when did westclox stop using radium when did westclox stop using radium

Can anyone direct me on how to find this clock? . its about 2 inches long maybe 1/2 in thick with holes on either end to be worn on a key chain perhaps? Charles Stahlberg headed a group from Waterbury, Connecticut, who came to Peru in 1884 to build clocks based on a new idea by Stahlberg. 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. From 1942 to 1945, Westclox ceased all production intended for domestic civilian sale and dedicated its production resources to the war effort. 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. I cannot date it. Theres a clock that came down the family, my great great granddad bought it used in about 1885, it was actually sold new in about 1839, one of the first of the weight-driven brass clocks. Immediately after, substances like promethium and tritium were used as a luminous material, and they're still being used today. Well, the company certainly maintained some major salesrooms here, and many of their employees came from the city and its suburbs. I think it is a clock made by Sessions. [Left: The first national Big Ben advertisement appears in the Saturday Evening Post in 1910: Big Ben is a thin, beautiful and punctual sleepmeter with a silent motor that will not annoy you on your lie-awake nights and a deep musical voice that will call you on your sleepiest mornings. Right and Below: A style 1A Big Ben from our museum collection, circa 1920s.]. Thank you for your input. Up until this point in time (pun intended), quality time pieces had been considered a rich mans game. In 1898, the Curies discovered the existence of. As radium luminosity came under attack in the 1930s, Westcloxs other updates to the Big Ben design were far more practical and uncontroversial. can anybody tell me about this piece? I have an Pine State Ice Cream Milk clock that I would like to find out how much it may be worth. There are also some other makers clocks Ive gotten into, like the Seth Thomas 30 hour ogee, which is a weight-driven shelf clock. Leg model with ring on top, dustproof case. Medical researchers extended the use of radium to cure impotence in men and women by creating fertility drugs with the element to "stimulate" reproduction. It might be the only one in the country, Spayer said. In 1914, Dr. Sabin Arnold von Sochocky and Dr. George S. Willis founded the Radium Luminous Material Corporation. Stoddard: The first Big Bens and Baby Bens went on the market in 1910 and they were wind ups. [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. Their Scottish factory was a full manufacturing plant, at which all their clocks were assembled from start to finish with only the basic raw materials being brought in by outside suppliers. Art and Mary Ann Windy [pictured] have been married for 49 years, met as Westclox employees and were present for the open house. The Radium Girls were female factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watch dials with self-luminous paint. Apr 14, 2011 501 1 18. Beginning in the 1910s, the girls instructed to put radium in their mouths didn't bat an eyelash. My love is for the style 1 peg leg Big and Baby Bens; mostly Baby Bens. The next month, Roth got a cablegram from London; his friend and valued co-worker Le Roy had died for his country. Those simple words, Roth later wrote in the November 1914 issue of the company newsletter, Tick Talk, unconsciously characterized the manunaffected, direct, devoted to his cause., [Images from a 1922 issue of the Westclox company newsletter, the very cleverly titled Tick Talk]. I have been collecting, repairing, and restoring mostly Westclox Big Bens for several years. I had developed some sort of fascination for Big Ben and Baby Ben clocks. [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. 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. i have a large ansonia wall clock 32 1/2 x 32. Could you suggest how I could go about finding out this information. who can refurbush big ben still runs good perfect time purchased in 1950 cataloge #885(885). 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 . 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. 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 whole clock seems to be origional and was maintained by my grandfather who was a watch/clock repairman. They arent hurting it permanently, its just kind of weird. Stoddard: The National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors (NAWCC) is headquartered in Pennsylvania but has chapters throughout the country. Sep 23, 2011 Here you can see production dates, original retail prices and other Their factory in LaSalle, Illinois closed down in about 1980 when they moved all their production down south, but the building is still there. For example, Big Ben Style 1 and Style 1a are the leg model, and Style 2 is the first base model. 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. . Stoddard: Its really hard to say. The story begins with a Connecticut clockmaker named Charles Stahlberg getting a patent for a new alarm clock design in 1885. Technically speaking, though, Westclox did still produce clocks during the gap years that followed. At this moment I study horology at West Dean College in the UK. After several changes of ownership, it became . I know Bill Stoddards name from other publications on Westclox. I Have a small brass alarm clock,which is 1-3/4 Hieght Length & Width. lds missionary clothing stores; June 24, 2022 . [9] The element was phased out of use by industry acting under its own volition as superior and safer luminous materials entered the marketplace. Gary Biolchini added more style series in his book The front is in Roman Numerals with a dome shaped raised glass. 