Read more about "Radium Girls" here. I cant find out anything about him or any other clocks by him. About the only. Some people just want one or two that they remember from childhood in good condition, so thats just the thing for them. Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. 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. Radiums luminosity was part of its allure, Moore writes. 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. I have been searching for one like as the clock went with the house after my Grandmother passed away. Radium - The First Rolex Luminous Material. As my first name is Ben, I started to collect these alarmclocks since about 1970. 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. Thanks so much Based in Flora, Indiana, Bill can be reached via his website, clockhistory.com, which is a member of our Hall of Fame. 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. People did some bad things over the years just to get them running. The Crystal blocks a significant amount of The radiation. I have a sessions mantle clock duet#1. They made them with wooden works until about 1840, then with brass gears and I like some of the early brass-geared American clocks. 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. In this interview Bill Stoddard talks about collecting antique Westclox Big Ben and Baby Ben alarm clocks, and discusses clock collecting in general. This eye is horizontally elliptical in general shape, about 4 3/4 long and 1 3/4 tall with a circle in the middle making it look like a single eye. National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc (A 501c3 non-profit corporation). I just had it repaired & it works & looks great. Required fields are marked *. The first Big Bens and Baby Bens in 1910 were wind ups.. 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 . 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. Westclox History Database Main Menu Omega stopped using radium around 1963. The aim of the Western Clock MFG Co. in entering the manufacture of alarms was to apply to nickel clocks, features which were previously found only in high-priced timepieces, and prohibited in low-priced lever clocks by the high cost of production involved. With George Kerns new alarm clock, specifically, Le Roy decided it would be wise to craft a new brand name, and to leave the Western name off of the clock face entirely, since the company was overly associated with cheap goods at the time. German: WECKER (alarm); UHR (clock). When I got out of college I started going to the watch and clock conventions and met a man who was giving a program about the history of Big Bens and Baby Bens. 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. 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. They were told that eliminating lip-pointing had ended earlier problems. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. In 2006 I started collecting vintage advertisements. In its place, he ironically dubbed the little bedside clock Big Ben (apparently not copyrighted by the British Parliament), and introduced it to the public in early ads as a gendered he instead of an it., Big Ben is a handsome, well built, refined and bright looking fellow with a clean-cut open face and a deep cheerful voice, one ad read. . We are very proud to be living in this building and would love to know more about this specific site. I never realized, even working here, they made so many different models.. Underneath the #12 on the face it says: G. Falconer & Co. LTD. Hong Kong. This dustproofing is accomplished by fittings around the set knobs and winding keys and on the regulator. The front is in Roman Numerals with a dome shaped raised glass. Behind the light, theyd been left in the dark. But he only comes upon receipt of signed price agreement. 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. While studying the types of Big Ben style 1 and 1A in WestcloxHistory.com, I noticed the reproduction style 1A, and have acquired about 5 of them. It emits alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Clocks produced in the early 1900's are particularly concerning in this regard. $26.95. But the chances that you have a radium clock are slim, unless it is very old. 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. This past weekend, thanks to the Westclox Museum, its doors were opened and former workers were welcomed back for Homecoming Day. Entertainment & Pop Culture; Geography & Travel; Health & Medicine; Lifestyles & Social Issues; Literature; Philosophy & Religion; Politics, Law & Government Only reason I can think of and it looks pretty odd not to have minutes on a clock face. 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. Geiger counters could pick up readings from pants returned from a dry cleaner and from clothes stored away in a cedar chest. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Charles Crow Penn Valley, Ca, I have run across and old clock that I would like to know something about. Your email (will not be published) (required), The Timeless Appeal of the Westclock Big and BabyBens, The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Not Your Grandmas Cuckoo: Decapitating, Rat-Eating Clocks of the Black Forest, The Care and Repair of 19th-Century American Clocks. [Westclox advertisements from WWII period, ft. its a Gold coloring and the bottom is well worn like it was slid into something regularily. Theres a seller on eBay now whos doing some really outstanding restorations of Big Bens. then 4 symbols a crown an 18 and to unkown symbols in a square patern but on its side square pattern. Thank to several professionals who Ive met on Ebay, I have become quite skilled with my restorations plus making dials and alarm function indicators. Stoddard: The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) is headquartered in Pennsylvania but has chapters throughout the country. The disease, radium-induced osteonecrosis, was recognized as an occupational disease in 1925 after a group of radium painters, known as the Radium Girls, from the United States Radium Corporation sued. Westclox Model 66 Movement Series Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. They made the most of the perk, wearing their good dresses to the plant so theyd shine in the dance halls at night, and even painting radium onto their teeth for a smile that would knock their suitors dead.. radium - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica Richard Tjarks introduced . So you find clocks where parts have been switched, so thats one challenge, determining originality. Here you can see production dates, original retail prices and other $25.99. Westclox Scotland produced its first clock on 21 September 1948; a spring wound alarm with a 4-inch (10cm) dial. See the top of this page for a current list of LandmarkHunter.com | Westclox clock factory, La Salle, IL For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. Seeking the Big 3 goals of convenience, cleanliness, and cheap production, Dreyfuss rolled out his new-look Big Ben in 1931. 