This came in for service. Niiiiice clock. Really good black forest carving, early brass thick guage components lyre movement.

We get a lot of wooden cage antique early cuckoo clocks in – mainly german. Picture clocks, tabletops and many other sub genres. This one was brought in because it kept stopping. Various service jobs sorted that out – there wasn’t a serious problem.

What is particularly impressive here is the carving. This is one of three clocks I will particularly remember. The first was a triple bellow quarter chimer (cuckoo) with vine leaves carved in breathtaking artistic style. More like sculpture. Then there was one with an imposing caricature outsized eagle and Jules Verne level mechanical engineering with a 4 track 2000 note music box. That was almost certainly an exhibition type of clock in celebration of the 1874 victory of Germany in Europe (Versailles?). It was clearly a showpiece for the combined strengths they could demonstrate in art and technology. It’s the sort of clock a military ego would have liked which brought a slightly dark feeling that quite frankly enhanced it. It was so massive it could of hung in a hunting chalet. An eagles nest perhaps!.

Clock repair is like this. All clocks have a story and a history. We get clocks in from the odd celebrity, clocks from RAF installations and equipment, clocks from famous makers, granny’s alarm clock, grandads clock from his 1907 steam car, and loads of every day 20th century clocks. Quite frankly I’m just waiting for Burnham or Trumps clock to turn up. I doubt Burnham can tell the time so I’ll just do nothing and tell him everything’s fine. He will understand the philosophy. Trump….we do actually gold plate stuff, but for him I will make a completely gold clock. Everything solid gold except the spring. He will love it. With the softness of gold the thing will need a major service every 5 days or so. Job for life. Anyway I digress…

The clock pictured is the third clock I will definitely remember. It’s an absolutely classic hunting chalet game clock in its format, but the wood colour is astonishing. The animals look like they were modelled rather than created artistically, although the traditional bezier curves in the plant elements is still discernable. It’s also notable that it hasn’t lost its horn mouthpiece – they always come off and get lost normally because it’s actually a carved component pegged in as opposed to having to carve the whole horn from a larger disk size. Where there is art there is always a commercial aspect to production.

The guy who owns it said he will miss it massively while in the workshop. I expressed the job in 4 days because I fell in love with it on sight and wanted to minimise the pain of handing my precious back. Then again, my clocks better for different reasons and you can only have one mistress. Sort of.

We have had a few customers ask us to replace the glass on barometers. We used to sort of not really want to do this but now…we have done it a few times and I thought it made sense to mention that we now DO do it. It’s not that simple to be fair and most of the bezels are heat compression fitted with a central hole for the indicating arm. If you need us to do it in a custom fit basis then give me a ring. We don’t stock so everything is done to order for your specific requirements.

Summary: The James Webb Empirical Proof for Gravitational Data Latency

This summary outlines the specific observational evidence from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) that supports the model of black holes as “data buffers” using the Centrifugal Data Handover and Inverse Square Law.

The Primary Evidence: “Little Red Dots” (LRDs)JWST has identified a novel population of compact, extremely red objects known as “Little Red Dots.” These provide the empirical “smoking gun” for the theory of information latency.

* The V-Shaped Spectral Energy Distribution (SED): These objects exhibit a unique spectral shape—blue in the ultraviolet and extremely red in the optical. In my theory, this “V-shape” is not caused by dust, but by the Flickering Neon Bulb effect. The cycle of this flickering is equivalent to the latency variable of the light ee are seeing from these “impossibly old” red dots.

* Connection Failure at the Horizon: The spectral “break” represents a phase-shift. As data circles the event horizon, it experiences extreme latency. The “V-shape” is the physical signature of a data packet being re-assembled and prepared for centrifugal expulsion.

Rotational Asymmetry & Redshift VarianceStandard models view redshift as a simple measure of distance. This theory, supported by JWST’s high-resolution imaging of early spiral galaxies, suggests redshift is a rotational variable.

* The Observation: JWST data (such as the JADES survey) has revealed a significant statistical asymmetry in galaxy spin directions and morphologies at high redshifts (z > 5).

* The Theory’s Proof: I posit that the “Age” (redshift) of a galaxy is higher on the side rotating away and lower on the side rotating toward us. This proves the galaxy is a Re-assembled Data Packet. The discrepancy in age across the same object confirms that time dilation is tied to the Black Hole’s rotation, not just its distance from Earth.

The Centrifugal Handover Mechanism: The distribution of matter across the universe follows a mechanical handover rather than a purely gravitational collapse.

