When did Westclox stop using radium? Luckily for Charles, however, he is living in the same small town as Frederick William Matthiessena fellow German, but one with a hell of a lot more money and business experience. Thank you for your input. 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. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated. 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. As my first name is Ben, I started to collect these alarmclocks since about 1970. They were, incredibly enough, instructed to ingest a radioactive poison all day, every day, and never properly warned of any potential hazards. UHR (CW arrow) knob sets clock time. 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. Any suggestions of where to get a replacement preferably in Canada?
When was Westclox Big Ben made? - WhoIsWh 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. There are also some specialty chapters, like an alarm clock chapter and a 400-day clock chapter, one that specializes in wristwatches and one on early American pocket watches. This end has been achieved by what is known as the Western Processa process in which the component parts of a clock are cast, or, so to speak, cemented together with an alloy, instead of staked, and in which all hand labor is replaced by automatic machinery., [Automatic machinery certainly sped up the manufacturing process, by plenty of human skill and attention was still required to make the Big Ben. 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. The Windys said their union confirms an old Westclox employee rumor about the long-lasting nature of a relationship struck up near a certain fountain. Big Ben style, and there are other styles with names instead of numbers.
Is a Glow-in-the-dark Clock Any Cause for Alarm? Westclox Big Ben Luminous Hands | NAWCC Forums The style 8 Big and Baby Bens were introduced in 1964. While the painting technique of the Ghost Girls was replaced with supposedly safer methods like silk screening, traces of radium were still used by many companies to get that desired glow effect throughout the 1940s and even as late as the 60s. She was 107 when she died on March 1 in Middlebury, Conn . Any guidance or help is appreciated. The use of Radium changed over several years but it was not until late 1960ies when the last were made. knowledge about vintage and antique Westclox clocks and watches. The clock is several houndred pounds, and keeps great time.
How We Realized Putting Radium in Everything Was Not the Answer 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. In the 1970s, radium was phased out of wristwatches and clockdials. Contact the Webmaster for perceived copyright infringement (DMCA Registration Number 1010287). I cant find out anything about him or any other clocks by him. 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. 514 Poplar Street I tried selling some of my surplus electric Big Bens on eBay and they just didnt go, you could get only about $0.99 for them. It is a Medbury-4W #4910. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that watches with radium dials should not be taken apart[5] without proper training, technique, and facilities. Posted on 1 second ago; June 24, 2022 . 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. My father (Richard Ristau Sr.) worked here for 48..
when did westclox stop using radium - Fashionexclusiveuae.com Could you suggest how I could go about finding out this information. It also says that the patent was re-issued March 31, 1868. So you find clocks where parts have been switched, so thats one challenge, determining originality. Phone: 717-684-8261. I have a Westclox Magnet Key Part number 031723 I think was used to open a door as it has an arrow on 1 end. Not to mention theres the Big Bens so that doubles it right there. Columbia, PA 17512 Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them. I also need it repaired so that it will be functional and need to find someone that will do that for me. I just had it repaired & it works & looks great. 1980 By the early 1950s, Westclox employed thousands of LaSalle-Peru residents. 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. Origin of the eye, forklore or legends surrounding????? July 17th, 2008. A few years later my grandma gave me one that worked, and my aunt gave me another one. But the chances that you have a radium clock are slim, unless it is very old. When I went home and washed my hands in a dark bathroom, they would appear luminous and ghostly, an original Ghost Girl named Catherine Donohue (nee Wolfe) later testified. Thank you. I have a collection of clocks, and amongst my collection are Westminster chime wall clocks, I have two Keinzle and two Junghans.
when did westclox stop using radium - Flycloud.vn 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. Another thing people do is make fake advertising clocks. Most are in nickel finish cases, but some were made in gold plated cases. I was looking at it and said, aha! When did clocks stop using radium? Now I know that theres probably 14 basic shapes, but a lot more variations than that depending on how far you want to take things. When did westclox stop using radium? I have an antique mantle clock given to my Aunt & Uncle for a wedding gift (approximately 1949) FROM my great grandparents. It is and Elias Ingraham Brass Clock with a patent stamp of September 30, 1862. A Westclox Museum has been opened within the original facility, showing off rare collections from the millions of timepieces once manufactured there. A 2015 article by Ben Hohenstatt in the Illinois Valleys News Tribune included interviews with a few former Westclox workers who returned to see the museum and remember old times. . 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. . Ive been trying to compare lots of different clocks to find out what original parts go together. The first style 1a cases had double-hexagon legs, but after about a year they were changed to standard single hex form. The clock can still give considerable amounts of radiation about 2-3 inches from the Crystal measured with a Geiger counter. It emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Among the rarities on display is a Westclox-made National Emergency Alarm Repeater. George Kern died on July 27, 1918 from a ruptured appendix, but his basic clock design lived on for years.