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. The Evolution Behind Rolex Luminous Material | Bob's Watches Despite Westcloxs deep German roots, the Illinois factory was a huge contributor to the U.S. military again during World War II, supplying upwards of a billion small parts for use in various defense products. Stoddard: Ive been there several times. Recently Ive seen people taking an old Baby Ben thats worth a few bucks or so and gluing rhinestones around the bezel on the clock. Your email address will not be published. In a way theyre preventing clocks from being thrown away so I cant totally condemn it, but it still seems like a funny thing to do. Radium paint can be ingested by inhaling flaking paint particles. its about 2 inches long maybe 1/2 in thick with holes on either end to be worn on a key chain perhaps? For my 14th birthday I got a book called The Treasury of American Clocks and there was a picture showing the seven types of Baby Bens. 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. When Westclox changed over to the style 8 Big Ben and Baby Ben in 1964, they used 4 divisions per 5 minutes, I believe to make the alarm easier to set. Luminous Processes employees interviewed by a journalist in 1978 stated they had been left ignorant of radium's dangers. It led to life-saving regulations and, ultimately, to the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which now operates nationally in the United States to protect workers. Chronic exposure to high levels of radium can result in an increased incidence of bone, liver, or breast cancer. It was only with the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was given oversight of the use of radium. I read (but cant remember where) that about 40,000 were made. When did westclox stop using radium? All Rights Reserved. can anybody tell me about this piece? I like to find the ones before that and study their history. Unfortunately, they also hint at a tragic chapter in American industrial history, when the appeal of a luminous new kind of paint wound up putting hundreds of workersmostly young womenat great personal risk. 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. About 1931 they made the first electric Big Ben, and they were plug ins. In the United States there does not seem to have ever been prohibitory legislation passed banning the use of radium in clocks and watches. Just as pilots in World War II had radium on the dials in their cockpits for all-condition visibility, many people who purchased Big Ben alarm clocks during the same periodincluding the very style in our museum collection (made from 1939-1946)went to bed each night sleeping next to a tiny box of radioactivity. The Timeless Appeal of the Westclock Big and Baby Bens Westclox 0.9" LED Plasma Screen Alarm Clock with USB Charging Port 71014X. Over time, she contracted terrible cancerous tumors, lost most of her teeth, and suffered countless other health problems. Clock Repair and Hermle Chime, Mantel and Wall Clocks for Sale at Bill's Clockworks. hi, I have a cocacola square clock. Safety They worked for the United States Radium Corporation painting the numbers and hands on watch. How To Turn Off The Loud And Persistent Big Ben Alarm Clock The story begins with a Connecticut clockmaker named Charles Stahlberg getting a patent for a new alarm clock design in 1885. . 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. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses were being caused by internal contamination from the radium they ingested. 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. 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. UHR (CW arrow) knob sets clock time. The thing I remember most is working with the people, Ristau said. [5] Indeed, the body treats radium as it does calcium, storing it in bone where it may cause bone degeneration and cancer.[5]. My husband has a Big Ben clock that he inherited, it was took down from a mill and given to his grandma. 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]. It can be found with some other clocks in a case in the second floor hallway. About 1920 the luminous dial using radium paint was introduced. I am reading, studying, and learning more about the Westclox. It has a cracked front lens that I would like to replace. Jessie, good observation. In clocks, as in all other lines of goods, there are two classes of consumersthe millions and the millionaires. For the town of Peruwhich had tied much of its identity to Westclox for the better part of a centurythe damage went beyond financial. It was put away for years and last year it was given to me as I have small collection of United novelty clocks. 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. 1980 By the early 1950s, Westclox employed thousands of LaSalle-Peru residents. Radium - a key element in early cancer treatment - RSC Education Hot Times in "Radium Hospital": The History of Radium Therapy at MSK The company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. They asked me to give some programs myself at some of the chapter meetings so I became a little bit better at being a public speaker, and its been great meeting people. The company made luminescent paint. The phosphor deterioration means you can't see a glow anymore, but . I know Bill Stoddards name from other publications on Westclox. Don Spayer, volunteer and former Westclox employee, said the bulk of the museums collection was built through donations. [Workers assembling Big Ben alarm clocks at the Westclox plant, 1910s. It started early in the 20th century, around 1910, when some companies began to use radium on watch dials and hands to create a "glow in the dark" effect. This has probably been discussed before but my search turned up nothingdo the luminous hands on a Big Ben alarm clock contain painted radium? 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). Both the Big and Baby Bens were housed in a newly refined bell-back clock case. Baby Ben and other Westclox clocks and watches have been assigned styles. Its basically all forward momentum from here. Could you please try to help me find out what kind of clock this is. The movement was then used with minor changes in Loud Alarm models until 1956. I have been purchasing these clocks as and when I got an opportunity. The clock can still give considerable amounts of radiation about 2-3 inches from the Crystal measured with a Geiger counter. Im always interested in the history and the variations of clocks and how they fit in the scheme of things, what came before and what came after.