* Buffer Phase: Information circles the black hole (Latency).

* Expulsion Phase: Centrifugal forces fling the “notifications” (galaxies) outward.

* Inverse Square Distribution: Once expelled, the density and signal strength of these data packets dissipate according to the Inverse Square Law. This explains why galaxies maintain a specific structural integrity (as “packets”) before eventually spreading out as they move further from the central gravitational “well.”

Conclusion: Space as a Changing VariableThe JWST observations of “overmassive” black holes in the early universe—which exist before their host galaxies have fully formed—support the “handover” model. These black holes aren’t just eating matter; they are processing the variables of space and handing them over to the next Planck definition of the particle.> Key takeaway: The JWST data confirms that the “Age” of the universe is a localized processing speed, governed by the rotational latency of central black hole buffers.

Technical Addendum: Flux Ratio Anomalies & The Inverse Square LawThis section outlines the application of the Centrifugal Data Handover to quadruple-lensed systems (Einstein Crosses). It provides a measurable test for the theory using existing deep-space observations.

Flux Ratio Anomalies as Data Signal LossStandard gravitational lensing theory often fails to explain why the four images of a distant quasar do not match predicted brightness ratios. In this model, this is not caused by “dark matter,” but by mechanical signal loss during the data handover.

* Asymmetric Wavelength Shift: Observations of lensed systems show wavelength shifts that vary between the four images.

* Centrifugal Expulsion: These shifts occur because each “data packet” (image) is flung from the central gravity well at a different rotational phase. The “Age” of the data in each image differs because it circled the “buffer” (the lensing galaxy’s central black hole) for a different duration.

Applying the Inverse Square Law to Data Packets: The intensity and spread of this expelled data follow the Inverse Square Law. This defines the “Signal Strength” (I) of the data packet as it is handed over from the black hole’s centrifugal influence to the observer.

The Distribution Formula:I = P / (4 * pi * r^2) * I (Information Density)

The observed brightness and spectral integrity of the galaxy/quasar.

* P (Processing Power): The rotational energy or velocity of the central black hole buffer. * r (Handover Distance): The distance from the event horizon where centrifugal force overcomes the horizon’s pull. As the data moves further (r) from the central processing “well,” the information density (I) drops. This explains the “flickering” seen in high-redshift objects—they lose signal coherence as they transition between the variables of space.

JWST Proof: The “Processor” Precedes the “Packet”James Webb data (specifically observations of UHZ1 and GHZ2) reveals “overmassive” black holes in the early universe that exist before their host galaxies are fully formed.

* Theoretical Fit: This confirms the Black Hole Buffer comes first. It is the “Clock” or “Processor” that must exist to begin the centrifugal handover.

* Re-assembled Data: The galaxy (the data packet) is only assembled after the black hole has begun processing the surrounding variables of space and flinging them outward.Summary of Empirical Evidence:

* Latency: Caused by information circling the event horizon. * V-Shape SED: Evidence of connection failure during re-assembly.

* Redshift Asymmetry: Evidence of rotational time dilation.

* Flux Anomalies: Evidence of centrifugal distribution following the Inverse Square Law.

The above a summary of my unique and new theory. Its miles ahead of anything else being suggedted becayse it has syructural integrity and follows all known telatavistic and Newtonian laws of astrophysics. It has profound impilcations.

Not bad for a clock technician 😉

Just a quick post to show whats going on in the Braintree workshop. We do pretty much any cuckoo clock modern or old.

These two are crackers. One is huge with a 1000+ music box in a hunting lodge game clock. The eagle crown is a work of art in its own right.

The second is pucture frame cuckoo with a wooden countwheel movement. Im surprised wood was not used more in movements. With brass bushes its just as good as brass plate units although it is a bit space heavy in a small case like this.

Both really nice clocks and I thought others may be intetested in seeing these miracles in the process of service snd restoration.

This is an Alien disk found in Sakkara Egypt in an ancient burrial context. Godaliens was probably involved in its manufacture and its obviously an impleller or propeller. A certain rotary function is implied. Men in lab coats are currently using lasers to measure it and calculate its micrometrics. Is it atom perfect on the surface? That could mean..well, better aliens made it than the ones who made the pyramids. Tom Cruise needs to know about this. Books need to be written.

B#%%£cks, it’s a candle stick.

Heres why.