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.. The Crystal blocks a significant amount of The radiation. Westclox Model 66 Movement Series Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. Inhaled or ingested particles may deposit a high local dose with a risk of radiation-caused lung or gastrointestinal cancer. Could you please try to help me find out what kind of clock this is. The other thing is reproductions. The movement was then used with minor changes in Loud Alarm models until 1956. Phone: 717-684-8261. 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. thanks for your time, was doing research.. Appears from search engine a conversation about D batteries but cant find it in the text.. Can anyone inform me of the different size of D? when did westclox stop using radium. 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. 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. This was a wonderful article to read. Westclox Big Bens and Baby Bens are full of the stuff. styles to organize them 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. They worked in unvented rooms, they wore smocks that they laundered at home. My husband has a Big Ben clock that he inherited, it was took down from a mill and given to his grandma. Good old fashioned branding played a major role, as well. The magical glow, as was widely understood by everyone involved, was created by radiuma radioactive element discovered by Marie Curie in 1898. She was 107 when she died on March 1 in Middlebury, Conn . When did the use of radium stop? Welcome to the Westclox Clock and Watch History Database. 400-day clocks are also known as anniversary clocks, they would run 400 days on one winding. I would also like photo and more details of his clock, since I intend to write a follow-up article. 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. This classic clock is known for its loud and distinct bell-like . The work involved using luminous radium paint to make the numbers on clocks, watches and aeronautic dials glow in the dark. 2023 by Andrew Clayman. Junghans, Kienzle,Mauthe,Kaiser, Peter, (all from Germany) Veglia (Italy), CNIS ( France), Ingersoll (UK) as well as some Hong Kong made items. 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). Is this a product that the company would have made or something someone created? Radium was even used in medical applications during the 20th century. Westclox did make a couple of documented advertising clocks, but very few. 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. When did Bulova stop using radium? CAN SOMEONE TELL ME HOW TO RELEASE THE CLICK ON A WESTCLOX MANS WRISTWATCH MODEL A-201? Is Westclox a good brand? when did westclox stop using radium; when did westclox stop using radium. I am looking to get an approxmiate value of this clock. It is stamped on the back of the casing DRP&GM. and again 1243 is this an antique its gold but looks brand new but also an antique at the same time does anyone know what kind of pocket watch this is or if its gold or a replica of something or what it might be worth?? 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. then 4 symbols a crown an 18 and to unkown symbols in a square patern but on its side square pattern. Origin of the eye, forklore or legends surrounding????? 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]. Next to the original Westcloxes I have an interesting collection of European copies by a.o. See the top of this page for a current list of By the 1970s, radium was no . We thought it was 1890 or older. 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. I have a sessions mantle clock duet#1. 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. "[5] However, radium is highly radioactive, emitting alpha, beta, and gamma radiation the effects of which are particularly deleterious if inhaled or ingested since there is no shielding within the body. This past weekend, thanks to the Westclox Museum, its doors were opened and former workers were welcomed back for Homecoming Day. Jessie, good observation. Dave, Your question about a Big Ben containing radium, and in fact about which clocks actually do contain radium, is a good one. I will be watching for more articles from Bill Stoddard 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. On 3rd January 2099, Terry Shields asked if anyone had information regarding his clock signed G .Falconer, Hong Kong. [7], Ingestion of radium has been linked to anemia, cataracts, broken teeth, and reduced bone growth.[8]. Soon, he was running the Western Clock Co. advertising department, and proving his worth with some clever marketing strategies. $38.00. Style 10 is the last numbered My father (Richard Ristau Sr.) worked here for 48.. Annie Moussin designer intrieur. I bought a 1970s Westclox pocket watch with a Hotwheels face that says authorized seller on it. 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. A Big Ben typical of those made from late 1910 to mid-1915. By Dave Margulius Through it all, Peru remained the companys home base, as over 3,000 employees now enjoyed the rapidly expanding space of the factory and its attached campus, with gardens, tennis courts, a bowling alley, and other things worthy of a Matthiessen estate. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register. It has a cracked front lens that I would like to replace. Westclox set up a factory in England in the 1940s and also in Scotland. There is a small dial inside of the clock face that has roman numerals like another clock face. The center is in the shape of the world map. I am sure I can give Mr. Shields further information about his clock. Henry Warren invented a little synchronous motor that could go inside a clock. 