Saturday 29 September 2018

Monday.

Two clocks on workshop wall. One is a small longcase clock (sounds like a contradiction in terms, but in fact would make sense to any traditional horologist.

5 comments:

Crowbard said...

Is the wrought iron brute next the short longcase a Turmwächter Uhr? Tower guard clock? There's something similar at:- http://museum-franken.de/sammlung/kunsthandwerk/tuermeruhr.html

Mike said...


Hello Crowbard. Yes. the iron clock is of a type that would have been used at an abbey to waken a monk who would then strike the cannonical hours on a much larger bell, to waken the other monks for prayers. The device would have been in two parts - the timekeeping device here, and an alarum device to waken the monk of timekeeping. I could make the alarum striking device - I have the main part ready, but I am never too sure how far restoration should be taken. I used to sign my name underneath a new part in the dim and distant, and I might have to use that precaution again??????? I bought the remains (the part you can see here) at Christies (?) a good many years ago, and I'm still trying to make my mind about what to do with it.

Crowbard said...

I can almost hear the alarum bells ringing! Tempus is fugiting along like Billy-O! Just start in gently and trust your training and instincts. I Like the idea of you signing your work:- Michælis Horner Lakesendi fecit, maybe? Cornufactorem and Cornustructor are somewhat awkward latinizations of Horner, maybe Cornusor is neater. Michælis Cornusor Lakesendi fecit.

Mike. said...

No, Dear Boy. What the parts that I actually make usually get (when I remember my own rules) is a conjoined, and simplified, M and H. To my knowledge one other 'craftsman' uses a similar mark - he is a potter who used to work on the South coast about forty years ago, and probably still does. His MH stood for Mohamid Hamid, so I don't think there's much likelihood of our marks being confused. We talked the matter over and, as neither of us had any objection, that's how we left the matter.

Crowbard said...

You were ever the most generous and genial of souls, Mike.