If its a rotary wheel, its been bushed with a wooden spoon and put in by an idiot whoes last job was on a solid cartwheel. In the material used, that bush needs to be around…probably the square of the diameter with a multiplier/modifier for overall object mass. That would be a fair engineering guess. With an alien computer brain you could get the bush dimensioms and tensile matrial stress exactly bang on for your proposed rpm. If I can come up with a prototype test piece in my head, aliens should be able to do a better job. Also the internal bush is asymentric, I checked. Its not a drilled hole, its formed, almost certainly by abrassion.

The reason its almost certainly a candlestick is down to Fabergè. The best pieces are unique and represent almost impossible levels of contemporary technical brilliance. Its a really flash candlestick. Probably the chief pooh-bahs.

My theory is somewhat supported by candle dynamics. Common knowledge but Ill just remind you. Due to the matarial constrains of naturally produced candle wax, a tall pillar candle burns badly or falls over if it has a diameter over 11cm. Temple pillar candles are still produced today ay 11cm diameter. The sabu disk “bush” is 11cm.

This, for me, rather dossapointingly, debunks the Sabu disk. I want to believe.

Its my own theory by the way and I have only circummstancial evidence but I ve worked with rotary clock mechanics for so long I can just see whats going on with this. Bigfoot? well I love bigfoot. Hes juuuuust about a feasible possibilty, however, there is more chance of him turning up riding a unicorn than that candle stick serving and kind of force exchange function. AND..If anyone even suggests its a clock part because it has 120⁰ degree design bias I will personally assault them with a 3d printed minature model inserted into them to test its impeller function.

As an aside. Never trust men in lab coats with anything. They are wearing them because they are expecting a mistake or cock up. They are clean because they put them on new every day. Trust the scientist who is more than comfortable working in his underwear.

Phil keeps me up to date on his restos. Hes a pro philanthropic restorer and I actually learn a thing or two from his submissions. If your doing one of these in your man cave this article is a must. I like Phil because he just bloody keeps on going until hes happy which is an almost utopian ideal as opposed to a realistic objective for a perfectionist. He is also a fantastic example of what you can do if you apply yourself while not losing your mind and converting an uncooprative machine over the rugby posts. Many people think the marks on old clock cases are spillage. Its tears.