1888. 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. Eventually we became best friends and started researching together. I took it all apart and asked my dad to help me put it back together, but he cut his finger on the spring. The alarm mechanism was also improved as part of Kerns new patents, with an intermittent ringing that kind of acted as an archaic form of snooze alarm. For the town of Peruwhich had tied much of its identity to Westclox for the better part of a centurythe damage went beyond financial. I have a mantel clock,its floral in color,made by Ansonia Cock Co.USA.New York. Before OSHA was set up, 14,000 people died on the job every year; today, it is just over 4,500. My dad was one of the top bowlers here, Ristau said. Westclox began as the United Clock Company of Peru, Illinois in 1885. There are some blemishes on the wood on the right side. About the only. I have a collection of alarm clocks, but slowly selling many. I have a Seth Thomas Mantle clock that my older sisters husbands Aunt had on her mantle for years. Was this done so the alarm could be more easily set on the quarter or half hour? Chronic exposure to high levels of radium can result in an increased incidence of bone, liver, or breast cancer. They had one in Brazil for a while and I think also in Hong Kong. It was put away for years and last year it was given to me as I have small collection of United novelty clocks. So I swapped them, and its worked perfectly ever since. I took it back and the repairman told me it was like a large Timex watch and just not worth being fixed. So, does Westclox really belong in the Made In Chicago Museum? The movement was mounted to the inner case back. Can you help 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. the knobs have foreign words ie wecker & UHR.would like to know about his clock I hung it on my wall and we tried to get it fixed but the repairman couldnt fix it. 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. 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. I have a collection of clocks, and amongst my collection are Westminster chime wall clocks, I have two Keinzle and two Junghans. the clock face is 16, ca 1900. the clock belonged to pheobe appersons family at their ranch in sunol california. That was the first antique clock I owned myself. Any guidance or help is 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. Thanks for any info you may be able to supply All the aforementioned to ask you if you know how many of the 1970 style 1As were made. Even today, with the considerable help of a thing called Interstate 80, its still about a two-hour journey from LaSalle Street to LaSalle County. However, there`s no easy way for you to tell; there were no labeling requirements then as we have now. 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. After the discovery of radioactivity in 1896 by French physicist and Nobel Prize winner, Antoine Henri Becquerel, many other scientists began to search for uses of radioactivity. I have been searching for one like as the clock went with the house after my Grandmother passed away. It has a patent June 18-1882 and says Dakota on the back,can you tell me more? Has the mechanics of the clock been changed/upgraded or could there be another issue at play? When Did They Stop Using Radium On Clock Hands? 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 3 diameter with Westclox on the back and PAT.APLOFOR. Radium paint itself was eventually phased out and has not been used in watches since 1968. My moms father had a small collection of antique clocks and when I was a little boy he showed me how to wind them and regulate them. Charles Stahlberg had an idea for making a better, but less expensive alarm clock. It is battery operated and takes a D battery. This has probably been discussed before but my search turned up nothingdo the luminous hands on a Big Ben alarm clock contain painted radium? The clock is several houndred pounds, and keeps great time. At the end of one hand is a star and the other hand is the moon. Eventually, scientists and medical professionals realized that these workers' illnesses were being caused by internal contamination from the radium they ingested. By 1930, all dial painters stopped pointing their brushes by mouth. I spent many an evening here, watching him bowl.. I try to get all the pictures I can and keep them all chronologically and study the history. 7&a half X 6..desk clock. When did clocks stop using radium? I just had it repaired & it works & looks great. It looks like you mount it to the wall. 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. [citation needed] This rate probably only represents the dose rate from gamma emission, as the alpha emission will be stopped by the lacquer, or crystal, or case; hence, the dose rate following ingestion or inhalation of the dust could be much higher. I am pleased that I came across your article. Any information would be very helpful. Clock Repair and Hermle Chime, Mantel and Wall Clocks for Sale at Bill's Clockworks. . Westclox - An Identification and Price Guide, and I added even more in 2012. Geiger counters could pick up readings from pants returned from a dry cleaner and from clothes stored away in a cedar chest. 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. I would like to know the value of a #4 black, #321(in original cardboard Christmas box), mint condition, Baby Ben alarm clock is. While promoting Westclox products in Europe, the breakout of World War I and the laws of mandatory military service in his native France forced Le Roy to get his affairs in order and head for the front in 1914. German: WECKER (alarm); UHR (clock). Buy Now. 