CitroJim's AX, C3 Picasso, Cycling and Running Tales

[RichardW]

I used to work with a guy who was a descendant of John Harrison - confusing as he was also a Richard J W!

Harrison was pretty shabbily treated by the Admiralty because he wasn't establishment - took him a long time to get the prize on offer.

[bobins]

It's not often you hear about the Longitude Prize, but that's twice this week for me. It was mentioned in this Youtube by the lady from the Royal Society in the video.
Now - what makes this Perpetual Motion Machine (that isn't perpetual motion) spin ?

[myglaren]

This one came up on mine yesterday

[CitroJim]

Jim, have you seen the two part program "Longitude"? It is about the clock maker John Harrison (and, to a lesser degree, Rupert Gould) who developed a working chronograph that helped mariners know their position.

No, and it's something I'd absolutely love to see James, I'm very familiar with his work through my horology interests... Thanks ever so for making me aware of it

And thanks Steve for the YT link That's tonight's viewing sorted!

And I'll be watching the perpetual motion stuff too Thanks Richard and Bobins That'll be tomorrows viewing sorted!

[CitroJim]

Test phase two... Hands back on and striking train under test...

It's looking good

I could swear that new baseboard is bowed already... Maybe me or an optical illusion... Spirit level says it's true!

It does take the full strain of the two weights and they're far from light... I reckon they weigh about 10Kg each...

And the clock is sounding good too, in perfect 'tick' Those who follow me on FB and Insta can see (and hear) a little video I made of it...

On Friday, if all remains good, I'll pop the hands off, put the face back on and finish the job off...

One thing about fixing clocks is that it's very important to take your time

[Hell Razor5543]

If you ever want an unusual project, Jim, you might want to make a clock with the same 'quirk' as that of The Patricians' clock from Sir Terry Pratchetts' 'Discworld' series. It looked normal and kept good time, but it had an unpredictable 'tick'. This is the description from "Feet of Clay".

'Someone very clever - certainly someone much cleverer than whoever had trained that imp - must have made the clock for the Patrician's waiting room. It went tick-tock like any other clock. But somehow, and against all usual horological practice, the tick and the tock were irregular. Tick tock tick... and then the merest fraction of a second longer before... tock tick tock... and then a tick a fraction of a second earlier than the mind's ear was now prepared for. The effect was enough, after ten minutes, to reduce the thinking processes of even the best-prepared to a sort of porridge. The Patrician must have paid the clockmaker quite highly.'

[CitroJim]

'Someone very clever - certainly someone much cleverer than whoever had trained that imp - must have made the clock for the Patrician's waiting room. It went tick-tock like any other clock. But somehow, and against all usual horological practice, the tick and the tock were irregular. Tick tock tick... and then the merest fraction of a second longer before... tock tick tock... and then a tick a fraction of a second earlier than the mind's ear was now prepared for. The effect was enough, after ten minutes, to reduce the thinking processes of even the best-prepared to a sort of porridge. The Patrician must have paid the clockmaker quite highly.'

Love it James A clock ticking like that would play havoc with my OCD

I'm just thinking how an escapement might be designed and made to tick like that

[bobins]

People have hacked the little AA battery powered clock mechanisms with Arduinos or other circuitry to simulate the Vetinari clock and its unsettling randomness. I'd love one but it's a bit beyond my capabilities

[Hell Razor5543]

Well, if you could make them (and the Pratchett family would allow you to do so) you could make a bit of money from them. The Discworld series of books are widely read.

[CitroJim]

People have hacked the little AA battery powered clock mechanisms with Arduinos or other circuitry to simulate the Vetinari clock and its unsettling randomness. I'd love one but it's a bit beyond my capabilities

My solution would have to be mechanical Bobins

[CitroJim]

There's been nothing unlucky about this Friday the 13th... Just the opposite in fact

The clock is now all back together and happy. Earlier I was very unhappy when during a partial disassembly in order to reattach the face I grasped a tiny cotter pin in my pliers and it made a bid for freedom. A real, genuine 'ping fu*k it!' moment It flew off and all I heard was the sound of it hitting the wall at the back of my workbench... There's a small gap between it and the wall so not finding it on the bench I assumed the worst and thought it had fallen down the gap onto the carpet amongst a load of XM car radios awaiting repair and other bits and pieces that gather under benches...

I turned the room upside down and scoured the carpet with a strong magnet in am attempt to find the pin.. It's about 5mm long and about half a mm in diameter at it's thickest so it's properly tiny. Friday the bloody 13th I abandoned the search and set about making a substitute...

Only then did I notice there was a pin sitting on top of a piece of blue paper on another part of the bench where I'd laid out the clock hands and other removed parts...

What had happened was the pin had flown from the jaws of my pliers, hit the wall and then ricocheted back and landed on the sheet of paper in almost the exact position I would have placed it had it not gone flying What's the chances of that happening? I was staggered!

The reassembly of the clock went without further incident and all is now good and complete

It then being such a lovely sunny day here, albeit very windy and too windy by far to go out on the bike, I took Bluebell out for a very lovely joyride

Now I'm off to give my little radio/clock workshop a deep clean and tidy up. Turning it upside-down in the cotter pin search exposed a lot of dust and disorder...

[MattBLancs]

I'd go very tentatively rest of the day, who knows quite how much good luck was consumed in that sequence of events!

Clock new support board looking good. I mean it's no chunk of beech worktop but definitely functional and that's all it needed to be (and above, what was it? Hedge carpentry)

[CitroJim]

I'd go very tentatively rest of the day, who knows quite how much good luck was consumed in that sequence of events!

I can't help thinking that's a most excellent plan

but definitely functional and that's all it needed to be (and above, what was it? Hedge carpentry)

Hedge carpentry at its very finest Totally hidden with the case top back in place...

[CitroJim]

Today I met up with Mick for lunch and to collect the models won in the auction at the weekend... A great excuse, as the day was dry and bright, to take Bluebell out for another joyride... Truth is, I don't need much of an excuse

Gosh she drives beautifully and she gets better with every outing Now I know she's OK I'm driving her with a bit more spirit and loving it! Distance is going up too. I took a very roundabout route to our rendezvous today I love that car...

I love the models too And here that are in their display places. Starting with the AX...

The LNA, Visa and Saxo...

And the GS Rally Car, Visa Chrono and BX Ambulance in my office/radio shack..

Thanks ever so Mick and great to see you today

[Stickyfinger]

Nice to see the DUAL 505-2 still in service Jim