Phil here again, and thanks to Justin for kindly letting me post another blog describing one of my own projects that I’ve recently completed during my summer break away from my voluntary duties at the Black Country Living Museum. This one is a c.1840 weight-driven Black Forest 30-hour striking wood-movement clock, which I’ve been restoring on-and-off since I bought it for £40 from an antique shop in Wales several years ago. The main problems were woodworm, a butchered escapement, a badly-waisted pivot on the going great wheel, a too-short pendulum and a warped dial. The bent-strip pallets needed replacing, as did the bushings for the pallet arbor. There are several non-original parts in this clock, but I decided to keep most of these as they are functional and not seen. I bet Justin has repaired dozens of clocks like this! I took a liking to it when I saw it languishing in a Welsh antique shop four years ago. I did a bit of research and discovered it was a Black Forest “Schwartzwälder Stollenuhr” and made around 1840-1850, judging from the brass wheels on wooden arbors. When I got it home, I found it had once been well-inhabited by woodworm, so following Museum practice I applied the usual liquid Rentokil treatment, then wrapped the whole thing in a plastic bag and bunged it into the deep freeze for a month! Once satisfied that there was no active worm present, I filled most of the visible flight holes using coloured furniture repair wax sticks. I tried the clock, and whilst the strike side worked, the going train wouldn’t run for more than a few ticks before stopping. At this point I realised that this wasn’t really a clock; it was someone else’s abandoned restoration project. The bent-strip pallets had clearly been replaced, but looked nothing like a Black Forest escapement and gave no impulse. The pallet arbor pivots had been roughly filed and were closer to square than round, the crutch was loose on the arbor and the back pivot “bridge” had been replaced by a bit of thin steel plate with a hole crudely drilled through it. Much time was spent turning the pallet arbor pivots true and bushing the front and back pivot holes, to at least get the pallet arbor rotating in a proper manner. Dismantling a wood-movement clock needs care, and it helps to know the sequence – I found out by trial and error. Essentially this movement comprises a solid timber frame made up of a top and bottom plate and seven vertical pillars. The four corner pillars and the middle one – think of the number 5 on a dice when viewed from above – are permanently fixed in place and give the frame its rigidity, but the front and back centre pillars – which contain all the pivot holes – are removable, once you’ve pulled out the nails which hold them in place through the top plate. The precision fit of these old wooden parts is actually quite remarkable. I researched and found a drawing of the traditional Black Forest escapement, a small bent-strip pallet not unlike that of a cuckoo clock, spanning just three-and-a-half teeth of the escape wheel, and hence narrow enough to pass through the small aperture in the fixed centre pillar of the wood movement frame. I started with a new American bent-strip pallet, which I hacksawed down to size and bent into shape as best as I could. I temporarily soft-soldered the pallet to the arbor and adjusted the angles by trial-and-error till I got reliable running, then drilled through the strip ready for rivetting. I polished the pallet working faces to a mirror finish, hardened them by heating to red heat then quenching in water, polished again, tempered to a light straw colour, quenched and polished again. Finally I rivetted the pallet to the arbor using a brass rivet, turned down on the lathe to the correct diameter. Happily the escapement still ran, although not very well, going in and out of beat as the escape wheel rotated, and occasionally stopping due to one tooth failing to release. The escape wheel contains 42 teeth. Watching the escapement in action, it became clear that two groups of teeth were very slightly shorter than the rest. Using thin duck-billed pliers, I carefully ‘drew-out’ the short teeth, then placed the escape wheel in the lathe and very lightly ‘topped’ the teeth to the same length, using 3,000-grit abrasive paper on a wooden backing pad rather than a file. This process was completely successful, and the escapement now ran reliably. The means of setting the depth of the pallets’ engagement with the escape wheel is incredibly crude. The front pallet arbor pivot is like a flattened nail, held by friction alone through a hole in the top plate; adjustments are made by tapping it down with a hammer, or pulling it up with pliers. The back pivot runs in a bridge with slotted mounting holes, offering a degree of ‘fine’ adjustment. The two trains on these clocks sit in tandem, front to back, with the going train in front of the strike train. The back pivot of the going train’s great wheel was badly waisted. Rather than re-pivoting in the normal way, which I considered impossible due to the small diameter of the arbor itself, I decided to make a sleeve by turning down a piece of steel rod to fit the pivot hole, then drilling down the centre of the rod to create a sleeve to slide over the waisted pivot, finally soft-soldering it into place over the old waisted pivot. Purists may recoil in horror at the use of soft solder in clock repair; as an electrical engineer by profession, but an amateur horologist, I am reasonably skilled in soldering and it can form an effective – and invisible – repair in certain cases such as this. It’s worth mentioning the pivot holes, which in most wood-movement clocks are actually formed from thin brass strip coiled into a slotted tube (shaped a bit like a Mills pin or clevis pin) and fixed firmly into the wood. These are difficult to assess for wear by the usual means. Suffice it to say that excessive side-shake does not seem to be too much of an issue with these movements. I polished all the arbor pivots and, as they still seemed to run smoothly after the best part of 180 years, I otherwise left well alone. You’ll also note that I have made no attempt to brighten the brass wheels; I didn’t want to damage or stain the wooden arbors, so they got a gentle brushing with a soft brass brush and I left it at that. The motion work differs from that in a conventional clock in that the chain-driven great wheel rotates anti-clockwise once every two hours, driving a ‘two-hour wheel’ and linked lantern pinion via a hand-setting friction washer pinned to the great wheel arbor’s extended front shaft. The ‘two-hour wheel’ engages with the cannon pinion and minute pipe, which rotate on a peg fixed to the centre front vertical wooden member, and drives it clockwise at a 2:1 ratio, whilst the lantern pinion drives the hour wheel and hour pipe clockwise at a 1:6 ratio. The ‘two-hour wheel’ also carries two pins 180 degrees apart, which lift the strike release lever once each hour. The friction washer was missing on my clock so I had to fabricate a suitable alternative. The strike train uses countwheel striking and needed little attention other than cleaning, polishing the pivots and lubrication. The strike great wheel carries pins which lift the hammer mechanism via two levers and rods. The train ‘warns’ at about 10 minutes to the hour, and it took me several attempts to get the wheels into the correct starting positions to enable the train to run up to speed prior to the hammer being lifted. Incidentally, the cast-iron weights are different, weighing around 850 grams and 1.5 kilograms, with the heavier weight driving the going train, according to my research. The clock arrived with a pendulum comprising a small light brass bob, on a rusty thin rod which appeared to have been made from an old bicycle wheel spoke. This turned out to be around 4” too short as the clock ran fast, so I made a new rod from two straightened-out wire coathangers, joined with a short polished brass sleeve. A clamp was made out of a piece of old clock spring to hold the bob in place and permit a sliding fit on the rod for regulation. Once I had the movement running, I discovered that the painted wooden dial centre was quite badly warped, to the extent that it had broken past two of the nails securing it into the escutcheon. I soaked the back of the dial with warm water and allowed it to penetrate for half an hour, then – very gingerly and carefully – clamped the dial flat and left it overnight to dry. The result was perfect! I made a couple of new pins to secure the dial into the escutcheon. The cast brass bezel responded well to Brasso wadding followed by Renaissance Wax, and I applied four coats of French polish to the wooden escutcheon. The dials on these clocks were originally secured to the movement by nails and wire hoops; these had fallen out and been lost long ago, and two small metal L-brackets and screws now hold the dial in place. With the domed glass cleaned, the end result is quite pleasing. One feature of these clocks is their noisy operation and loud tick – I think the wood movement acts as a sounding-board, amplifying the sound of the escapement. Another notable feature is the wide swing of the pendulum, due to the narrow span of the pallets, leading to the common name of “wag-on-the-wall clocks”. The bell is particularly strident! The clock now resides in my workshop rather than the house, but it’s a good timekeeper. It’s been an interesting restoration and makes an unusual addition to my collection.

