LandmarkHunter.com | Westclox clock factory, La Salle, IL Are Watches With Radium Dials Safe? New Study Offers Warning England. 1919 -1922, Luminous, Westclox in Roman text: 1923 - 1927, Luminous, projection on the "x": 1928 - 1935. There are also some other makers clocks Ive gotten into, like the Seth Thomas 30 hour ogee, which is a weight-driven shelf clock. I believed it was manufacturing tag. Radium dials were typically painted by young women, who used to 'point' their brushes by licking and shaping the bristles prior to painting the fine lines and numbers on the dials. Style 1a has four holes in the back to access the movement cap screws; Style 1 has the legs and pendant riveted to the case, on style 1a they screw on. when did westclox stop using radium - Fashionexclusiveuae.com This was a wonderful article to read. I would like to know the value of a #4 black, #321(in original cardboard Christmas box), mint condition, Baby Ben alarm clock is. Advertisement: Illustrates crackle green Tiny Tim, crackle blue Big Ben and crackle pink Baby Ben clocks. Former employees showed up to view a collection of watches, clocks, tools, photographs of the old factory, a short black and white film of the factory in action and remember working for Westclox. National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc (A 501c3 non-profit corporation). when did westclox stop using radium; when did westclox stop using radium. When did Westclox go out of business? - Ufoscience.org Stoddard: The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) is headquartered in Pennsylvania but has chapters throughout the country. A Big Ben typical of those made from late 1910 to mid-1915. 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. Can someone get back to me as to what it is and possibe age of it. My dad was one of the top bowlers here, Ristau said. 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. Same as the nickel version but in a gold-plated case. I am reading, studying, and learning more about the Westclox. 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. 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. WECKER (CCW arrow) knob sets alarm time. When Did They Stop Using Radium On Clock Hands? In 1918 the Big Ben case was improved to make it dustproof, as described in patent #1,300,278 issued to Kern on April 15, 1919. What replaced radium in watches? - TimesMojo That was the first antique clock I owned myself. Charles Stahlberg headed a group from Waterbury, Connecticut, who came to Peru in 1884 to build clocks based on a new idea by Stahlberg. They made them with wooden works until about 1840, then with brass gears and I like some of the early brass-geared American clocks. The incidents occurred at three different factories in United States: one in Orange, New Jersey, beginning around 1917; one in Ottawa, Illinois, beginning in the early 1920s; and a third facility in Waterbury, Connecticut, also in the 1920s. A Westclox Museum has been opened within the original facility, showing off rare collections from the millions of timepieces once manufactured there. The Forgotten Story Of The Radium Girls, Whose Deaths Saved Thousands Of Workers Lives, by Kate Moore, A Rude Awakening: The History of Alarm Clocks , Western Clock MFG Co. (Westclox), est. Stoddard: Some of the old American pocket watches are just beautiful so I have several in my collection. Quite a few who try to get every basic model, but fewer who get into the rarer models and do research. 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. Not to mention theres the Big Bens so that doubles it right there. All the rods in my clocks are verticle that is from top to bottom of the case, four on each side at the back of the movement. [5] Indeed, the body treats radium as it does calcium, storing it in bone where it may cause bone degeneration and cancer.[5]. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. When did Junghans stop manufacturing Westminster Chimes, and when did Keinzle stop manufacturing Westminster chimes. Who makes Westclox? - Wise-Answers Was just trying to find out any information on this clock or if you may have ever come across one like it Thanks so much 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. Did westclox stop using radioactive paint by the 1960s? Dave, Your question about a Big Ben containing radium, and in fact about which clocks actually do contain radium, is a good one. At the end of one hand is a star and the other hand is the moon. 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). I spent many an evening here, watching him bowl.. 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. [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. The use of radium was discontinued since the 1960s. Before we get to that, though, we have to start with the issue of geography as it concerns the business in question. His ideas were patented on as US patent #326,602. 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.. Dozens of radium dial painters around the country developed similar symptoms, although the effects could take years to manifest, making it more difficult to pinpoint the phenomenon from its first cases in the early 1920s. It is too large (wide). [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. In a few short years, thanks to Dr. Douglas's efforts, the amount of radium available in the US more than quintupled. 