How do you set a manual alarm clock? - AnswersAll The greater surprise, though, is that they didnt abandon the use of radium in the years that followed. This will broaden my view in the clock. The work involved using luminous radium paint to make the numbers on clocks, watches and aeronautic dials glow in the dark. They call it Shabby Chic and sell it on eBay for 60 to 80 dollars. 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).
When did Westclox go out of business? - Ufoscience.org I would like to know the value of a #4 black, #321(in original cardboard Christmas box), mint condition, Baby Ben alarm clock is. JavaScript is disabled. 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. This 1964 Westclox Christmas ad describes their features. I am reading, studying, and learning more about the Westclox. 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. It is something that we should know before everyone starts throwing away every luminous dial clock they own.
LandmarkHunter.com | Westclox clock factory, La Salle, IL 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. Can anyone direct me on how to find this clock? it has a picture of a huck finn type boy,carying 2 bottles of coke& a fishing pole,with his dog. They did some limited production (less than 200) in 1908, when they were still perfecting the design, then quite a few in 1909, but it really wasnt nationally advertised until September of 1910. I was given an Elias Ingraham Clock many years ago and would like to know a bit more about it and its value. You just cant imagine the size of this factory its just gigantic. Only reason I can think of and it looks pretty odd not to have minutes on a clock face. In a few short years, thanks to Dr. Douglas's efforts, the amount of radium available in the US more than quintupled.
hamilton radiation | NAWCC Forums At the start of the decade, the company brought in a skilled new industrial designer named Henry Dreyfuss; a true modernist. Baby Ben and other Westclox clocks and watches have been assigned styles. 1888. Selling for $2.50 in the years before World War I (or about $60 in modern money), the 5-inch diameter Big Ben and its half-pint cousin the Baby Ben combined to move over 900,000 units in just 1913 alone, and the Western Clock MFG Companynot yet officially known as Westcloxwas producing more than twice that many clocks annually in total. They had one in Brazil for a while and I think also in Hong Kong.
Are Watches With Radium Dials Safe? New Study Offers Warning Annie Moussin designer intrieur. The clock is shielded From the glass crystal. During World War II they had some fantastic ads that you can see on my website like, Victory Wont Wait for the Nation Thats Late, and Guard Your Big Ben where they show a bulldog and a soldier with a gun guarding a Big Ben because during the war they stopped making clocks for the consumer market and totally switched over to military work. I recently added the Big Ben Style 1 and Baby Ben Style 1 Dial and Back types. 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. So I swapped them, and its worked perfectly ever since. Stoddard: Ive been there several times.
Westclox Big Ben Style 1a Alarm Clock - Clock History 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. My clothes, hanging in a dark closet, gave off a phosphorescent glare.
What You Want To Know About Watch Luminant - aBlogtoWatch It is encased in hard polymer Plastic and the ends have rivets . I have a mantel clock,its floral in color,made by Ansonia Cock Co.USA.New York.
when did westclox stop using radium - Simssuccessgroup.com The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. dated:1990 ,decorated :hong cong.made in japan.cocacola tradmark. Do you have an archival dept who could give us an idea of our Western Clock which we recently acquired? In the production of ordinary clocks adapted to the needs and means of the millions, America produces results of remarkable excellence. When did they stop using radium for watches? [9] The element was phased out of use by industry acting under its own volition as superior and safer luminous materials entered the marketplace. Your response or advice would be much appreciated. 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 only problem is a standard size D battery does not fit. Because it was one degree removed from the radium business itself, Westclox seems to have largely dodged the controversy and lawsuits altogether.
when did westclox stop using radium - Dev.decourbaine.com Before we get to that, though, we have to start with the issue of geography as it concerns the business in question. At the end of one hand is a star and the other hand is the moon. 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.