We get a lot of Metamecs in because they are relatively difficult quartz conversions or mechanical repairs.

My first clock repair was a Metamec and Ive always liked their style. They are set apart from other contemporaries because they are themed with Icons or suggestions of Freemasonary. They just are. The pillars of the Temple Of Soloman, and that pillar symetry look, is all over the 50’s and 60’s models. Then theres the eye shaped geometry in many clocks. Always a single focal point. Often intersected by symetical lines suggesting the set square or compass or both. The damn things almost look at you in the eye from a dollar bill.

Ive read the Metamec book. Ive spent time with Wallace King who was sales manager for them in the 60’s. Hes a Mason. That sort of made sense with the clock design. I took it as a given that masonry must have been in the company DNA. But heres the thing…Wallace said that the guy responsible for the pioneering modernist design, Captain Smart I think his name was, was not a Mason. Wallace said the designs were not masonic as far as he was aware. What?. How?. Wallace, it IS masonic design. No. Give up. Odd.

I believe the was a masonic deep cover mole at Metamec. Massive conspiracy. Possibly. You heard it here first.

We do more cuckoo clocks than anything else – modern or old. We got into it about 15 years ago, and because it became a specialisation, work pours in. Anything from a 1980’s 2 weight mechine to this “best ever” Tripple fusee black forest victorian cuckoo.

It was a very difficult job but we did it and we were the only people who would take it on. This is hardly surprising as the clock is almost a “one off”. I imagine there are other machines out there with the same feature set (and finely carved/produced) but this is the first one I have seen in almost 20 years. I thought I had bragging rights with my 1860 Dresden table standing cuckoo clock, but this is a country mile ahead of it. Im not going to publish a shot from the front because I have not yet asked the owners permission, however, and rather anonymous shot of the mechanics should be fine and tell the story.

There are 3 gear trains and 3 bellows. This drives two cuckoos on independent synchronised chiming for both the quarter and full hours. This is not something Ive seen on a wooden cage movement before and for good reason. Its complicated!. Cuckoo clocks tend towards simplicity in what they do but this one is as much of a computer as anything Tompion made in my opinion.

You dont really need to understand how it works to appreciate its early complex engineering so I will leave you with a picture to drool over.

Thats the preparation and laquer bench by the way – not the work station!.

I have done more gravel driveway miles than Macadam (1756 – 1836). Expensive clocks are often in larger houses and this is a typical call out…

I recieve a call, the normal thing.

“My clock has stopped”

“ok no problem – give me some details on what and where and Ill tell you if we can help”.

“its on the wall and it loses 15 minutes a day and stops sometimes. The clock cant be moved so we can come and pick you up and take you to it”

“No problem, see you on Monday”.

Monday came and so did the client. I was driven to what I can only assume is Batmans house. It featured more land than a reservoir, an impressive black iron gate, a drive so long you could not see the house at the end of it and some stables. We arrived a the house after the safari down the drive and arrived at the mansion. I unpacked and asked where the clock was. The customer looked up and so did I. The “clock” was a tower clock – a full on church washing machine sized movement. I wasnt really surprised to be fair but had expected something indoors that looked like a church organ.

I got on with the inspection and assessment but needed to pay a visit. The customer showed me the smallest room and I went through.

Now, on my bathroom wall I have a bronze swimming certificate and picture. On his bathroom wall he had a massive poster with period script… an MBE. It turns out the clock owner did 20 years of particularly worthy charity work.

Tomorrow someone is coming in with a 30 year old wall clock. There is no telling what is next.