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. All Rights Reserved. I think the clock was electric but could have been a wind up or maybe even a pendulum. What You Want To Know About Watch Luminant - aBlogtoWatch I have a collection of alarm clocks, but slowly selling many. var today = new Date() The Evolution Behind Rolex Luminous Material | Bob's Watches Ruth Spayer at the Westclox Museum tracked down a newspaper story from the Daily Post-Tribune on March 21, 1944, describing a scene in which 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.. The pioneering spirit is there, but the business skills soon appear lacking. By Dave Margulius When Did Glow In The Dark Watches Stop Using Radium? 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. any info would be appreciated. Behind the light, theyd been left in the dark. It was discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie in 1898. The movement was then used with minor changes in Loud Alarm models until 1956. Your cooperation would be greatly appreciated. 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. You must log in or register to reply here. These paints were used on the dials of clocks and watches to make them glow-in-the-dark. The thing I remember most is working with the people, Ristau said. The style 7 Big Ben and Baby Ben (1956 to 1964, the first Bens with concentric alarm hand) has minute markings. i use a 1980s I believe westclox pocket ben sweep 2nd hand, I actually had a westclox bullseye from the early 1990s when I was in elementary school. they played a deep rich tone. 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. Any information would be very helpful. I am a retired mechanical engineer, the quality has floored me, hats off to this company. Thank to several professionals who Ive met on Ebay, I have become quite skilled with my restorations plus making dials and alarm function indicators. They were told that eliminating lip-pointing had ended earlier problems. Can you confirm? Sometimes getting parts is tough, too, although it turns out Westclox made lots and lots of spare parts. The only thing I found is the word Germny engraved on the back. Origin of the eye, forklore or legends surrounding????? According to Chemistry Explained, radium is extracted today from uranium ores in much the same way that Marie and Pierre Curie did in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Stahlbergs company goes bankrupt not once, but twice, within its first several years. when did westclox stop using radiumcapricorn and virgo flirting. Site of the Old Westclox factory 211-201 Hunter Street, Peterborough Ontario. hi, I have a cocacola square clock. I also like some of the older American weight-driven clocks. It had beneath that four long tubes and they were the chimes for the door bell. (All images in this article courtesy Bill Stoddard, www.clockhistory.com), I found this article very complimentary to the Westclox company and an intriguing piece to read. Clocks produced in the early 1900's are particularly concerning in this regard. . Radium was also used until the early 1970s in "glow-in-the-dark" paints, e.g., for dials on clocks, and in other industrial applications such as instrument calibration. [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. My clothes, hanging in a dark closet, gave off a phosphorescent glare. Yet Mrs. Keane was a survivor who later conquered colon and breast cancer. Westclox travel alarm clock made in China - Antique And Vintage Clocks i have a large ansonia wall clock 32 1/2 x 32. Chronic exposure to high levels of radium can result in an increased incidence of bone, liver, or breast cancer. Thanks. Theyre just scattered in different places all over the country, little collections of hands, springs, screws, and things like that. Without a crystal poses a serious Health risk because the Radium paint flakes off and can become airborne. 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. Seeking the Big 3 goals of convenience, cleanliness, and cheap production, Dreyfuss rolled out his new-look Big Ben in 1931. Westclox - An Identification and Price Guide, and I added even more in 2012. into groups of similar models. 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. Leg model with ring on top, dustproof case. It is encased in hard polymer Plastic and the ends have rivets . 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. It is made by The Sessions Clock movement, appears to be brass, a bucking horse with cowboy riderjudgeing from the clothes design of the cowboy it is quite old. I never realized, even working here, they made so many different models.. 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. Style Information: Plain dial: 1918 - 1935 Black luminous dial: 1921 - 1935 There are variations in the lettering on the dial and back. I cant find out anything about him or any other clocks by him. Is Radium Lume Really That Dangerous? - WahaWatches Your response or advice would be much appreciated. Here you can see production dates, original retail prices and other knowledge about vintage and antique Westclox clocks and watches. 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. As stated it is working and keeps time. Any help would be appreciated. Above all else, though, the rise and fall of Westcloxand the deeper history of these Big Ben clocks, in particularis simply far too intriguing to dismiss just because of a long-distance commute. 514 Poplar Street [Westclox advertisements from WWII period, ft. Finally, with Catherine Donohue serving as a key witness from her death bed in 1938, a groundbreaking Supreme Court case finally delivered some long awaited justice to the victims. Thanks, Paula.