Emett water clock...and other clocks


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Yet another update! We've put some serious hours in this week, building the clock in Birmingham (Millennium Point - access is free if you are anywhere near but read on to understand what you might

Nope, not TT. On the matter of drinking, each day I've worked within that enclosure has been physically exhausting because of the heat and humidity - somewhere between a greenhouse and a sauna. Have

Thank you for the kind comments, especially from those of you who have followed me on this journey. On location, I think the natural daylight is great - it is after all meant to be a sunflower, cobwe

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Comment from a member of staff at Victoria Centre :

We're keeping the clock in good working order, you may have noticed that the coins in the pond are rusting and the wood stain has run so we're fixing that. Plus we're oiling the butterflies so that they move more smoothly, and polishing the whole clock so that it stays looking good. It's already been over 3 months since the clock came home! Essentially we're keeping the clock well maintained just like we said we would, and we can't work on it while the pond is full of water. This will happen whenever the clock needs some tlc.

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I hope they are true to their word and continue to look after it. Given that they have decided to give it 'a coat of looking at' after just three months of operation, I'd say that bodes well for the future. Let's remember that despite the restoration work we did, it's now 43 years old and the majority of the parts are original - bits will continue to wear (while it runs) and corrode (while it sits in a chlorinated pool).

Great to hear that the good folk of Nottingham and our most welcome visitors have flipped 1,250 quid in so far, all going to 'When You Wish Upon a Star'

The Emett Engineer

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Oiling the butterflies, good grief, the bloody things only been back three months. Didn't they oil the thing prior to re erection.

The whole situation is rapidly becoming farcical. Still not sufficient seating either.!!!!

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F off you cheeky 5hit head! LOL

Only joking Dave, that's far too mild for me.

I visited a long lost cousin on Monday. I've only seen her twice in 25 years. Within three minutes, she looks at my and says ' Are you bigoted ' ? The funny bu66er !

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I agree with FLY2 that they shouldn't be oiling the butterflies. Each butterfly has a stainless steel shaft, sitting in a pair of brass blocks which are attached to the cobweb wheel. The blocks were new this year. Some slight misalignment of the mounts coupled with the shafts not being true meant that the butterflies didn't all swivel freely (small ones seemed worse - maybe due to less mass). I did drill out the blocks slightly to counter some of the error but some butterflies still wouldn't swivel freely. It was (and still is) on my snagging list to align the mounts nearer to true (i.e. by judicious bending). I don't think oiling is the remedy. If the alignment is not addressed, the stainless steel shafts will probably wear the brass to a point where the butterflies can in fact swivel. They might need to re-think the arrangement and install some sort of self-aligning bearings.

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  • 6 months later...

What do members think of the new look Victoria Centre?

Went down Notts the other day to do some shopping, to my amazement the clock at the front had gone!!! this was hard for me to tack in as if I was to meet anyone in Notts is would always be by the clock.

On going to catch my bus at the other end of the centre there it was now I don't know what you think but to me it's now in the wrong place.

People just walk by and now never stop to look at the clock.

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  • 2 years later...

The engineer needs to fix the clock again as it is bang out of order it has been acting wrong cause the birds and squirrels weren't dancing and the petals were moving the opposit way to what they should be doing and my solution is taking it back to it's original location and make a new octagonal frame and whilst the frame is being build please move it to a temporary spot in another centre

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

Just realised I'm actually in that photo!!
Behind the clock and to the left there are two 'big' girls, then a small boy, then a lady with white hair, well that small boy was me!

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  • 8 months later...

Thought I would pop back to the forum to see what's occurring.

 

Must say I don't visit the clock for fear of seeing it not in fine fettle.  I am saddened to hear that it might not be getting the attention it needs.  Those of you who followed the journey will know that I put a lot of hours into it over several years.  I would have liked an on going arrangement to fettle it as necessary but it wasn't to be.  If 'The Management' ask, I would happily sort it out at any time.

 

Pete (The Engineer)

 

 

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  • Cliff Ton changed the title to Emett water clock...and other clocks

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