Radium - Element information, properties and uses | Periodic Table Eventually, safer options were discovered, and the use of radium was discontinued in the 1960s. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. I'll start with a 19j Bunn, Looking for Somebody with Some Bandwidth to do a Repair. Within two decades she had lost all her teeth. 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 . All Rights Reserved. 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. That batch was in production non-continuously from 1939 to 1946, housed in gunmetal cases with nickel trim. Like many East Coasters, he decides to pursue his fortune out West, but unlike many of his peers, he skips the bustling Second City in favor of a promising river & railroad region downstate; where the towns of Peru, LaSalle and Ottawa intersect. My husband has a Big Ben clock that he inherited, it was took down from a mill and given to his grandma. Thank you. Clocks produced in the early 1900's are particularly concerning in this regard. The precise, delicate skill of painting clock dials with radium powder promised a much higher salary than most factory jobs available to women at the time (upwards of $18 a week), and the company soon employed as many as 200 female workers in its Ottawa plant. My love is for the style 1 peg leg Big and Baby Bens; mostly Baby Bens. By Dave Margulius 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. He corresponded with Westclox General Manager Ernst Roth over the weeks that followed, but after a final letter that September, he went silent. 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. Immediately after, substances like promethium and tritium were used as a luminous material, and they're still being used today. The lume used on vintage Rolex watches was radium-based, and radium remained the standard for nearly all Rolex lume until 1963, when growing health concerns forced a shift away from it. Westclox Scotland produced its first clock on 21 September 1948; a spring wound alarm with a 4-inch (10cm) dial. Created with WordPress. We have photos of all the employees between 1927-1945 at the Peterborough Ontario Location but not much else. When did the use of radium stop? 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. 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. Fortunately, in the years since, theres been a noble effort to retain surviving parts of the building and some of the important local history that the empty factory once represented. . As various larger corporate interests got involved in the years ahead, however, and as increasing competition from electronic clockmakers slowed the Big Bens dominance, the inevitable slow down began. Stoddard: The first Big Bens and Baby Bens went on the market in 1910 and they were wind ups. [5] Indeed, the body treats radium as it does calcium, storing it in bone where it may cause bone degeneration and cancer.[5]. German: WECKER (alarm); UHR (clock). Its basically all forward momentum from here. The factory contained a bowling alley, and Ristau said his father was an excellent bowler. 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. 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]. He also recalled playing in the factory. How do you set the time on a old fashioned alarm clock? I have been purchasing these clocks as and when I got an opportunity.
Theyll take an old Big Ben from 1930 and make a new dial that says Indian Motorcycle or Victola, and put it on eBay. In the United States there does not seem to have ever been prohibitory legislation passed banning the use of radium in clocks and watches. The policy of the company is one of highly specialized production. I hung it on my wall and we tried to get it fixed but the repairman couldnt fix it. 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.
Marie and Pierre Curie isolate radium - HISTORY [Former Westclox workers Art and Mary Ann Windy (standing), 2015], This is amazing, Art said. Many thanks. Theyre making some really nice reproductions of it in China and if you dont know what youre looking for you could be fooled easily. Thank to several professionals who Ive met on Ebay, I have become quite skilled with my restorations plus making dials and alarm function indicators. 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]. They made them with wooden works until about 1840, then with brass gears and I like some of the early brass-geared American clocks. It would be greatly appreciated. It was passed on to my sister and for years it was on their mantle along time until it stopped. Westclox made an excellent, almost exact, reproduction of the style 1a Big Ben in 1970. According to Periodic. So, does Westclox really belong in the Made In Chicago Museum? Matthiessen, 1904 Western Clock MFG Co. catalog cover, and the original Peru factory in 1905]. 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. Sometimes Ive seen them for 300 to 600 dollars. A Big Ben typical of those made from late 1910 to mid-1915. He invited us in to look around, so we got to go up and down the big freight elevator and he found some old music boxes that were never used that he gave to us (Westclox made one or two little clocks with a music box in them). Stahlberg knows that no other noteworthy clock company has ever succeeded west of the Hudson, let alone smalltown Illinois, but he dives into the challenge, establishing his first factory. 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. 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. 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. A pair of teenage boys broke into the abandoned factory and set a fire that quickly spread and enveloped much of the central complex. One employee, R.D. Jessie, good observation. But he only comes upon receipt of signed price agreement. They worked for the United States Radium Corporation painting the numbers and hands on watch. At this moment I study horology at West Dean College in the UK. Style 5 dial design]. From 1917 to 1926, the United States Radium Corporation used radium to produce wristwatches and clocks. As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. As stated it is working and keeps time. Charles Stahlberg had an idea for making a better, but less expensive alarm clock. Gordon Goodrum 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. Did Westclox use radium? Sep 23, 2011
There are many Westclox alarm clock models named Big Ben.
Hot Times in "Radium Hospital": The History of Radium Therapy at MSK England. . Their use in prostate brachytherapy dates from 1926. Charles Crow Penn Valley, Ca, I have run across and old clock that I would like to know something about. This has probably been discussed before but my search turned up nothingdo the luminous hands on a Big Ben alarm clock contain painted radium? National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc (A 501c3 non-profit corporation). "[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. Both the Big and Baby Bens were housed in a newly refined bell-back clock case. [7], Ingestion of radium has been linked to anemia, cataracts, broken teeth, and reduced bone growth.[8]. When did westclox start making clocks? It was a gift from him to her the year before they were married. From that point on I really liked those. 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. thank you, My Husband and I just purchased an antique mantle/shelf clock at an estate sale.