Useful Links and a Glossary of Horological Terms
The following links have been provided for information purposes only. Please note that Oakside Classic Clocks are not responsible for any content or its accuracy on any of the listed sites.
Suppliers to Oakside Classic Clocks
- Kieninger
- Masterpieces of German Clock Craft. Supplier of Movements & Pendulums to Oakside Classic Clocks.
- imageri.com
- Digital photography, digital illustration and new media images. Photographer for Oakside Classic Clocks.
- Viola
- Fine Decorative Brass Hardware. Supplier of decorative solid brass hardware to Oakside Classic Clocks.
- Bedford Dials Limited
- Design, Print and Manufacture. Supplier of high quality dials and chapter rings to Oakside Classic Clocks.
- Timbmet Group Limited
- "The United Kingdom's leading hardwoods trader". Supplier of kiln dried hardwoods to Oakside Classic Clocks.
- Timbmet Silverman
- "The United Kingdom's leading importer and distributor of panel products". Supplier of wood veneered panels and other panels to Oakside Classic Clocks.
- William T Eden Limited
- Supplier of Veneered Timber Panel Products to Oakside.
- Other Links of Interest
- UK - Clock & Watch Service & Repairs
- Web site of the British Horological Society.
- Antique Clocks Price Guide
- Antique Clocks Identification and Price Guide.
- Clocks and Chimes
- Wall Clocks - hand-crafted in Scotland by Tom Harris.
- Walsh Brothers Clocks Watches & Jewelers
- High Street Jeweler shop with a wide range and international delivery.
- Hampshire County Council
- Hantsweb - Your Gateway to Hampshire.
Glossary of Clock Terms
Automatic beat adjustment (a Kieninger patent)
Automatic night shut-off (a Kieninger patent)
True second
Escapement
Maintaining Power
Compensation pendulum
Lyre pendulum
Automatic chime sequencing (a Kieninger patent)
Moon phase dial
Over-winding protection
Roller burnishing
Tempus Fugit
Gongs & Chimes
Automatic beat adjustment (a Kieninger patent)
It is most satisfying when the tick from your pendulum clock is evenly spaced, it is also an important factor in achieving regular timekeeping! The tick is emitted from the escapement and it occurs each time the pendulum approaches the limit of its swing. To achieve an even tick the first requirement is to ensure the the clock is upright and also free from any rocking motion. On all Kieninger movements the pendulum is attached to the escapements, rocking escapement (anchor) release arm, by a patented friction joint that has a precise element of friction between the anchor and anchor shaft and an additional disc attached to the escape wheel. To obtain a regular tick, swing the pendulum slightly beyond its normal arc and as it gradually returns to its normal swing, the tick will automatically become even!
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Automatic night shut-off (a Kieninger patent)
When the ‘Auto night shut-off’ is selected the melodies and the hour chimes are silenced between 10.00 P.M. and 7.15 A.M. (movements with quarter hour chime) or 10.00 P.M. and 7.00 A.M. (movements with half hour strike).
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True second
The Royal or "True Second" Pendulum of 116cm nominal length causes the second hand in precise one-second steps. For movements with shorter pendulum lengths Kieninger uses a special second module (Kieninger patent) for a correct second indication.
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Escapement
The anchor escapement has two main forms, deadbeat or recoil. If you observe the second hand motion it will either remain stationary after each index (deadbeat) or it will move back slightly ( recoil).The term "escapement" refers to the interaction of a clocks anchor and escapement wheel – the source if the Tick. The anchor in a Kieninger movement is either made in one piece (patented Kieniramic® solid anchor) or consists of an anchor body with inserted pallets (Kieniramic® pallet anchor). The special gearing of the escapement wheel is matched for the type of escapement and the anchor.
The rotation of the escape wheel is regulated by the swing of the pendulum or the rotation of the balance wheel in a non pendulum clock - the capture and release of the teeth of the escape wheel provides the pendulum or the balance wheel with regular drive pulses. The oscillation rate of the pendulum or balance wheel determines the rhythm for the movement of the hands.
