RESTORATION OF A BRACKET CLOCK

Sid Lines MBHI

For our April meeting we are delighted to welcome Sid Lines MBHI. Many members will remember Sid’s talk on “Workshop Practice – Hints & Tips” and know that we are in for a very practically focused evening. This is a change to our published programme as unfortunately due to a business commitment David Walter cannot be with us and we are very grateful to Sid for stepping in at such short notice.
Sid says “being in engineering for most of my working life has its advantages as most of the required hand skills were brought about by lots of practice. During the practice there was also a large amount of small machine tool work (lathes / milling etc.) again helping greatly when it comes to making replacement parts and methods of repair.”
The talk covers the restoration of a clock purchased at a branch auction some four years ago and shows how Sid used his engineering ideas to make the missing parts plus a small amount of carpentry.
The clock by a local “Maidstone” maker is a good example of a small double fusee in a pleasant rose wood veneered case.
Sid hopes we will enjoy the talk as much as he enjoyed restoring the clock – I am sure we will!!

FABERGÉ CLOCKS

Tim Richman Gadoffre

For our March meeting we are delighted to welcome Tim Richman Gadoffre, an independent applied arts specialist. His talk will explore the techniques used by Fabergé in the design and manufacture of clocks.

Passionate about the history of the applied arts, Tim enjoys working with museum curators and leading arts organisations in the UK, Europe, Russia and the USA. His keen interest is in guilloché enamel, seen in the work of the 18th, 19th and early 20th century goldsmiths.

With his special interest in the design and manufacturing techniques of pre-1918 Fabergé, Tim has built an extensive archive containing records of over 12,000 Fabergé pieces. His research into the firm’s unique know-how, combined with his understanding of Geometry & Proportion, is seen as ground-breaking by other experts in this specialist field.

Since June 2004, Tim has focused on actualising into reality his passion for fine craftsmanship and tangible manufacturing. Bringing together a team of master craftsmen and independent goldsmiths, he designs and oversees the fabrication of one-off objets d’art and fine jewellery, as well as progressing his R&D into guilloché enamel.

This promises to be an enthralling evening giving a rare insight into the history and world of Fabergé, superbly illustrated with many images from Tim’s personal archive.

THE INVENTION AND EARLY HISTORY OF THE WRISTWATCH

Richard Edwards

The bracelet watch for ladies was well over a hundred years old by the First World War but men wore them too! What did they look like? How would you recognize a true early wristwatch from a “conversion” if you came across one today? I hope to shine a light on the early history of the wristwatch which until now has been veiled in legend and misinformation.

Richard Edwards is a semi-retired watch restorer and tutor and sometime Technology teacher. He qualified in watchmaking in 1979 from Hackney College while already working as a teacher.

If you have an early wristwatch known or suspected to be pre-WW1 please bring it along to the meeting.

January 7, 2016

The South London Branch Grand Tour of Switzerland

Grahame Brooks Hon FBHI

We are delighted to open the New Year with a talk by our own Grahame Brooks Hon FBHI on the South London Branch’s “Grand Tour of Switzerland.”

Last May, 18 members including some from Ipswich and Milton Keynes branches left by Swiss flight LX317 to Zurich, in the North East of the country.

The tour planned by Peter Elliott FBHI, with help from the Swiss Travel Service, visited six museums, one major watch manufacturer and a cable car!

Travelling by coach and staying in excellent hotels, the group’s tour will be retold by Grahame with digital images showing many of the horological treasures, both antique and modern, they were privileged to see. The tour starting from Zurich in the North East, via Neuchatel and La Chaux-de-Fonds, to Geneva in the South West covered some 350 miles.

Grahame, who retired almost 20 years ago is one of our original Branch members, being No.3!  After a life time in the Watch business, including a year working in Switzerland, he has been a Contributor to Wristwatch and QP magazines, as well as the HJ.

Grahame is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers and a Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company.

 

 

AGM followed by a talk from our own Jack Hobson

This meeting will be a two stage event. Firstly there will be the AGM where you have the opportunity to find out the current state of branch affairs. There will be reports from the Chairman and Treasurer followed by any questions, and the election of the committee for the coming year.

Please remember to vote at the AGM you must be a member of both our Branch and the BHI at Upton Hall.

Now for our Star Turn!!

Bluffers Guide to the Strength of Materials and Heat Treatment of Steel 

Why are some materials strong and others weak? What is special about iron? What is the best heat treatment for a particular steel?
The material science behind these questions is complicated, however a good level of understanding is easy to achieve. Some simple conclusions and insights will be presented which, if recounted with confidence, will convince others (less prepared) of your expertise.

Jack Hobson is a dilettante of many disciplines including mechanical engineering, metallurgy,   blade-smithing (and recently horology). True to his name, he is Jack of all trades…

The Beresford Hutchinson Memorial Lecture

For our August meeting we welcome Ashley Strachan to talk to us about Japanese clocks and seasonal hours.
Ashley is secretary of the East of Scotland Branch and a Board Member of the BHI responsible for Finance and Membership development. In March 2014 he was appointed a trustee of the BHI Museum Trust.

Ashley’s interest in Japanese clocks was kindled back in 2011 when he visited the Matsumoto Clock Museum during his first holiday in Japan.
It was not until 1873 Japan adopted International Time. Prior to this a system of Temporal Time was used dividing the day into twelve segments, six periods of daylight and six periods of darkness. Any mechanical timepiece required some method of varying the length of the day and night periods according to the season. This led to the design of some complex and interesting clocks.
In case you were thinking the Temporal Time system is now obsolete Ashley has a Japanese temporal time clock on his iPhone!!
For those who like to do their homework Ashley has recently had two articles published in the HJ one in September 2014 – Japanese Clocks and in January 2015 – Japanese Ten Thousand Year Clock.