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. 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. 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. Never underestimate the value of an alarm clock when yours broke two years ago and nobody has manufactured a new one since. I would like to find out about this clock. when did westclox stop using radium old restaurants in lawrence, ma . Handle on top: down alarm off; up alarm on. Thanks. Columbia, PA 17512 knowledge about vintage and antique Westclox clocks and watches. It was a gift from him to her the year before they were married. 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. Once I was winding it and one of the main springs broke, so I decided to take it all apart and fix the main spring. Was westclox ever manufactured in germany and if so when? When did they stop using radium for watches? 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. This fall, the museum will be open more frequently and for more events. it has a picture of a huck finn type boy,carying 2 bottles of coke& a fishing pole,with his dog. One employee, R.D. I live in Scotland but my clock was made in USA. The clock can still give considerable amounts of radiation about 2-3 inches from the Crystal measured with a Geiger counter. Matthiessen [pictured below], who owns the powerful Illinois Zinc Company and most other things in Peru / LaSalle, decides to swoop in and save Stahlbergs little clock business, incorporating it as the Western Clock Mfg. I have an antique mantle clock given to my Aunt & Uncle for a wedding gift (approximately 1949) FROM my great grandparents. thank you, My Husband and I just purchased an antique mantle/shelf clock at an estate sale. 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. [Former Westclox workers Art and Mary Ann Windy (standing), 2015], This is amazing, Art said. Ristau said he remembered when the Westclox factory was the heart of the city, and recalled enjoying his time with Westclox. Can someone get back to me as to what it is and possibe age of it. 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. [3] The Radiolite series, made in various sizes and models, became a signature of the Connecticut-based company. Same as the nickel version but in a gold-plated case. 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. Eventually, safer options were discovered, and the use of radium was discontinued in the 1960s. credit: Northern Illinois University], According to a 1909 article in Commercial America, In clocks, as in all other lines of goods, there are two classes of consumersthe millions and the millionaires. Matthiessen, 1904 Western Clock MFG Co. catalog cover, and the original Peru factory in 1905]. 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. According to Periodic. They managed to extract 1 mg of radium from ten tonnes of the uranium ore pitchblende (uranium oxide, U 3 O 8), a considerable feat, given the chemically methods of separation available to them.They identified that it was a new element because its atomic spectrum revealed new lines. The movement is a windup almost identical to the original. 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. 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. Stahlbergs company goes bankrupt not once, but twice, within its first several years. I thought, oh boy, I just need four more and Ill have them all! 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. The company later changed its name to the United States Radium Corporation. . You must log in or register to reply here. when did westclox stop using radium. Thanks very mutch, I just acquired a sir w.h. Kind regards, Ben van Vliet. Something about them has always been ingrained in me. $26.95. Westclox Clock Construction and Quality. The sound is very good when I compare it with the Howard Miller and the Jauke I just purchases, its loud and resonates very well. 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. I have a similar clock. 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. 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. 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. when did westclox stop using radiumcapricorn and virgo flirting. It is a Medbury-4W #4910. A pair of teenage boys broke into the abandoned factory and set a fire that quickly spread and enveloped much of the central complex. Most are in nickel finish cases, but some were made in gold plated cases. During the early 1900's, the effects of radiation exposure were not well understood, and radium was frequently . American manufacturers were quick to see that the millionaires are a negligible quantity as consumers, and that, not chronometersnot marvels of intricacy and originalitywere needed, but timepieces within the reach and want of all. Theyll take an old Big Ben from 1930 and make a new dial that says Indian Motorcycle or Victola, and put it on eBay. Instrument dials painted with radium-based paint, United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, "WWII Military Watches 'Potentially Pose Serious Cancer Risk,', "Health Effects of Radium Radiation Exposure,", "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Radium Dials,", "Lume 101: Watch Luminescence Explained,", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Radium_dial&oldid=1123475907, Articles with unsourced statements from May 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Jane Brickman, "Radium Girls: Women and Industrial Health Reform, 19101935,", This page was last edited on 23 November 2022, at 23:30. 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.