Kieninger movements use a stationary escapement (the Dead Beat invented by George Graham FRS in 1715) or an escapement (Swiss escapement). All Swiss escapements are factory adjusted in operating position ("adjusted").
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Maintaining Power
The necessary periodic action of rewinding a clock removes the power that drives the hands and the clock will loose time! To overcome this problem a device called 'maintaining powers' is fitted to the high grade movements, this provides a temporary second source of power and the clock continues to run normally during winding. This is achieved through a counter locking gear with spring, which provides a secondary power reserve for the time drive during winding. This important feature assists with time-keeping accuracy!
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Compensation pendulum
To achieve near perfect time-keeping the center of gravity of the pendulum must remain at a constant distance from its fulcrum point – if this could be achieved the pendulum would swing at a steady frequency and the clock would maintain a constant rate. Nearly all the materials that pendulums are made of, expand and contract with temperature changes, consequently the center of gravity moves and the swing rate changes. This is a problem that was recognized many hundreds of years ago but wasn't solved until John Harrison of Longitude Fame invented the Compensated Metallic Pendulum in 1729. Through a specific arrangement of metals with different expansion coefficients and the design of the pendulum these differences of expansion rates cancel each other out and the pendulums center of gravity remains constant
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Lyre pendulum
A pendulum style which includes multiple, vertically oriented bars joined by a bridge in the middle and which has a harp shaped structure above the pendulum bob. Lyre pendulums do not have temperature compensation abilities!
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Automatic chime sequencing (a Kieninger patent)
Some Kieninger triple chime movements have an Automatic melody sequencing mechanism - When selected by the lever on the dial the automatic chime sequencing device plays one melody for an hour and then advances to the second for the next hour and then to the third - before starting the sequence again. Using the same lever you can also select an individual melody or silence all three!
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Moon phase dial
A dial, that has an arch at the top containing a moving moon. The moon is automatically advance daily to track the real moon's phases through the 29 1/2 day lunar month. As the rotating moon dial passes behind representations of the eastern and western hemispheres, the phases of the moon (new moon, full moon, waning crescent, etc.) are represented as they appear at each stage of the cycle.
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Over Winding Protection
A device that protects the movement from being accidentally over-wound. Most Kieninger floor clock movements are fitted with a pair of interacting wheels, each in the form of a Maltese cross, which rotate until they obstruct each other, - this occurs at the moment the winding action reaches the ideal limit of movement.
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Roller burnishing
The term refers to a special, traditional process for the surface treatment of the axle journals of pinions and arbores during clock manufacturing. In doing so the surface of a turning component is smoothened and compressed with a rotating ("roller burnishing") hard metal disk. With this process a very high life expectancy and soft running characteristics of the bearings are achieved.
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Tempus Fugit
Latin for "Time flies". Traditionally these words are often inscribed on a decorative clock dial within an arch at the top of the dial. On better dials this arch contains a moon phase dial or automata!
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Gongs & Chimes
Round Gong - Formed from a single rod, wound into a spiral shape and struck with a hammer - normally used to chime the Hours and with a single strike on the Half hour.8,12 and 16 rod of different lengths each tuned to vibrate at a different pitch to create specific sounds!
8 rod gongs are normally fitted to movements with single melodies - 12 & 16 rod gongs are fitted to triple melody movements. In all versions, four rods are struck in unison, to sound the hour chimes - the remaining 8 or 12 are struck individually to create the various melodies. Most of Oakside's Grandfather and Grandmother Clocks are fitted with 12 rod gongs that play three melodies.
Tubular Bell Movements - Kieninger produce the superlative HTU range of Tubular bell movements . The triple melodies are played on nine full-length tuned brass tubes. This movement can be seen on the large images of our Winchester Grandfather Clock.
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