Introduction and question about Harrison's "Sea Clock"

[Hessel Oosten]

Dear Carlo / Members,

Short introduction : Hessel Oosten (69), The Netherlands.

In working life (behind me) oncologist, in earlier years home-cockpit-builder (photo of an "CDU" in link) and now "into" the clocks.
Member of a Dutch hobby clock-builders club (100+ members): www.klokkenbouwen.nl
For those who are interested: Press in the menu of that link on "KLOKKEN".
Many many holidays in Italy; we (my wife and I) love the superb combination of "nature and culture". Hmm..., in England are more clocks ...
I have to apologize writing this in English, did not learn Italian at school and my cousin in Bologna prefers to speak Dutch... :-).

Question to Carlo / All:

In our club several people did build the simplified version of the John Harrison's "Sea clock"; the well known clock with the 4 "rocking" balls.
Of course is the "original" in Greenwich much, much more complicated !
The experience with the clock is (separate from it's intriguing/attractive visual appearance) that it is -totally-not-!! an accurate timekeeper.
As far as I understand, a fundamental problem is the missing of the very thin springs between the balls. Link for the original one below.
Without it, it seems to act like a middle-aged verge...
Nevertheless, I expect that the commercial versions (also without springs) are running (hopefully..) slightly better....
It can be seen that the lower legs of the "ball-bars" are 120 % of the value of the upper parts, so LONGER.
In that case the ball-bars are going to act like an ordinary pendulum (although this is in fact not their real function), which will increase the accuracy.

Although I'm not building this clock (busy with a tower-clock, will show photo's when I'm a little bit further) I sure my builder-colleges appreciate attempts for a better function.

So several questions:

* Are there better drawings in circulation, than of the "type" resembling the well known commercial version (showed in link below):
Also included some photo's I took in Greenwich. For Carlo a night clock (resembling more or less his one) I saw recently in Genoa.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dcphpt4bsl0z ... UviJa?dl=0

* I found on YouTube Carlo's 2015 version here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF7_R0DWkRg

This one puzzles me even more: On the back some crossing cords (partial springs ?), but the balls left and right do not move symmetrically ???
(And I do hear a crying baby ... :-).
Tried to find more information over this clock in the Carlo's own creations pages here:

https://www.clockmaker.it/index.htm
https://www.clockmaker.it/tutti.htm ,

but could -not- find this clock.

Hopefully someone can answer some or all... of the questions.

Many thanks for reading this and greetings from Holland,

Hessel Oosten

[carlo]

My apologies for my poor English.

I thank Hessel for the time he dedicated us to write in the forum ... but if he has not learned Italian during his many visits in Bologna ... for us Italians it is impossible to read a site written in Dutch ... ....and so, after a fleeting visit to the suggested site, I had to run away ...

The clip that was suggested for viewing on you tube, shows a clock that I had never built and probably, ... but I don't remember and I'm not sure, it was an attempt to imagine a similarity between that type of clock and the grasshopper (the one that at that time I was currently building) ... maybe, due the type of the compound pendulum ,I was looking for affinities between the two clocks .

So I'm very sorry that I can't be of any help to Dutch friends who are fighting their fight with the "Harrison # 1"

I hope I will soon be able to see the tower clock you are building: I imagine it must be a truly impressive undertaking ...for the completion of which I offer my best wishes.

Cordialità.
Carlo

[Hessel Oosten]

Good evening Carlo,

Thanks for your answer(s).

So, the bad running Harrison will remain a bad running Harrison ..., but nevertheless still spectacular to see it moving.
We all know that time flies ..., but memories to builded clocks seem also to fly away

A more easy view of our club-build-clocks-link is here: https://www.klokkenbouwen.nl/klokken (ha, only pictures).

The tower clock is (hopefully...) not an too impressive undertaking, because the scale id 1:3, so now 40 cm long from left to right.

Will continue to look to all the nice clock-stuff here !

Hessel

[carlo]

A more easy view of our club-build-clocks-link is here: https://www.klokkenbouwen.nl/klokken (ha, only pictures).
Hessel

Truly an impressive collection of clocks. My sincere congratulations to the builders.

Incidentally, apart from Aliexpres (the Chinese seller who doesn't accept paypal), do you know where to buy, probably in Germany, brass bevel gears ( 0.8-1 module) suitable for model making.

Cordialità.
Carlo

[Hessel Oosten]

Carlo,

I presume module 0,75 is too small, otherwise Conrad.de : Kegelrad messing

https://www.conrad.de/de/o/kegelraeder-1210096.html

Modul 0.8:

https://www.modellbau-profi.de/Zahnraed ... log&p=4373

Modul 1:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/333828761347

https://www.ebay.de/sch/i.html?_from=R4 ... &_osacat=0

Maybe of some help ?

Hessel

[carlo]

Maybe of some help ?
Hessel

Thank you...they really are....

Cordialità.
Carlo