben Style 1a Alarm Clock - Clock History Your email address will not be published. Any suggestions of where to get a replacement preferably in Canada? I am trying to determine the age. I thought, oh boy, I just need four more and Ill have them all! I have been collecting, repairing, and restoring mostly Westclox Big Bens for several years. The company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. As stated it is working and keeps time. The only thing I found is the word Germny engraved on the back. when did westclox stop using radium; when did westclox stop using radium. Westclox 0.9" LED Plasma Screen Alarm Clock with USB Charging Port 71014X. At the top was a clock covered with a glass door. 1919 -1922, Luminous, Westclox in Roman text: 1923 - 1927, Luminous, projection on the "x": 1928 - 1935. "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. I know very little about clocks in general. [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. Not everyone involved with the manufacturing of Westclox products was employed directly by Westclox, however. In 2006 I started collecting vintage advertisements. Thanks very mutch, I just acquired a sir w.h. Production was back in full force and at an all-time high by 1956, with 3,000 employees on staff. Something about them has always been ingrained in me. 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. What is Radium Used For? - WorldAtlas I'll start with a 19j Bunn, Looking for Somebody with Some Bandwidth to do a Repair. 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. 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. 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. Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them. 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. The first style 1a cases had double-hexagon legs, but after about a year they were changed to standard single hex form. Has the mechanics of the clock been changed/upgraded or could there be another issue at play? Richard Ristau Jr., former plant manager, said hes happy to see the space being used for the museum. When did Junghans stop manufacturing Westminster Chimes, and when did Keinzle stop manufacturing Westminster chimes. 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. In 1898, the Curies discovered the existence of. My husband has a Big Ben clock that he inherited, it was took down from a mill and given to his grandma.