For our August meeting we welcome Ashley Strachan to talk to us about Japanese clocks and seasonal hours.
Ashley is secretary of the East of Scotland Branch and a Board Member of the BHI responsible for Finance and Membership development. In March 2014 he was appointed a trustee of the BHI Museum Trust.

Ashley’s interest in Japanese clocks was kindled back in 2011 when he visited the Matsumoto Clock Museum during his first holiday in Japan.
It was not until 1873 Japan adopted International Time. Prior to this a system of Temporal Time was used dividing the day into twelve segments, six periods of daylight and six periods of darkness. Any mechanical timepiece required some method of varying the length of the day and night periods according to the season. This led to the design of some complex and interesting clocks.
In case you were thinking the Temporal Time system is now obsolete Ashley has a Japanese temporal time clock on his iPhone!!
For those who like to do their homework Ashley has recently had two articles published in the HJ one in September 2014 – Japanese Clocks and in January 2015 – Japanese Ten Thousand Year Clock.

2^nd April 2015

The History of Metals and its Influence on Clock Development

Chris McKay FBHI

How much do we know about the metals we use everyday

Chris will start with the history of how Iron, Steel, Zinc and Brass were commercially produced over the centuries. Starting in 1386 the supposed date of the Salisbury Cathedral Clock to 1900 when social and economic conditions determined a downturn in clock production.

Coalbrookdale

With the metallurgical history established Chris will then go on to chart the development of clock production identifying marker points in horology that can be attributed to the metals available. Domestic as well as Turret Clocks will be considered.

Bloom out of the furnace

Looking to the future Chris will speculate on the discoveries that may be made using the bewildering array of tools and techniques available today.

Chris, a Chartered Electronics Engineer is Chairman of the Dorset Clock Society and a prolific author. His books “The Turret Clock Keeper’s Handbook” and “Big Ben – The Great Clock and the Bells at the Palace of Westminster” are seen as the definitive works on these subjects.

A regular contributor to the HJ Chris has provided both articles and authoritative book reviews. Risking the attention of every Health & Safety Officer in the land the November 2013 issue covered working with molten lead in a practical and safe way for the clock enthusiast.

Aged 11 Chris started to take alarm clocks apart and by age 13 had learnt to put them back together again! At the age of 19 he worked on his first Turret Clock and has been fascinated by horology ever since.

This is a talk not to be missed!

Swarf on my Mouse Mat – John Downie

An intriguing title for what promises to be a talk to remember.

John Downie who is a member of the Sussex Branch of the BHI is a retired university lecturer with a keen interest in the practical use of computers in clockmaking.

John will be describing the research and computer modelling he did in order to help a friend build a functioning model of the famous 14^th Century Salisbury Cathedral Clock.

With a desire to be able to manufacture complex items in his workshop John has built his own CNC machine using a scrapped computer controlled PCB drilling machine together with home brewed electronics and software.

Subsequently he has gone on to develop computer models of mechanical regulator clock escapements and using programs such as Algodoo and Rhino 3D and a home brewed mill has gone on to put some of them into practice.

John is not entirely computer based and enjoys working alongside other Sussex based horologists fine tuning his hand skills.

Anyone who was on the visit to the Frodshams workshop will remember how impressive the computer aided design facilities were.

Maybe John will inspire us to see how the computer can be put to good use in our own more humble workshops!!

Owen Gilchrist

The meeting on the 5^th of February will be back in our usual White Hart Barn Godstone and we are delighted to welcome the renowned horologist Mr Owen Gilchrist from the Bristol branch. Owen will be traveling complete with bench and his family to demonstrate, under the bright lights of a video projector. Owen will demonstrate assembly of the Smiths iconic calibre 1215 watch. This was one of two manufacturer’s watches that Sir Edmund Hillary wore to the summit of Everest.

Owen who studied at the Manchester BHI College alongside Roger Smith and others, will explain to us as he gives his demonstration, the history of this British timepiece. Conceived at the time of the Second World War and developed after it, the watch remained in production until the 1970s. Owen will bring an example of the early watch.

Owen will have watches for demonstration which are for sale and a number of other items, including books that would be of interest to the discerning horologist so come prepared.