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Other Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical Items For discussions about other vintage (over 25 years old) electrical and electromechanical household items. See the sticky thread for details.

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Old 26th Mar 2018, 10:49 am   #21
Brigham
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

The use of a Chinese power transformer 24 hours a day doesn't strike me as a safety improvement.
There was a web-site advocating re-winding perfectly serviceable synchronous clocks on the basis of wholly-unsubstantiated 'safety' hazards. One hopes nobody was taken-in.
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Old 26th Mar 2018, 11:16 am   #22
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

Out of interest, does anyone know what gauge of wire was originally used in these coils? The thinnest wire I've ever worked with is 44SWG. I hope never to have to rewind such a coil, although the fact that it's a straight solenoid should make rewinding a feasible proposition.
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Old 26th Mar 2018, 11:32 am   #23
Mike Phelan
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Brigham View Post
The use of a Chinese power transformer 24 hours a day doesn't strike me as a safety improvement.
There was a web-site advocating re-winding perfectly serviceable synchronous clocks on the basis of wholly-unsubstantiated 'safety' hazards. One hopes nobody was taken-in.
Plenty will be! As for 'safety'; all the dozens of these clocks I've repaired, the only one where the stator coil had failed was when the clock was stored for years in a damp shed. New wire has much better enamel nowadays.
I have never seen a burnt-out coil.
There are at least two members here who will rewind these coils with the correct gauge of wire.

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Out of interest, does anyone know what gauge of wire was originally used in these coils?
Most are either 44 or 46, Phil.
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Old 26th Mar 2018, 1:34 pm   #24
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

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Originally Posted by Mike Phelan View Post
There are at least two members here who will rewind these coils with the correct gauge of wire... either 44 or 46 [SWG]...
Thanks, Mike, that's both helpful and reassuring.
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Old 27th Mar 2018, 8:01 am   #25
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

It strikes me that there are several members of this Forum who are also experienced clock enthusiasts, both electro-mechanical and traditional.

Does anyone know of a decent UK clock repair forum? The only one I've found so far is US based and rather biased towards watches.
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Old 27th Mar 2018, 8:41 am   #26
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

Not found one yet, Phil The NAWCC one, being USA based means that they have a different concept about clock repairing; a bit like we were fifty years ago when we still had real clocks in our houses.
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Old 27th Mar 2018, 8:56 am   #27
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

I'm already signed-up to that one, thanks, Mike, but as you say, it has limited relevance for enthusiasts this side of the pond.
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Old 27th Mar 2018, 9:12 am   #28
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

We're very fortunate that Paul allows discussion of electric clocks here
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Old 27th Mar 2018, 9:46 am   #29
M0FYA Andy
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

Whilst there are a couple of Yahoo Groups for Electric Clocks which I am a member of, I don't know of any forums akin to this one which deal with the subject.
I do observe that many folk interested in mechanical clocks have little interest in electric clocks, which in some ways is not surprising, the synergy between vintage radio, and even more so, vintage telephone systems and electric clocks is much greater than between mechanical and electric clocks.

Is there any chance of a separate forum section on here for Electric Clocks and related mechanisms? I'm sure a lot of us would find it very useful.

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Old 27th Mar 2018, 10:54 am   #30
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nickthedentist View Post
We're very fortunate that Paul allows discussion of electric clocks here
I think that the popularity of the 'Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical' section of the Forum - 14 new threads started in the last month alone - confirms his sound judgement! Electric clocks fit perfectly within this category, and there have been several well-subscribed and interesting threads on electric clocks over the years. Long may it continue.
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Old 27th Mar 2018, 12:25 pm   #31
M0FYA Andy
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

Indeed, although the title 'Vintage Household' is potentially problematic if applied rigorously.

The Master/Slave impulse clocks which are of great interest to me and others on the forum were generally not households items, being aimed at large installations in factories, schools, railway stations and the like. The exception I suppose is that the Synchronome company went out of their way to supply parts to individuals to encourage them to build their own impulse clock.

On the other hand there are now probably many more such clocks on the walls of individual households than there are surviving large installations so they have become household items..............

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Old 27th Mar 2018, 12:42 pm   #32
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

And the Mods make a sensible judgement when deciding what is and what isn't allowed, which is very welcome too.
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Old 31st Mar 2018, 9:18 pm   #33
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

I spotted another one of these for sale yesterday, claiming to be '1930s Art Deco', but the seller at least had the decency to correct the listing when I pointed out its correct age! Same case, but a different dial and hands, with a silver chapter ring giving a more modern look.

Incidentally, mine is still running.
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Old 23rd Mar 2020, 11:58 am   #34
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

Coincidentally, it is two years to the day since I started this thread about my Ferranti model 12.

Well, it stopped a month or so ago, and I have just got a round tuit. The first worm and wheel hadn’t worn any further, but the pivot on the top end of the arbor had worn really badly and had also worn an oval hole in the front plate, allowing the worm and wheel to come out of mesh again.

This time there was no choice but to true-up the pivot in my recently-acquired watchmaker’s lathe, and re-bush the elongated pivot hole to suit. The photos show the state of the bearing and the pivot ‘before’ and ‘after’.

The clock is now running perfectly again.

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Last edited by Station X; 23rd Mar 2020 at 12:00 pm. Reason: Threads merged.
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Old 30th Aug 2022, 12:24 pm   #35
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

Thread reopened at OP's request.
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Old 30th Aug 2022, 1:16 pm   #36
Phil G4SPZ
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Default Re: Ferranti model 12 synchronous electric clock (1952)

Thanks, Graham.

It appears that, every two years, this clock gives trouble. Again, the problem was due to wear in the first stage worm wheel, which by now had lost virtually all its teeth and was slipping out of mesh with the worm. I decided to try to find a replacement movement, which I did, in the way of an old clock having what I thought was an identical movement, bought from the usual auction site. I had planned to swap out the entire movements, but as frequently happens, this proved impossible… the donor movement had a slightly larger diameter centre arbor, meaning that the attractive hands from my original Model 12 wouldn’t fit.

I then planned to swap the worn-out brass worm wheel with the one from the donor movement, which must have been a slightly later model as the wheel was made from fibre, probably Tufnol. The operation went well, and the clock is now running again.

Left with a ‘scrap’ movement and nothing to lose, I decided to try re-cutting the teeth on the worn-out brass wheel by hand, using a fine fretsaw blade and filing to shape. Surprisingly, this was completely successful, and the donor movement now lives to tell the time for another few years.

Hopefully this link to the video will work: https://youtu.be/kdDs_Pq4K_w
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Last edited by Phil G4SPZ; 30th Aug 2022 at 1:20 pm. Reason: Link fixed
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