J.P. Stevens

Did you know that J.P. Stevens Engraving of Atlanta was started by a watchmaker, inventor and clockmaker?

J.P. Stevens worked as a horologist in Atlanta in the late 1800's.  He had a jewelry house and opened his own watch factory.

In his retirement years, in the 1920's he made a half a dozen longcase clocks. The clocks were made in a workshop in the basement of his home on 10th street in Atlanta. He gave his clocks away to family members and friends. Stevens being an accomplished engraver, created some beautifully engraved dials for his clocks.

His biggest accomplishment and most profitable endeavor was the engraving company. Stevens built, patented, and operated a steel die embossing press, revolutionizing the industry.

J.P. Stevens died in 1929 at age 77 and is buried in West View Cemetery.

 J.P. Stevens in workshop

Wooden Movements

Many clocks made before 1840 have movements made almost entirely of wood. Clock making came to America in the colonial period. By the mid 18th century numerous clockmakers were making small numbers of tall case or later called "grandfather" clocks. Brass and other materials commonly used in clock making were heavily taxed or just not available in the colonies, so these early clocks were generally made entirely of wood and powered by iron weights. The wooden movement plates were made of oak, the wheels of cherry, and the arbors and pinions of laurel. Other woods were used including mahogany, walnut and apple. These woods were plentiful in the forests of the eastern seaboard, the region in which most of the clockmaking occurred in early America. There were parts in these clocks that were made of metal. The pivots of most wheel arbors, the strike wires and release levers, the pendulum suspension wire, the crutch lever, click springs, hand setting tension springs, bells, and gongs were made of soft or semi-hardened steel or cast iron. The verge or pallet was made of hard steel and the escape wheel suspension was made of brass. It is very essential that the escapement involve a brass to steel junction for good wearing qualities and a minimum loss of power.

Repairs on these movements require different types of wood. Plate repairs should be made using oak, replacing the wood with the grain running in the same direction as in the original plate. Bushings should be replaced in the same fashion as for brass bushing replacement. Wheel teeth can be replaced using cherry, dovetailing the wood, using a strong glue or epoxy. The teeth are then carefully cut, using a jewelers coping saw, followed by a fine cut file. The wood is cleaned with a mixture of boiled linseed oil and turpentine.

Here is a picture of an old wooden clock movement.  If you have one you now know its from the early 1800's.

Radium Dial Clocks and Watches

Radium dial painting began in 1917. It was used on watches and clocks for many years until it was banned in the 1960's. The widest use for radium paint could be found in the luminous dial industry. World War I promoted both a new kind of timepiece and the need for luminous instrument faces. Soldiers needed to be able to synchronize movements in the dark. The military used radium paint on instrument dials in tanks, ships, planes, and other machines while those at home found domestic uses for luminous paint, such as glow-in-the-dark numbers for houses or theater seats and luminous lamp pulls.

Over 2000 young women ranging from mid-teens to their 20's were employed as dial painters. The dial painters were taught the tasks of preparing and applying the paint. They were shown how to mix a small quantity of fine yellow powder, which contained the radium. They frequently stirred the material to keep it in suspension and applied the paint to the numerals and the hour and minute hands of watches using the tip of a very fine small brush. Workers were required to place the tip of the brush between their lips to bring the paint brushes to a point. This was called "lip-pointing". It was the best way to accomplish this very precise work. In 1925 radium was discovered to be deadly for the dial painters. Sometime around 1926 & 1927 the technique of pointing the paint brush between the lips ended. Most of the dial painters died of early deaths due to radium poisoning.

If you would like to know more about this topic you can read the books, Radium Girls by Claudia Clark or Deadly Glow by Ross Mullner.

Gustav Becker

I am currently working on a Gustav Becker regulator wall clock from 1885. Its a time and strike clock run by weights with a deadbeat escapement.

Gustav was one of the better German clockmakers. Gustav Becker was born 1819 and trained in Germany and Austria. Gustav started clock making in 1850 in Freiberg. In 1852 he won a gold medal for his designs. This brought a small unknown clockmaker into the spotlight which made his reputation and business take off.  Becker's workshop produced more than 400 varieties of clocks. There is evidence that he developed a 400- day clock as early as 1875. It was not patented because the German patent system was not in existence yet. It was later patented by others so Gustav did not get credit.

Gustav Becker died in 1885 but clocks bore his trademark until 1935 as his company was absorbed by the Junghans Company.

Today Gustav Becker clocks are still in demand and the clocks range from $500 to $5,000.

Emperor Clocks

If you purchased an Emperor grandfather clock back in the 1970's and its not running, I can help. I have seen many due to the popularity with do-it-yourself kits. The movements in the clocks are usually worn out and can not be overhauled. A new movement  has to be installed. Back in the '70's Emperor put in a Jauch movement but those are no longer available. So a new Hermle movement is installed. The Hermle movement does not fit the dial holes exactly so I have to make some changes and adjustments. I can get your Emperor clock  up and running again starting at $290.00 depending on the bells and whistles on the clock. I actually have one for sale, pictured here that I replaced the movement. It comes with a 2 year warranty. The clock has a moon dial and chimes every quarter. I will deliver and set it up for $479.00. You can see more pictures on Craigslist.