Clock Made by John Edwards

John was the founding Owner and CEO/Director of Residex Pty Limited a property statistical company which invented numerous residential financing housing models and held a variety of patents. The company was also the inventor of the electronic residential property valuation model and the repeat sales indices for residential housing. Both of which are widely used today throughout the world. John sold Residex and retired from consulting in about 2016-17 and at that time was able to devote more time to his clockmaking passion.

He is the first to admit he is not particularly good at following others and working from clock plans he has not drawn. He has a greater tendency to develop his own ideas and try them. Hence generally he will design, draw plans and build his clock which will be unique. He makes all clock parts and clock case.

The first clock built by John was a Meccano grandfather clock which he completed when he was about 10 years old. It worked but didn’t keep exceptional time.

This clock is John's first clock following his retirement.

It is unique in that it was designed around the concept of the beginning and end of a life.

If you look at the working part of the clock you will be able to identify two embryos on either side and in the middle a heart.

Looking above you see the arms of work and if you look through the area of the arms you find the escape mechanism which represents the notion of time passing.

The clock is a seven day grandmother clock with a Pendulum of 0.65 seconds and the escape mechanism is a pin escape.

The mechanism is unique in that it was designed to be a mechanism that would reduce the escape mechanism friction.

The pallets are two 0.5mm steel rods which are held in miniature roller bearings.

The concept was that as the pallets (in this case the round rod) came into contact with the escape wheel the 0.5mm steel rods would roll not slide over the flat part of the escape wheel teeth usually causing friction but in this case would roll thus reducing friction but still provide impulse.

See The Dia.

By way of further clarification.

The Gut line was replaced by the 0.5mm steel rods and where the Gut Line was passed through the holes in the pallet arms there were micro bearings which allowed the rod to turn as it met the flat part of the escape wheel.
A bit of trivia, the gut was used originally to ensure the clock ran quietly.

For more information see Page 68 Clock and Watch Escapements by W.J. Gazeley

Well, the clock did work as a Pin Escape mechanism however the attempt to reduce friction did not as the force on the pallet was not sufficient to cause the pallet (Rod) to turn in the pallet bearings.

The clock remains as designed and has been working for about 7 years. It keeps time to about a minute per week.