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Retro Wake Up Device


Buc McMaster

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I know there are several here of sufficient age to remember these simple mechanical devices that used to spur us out of bed of a morning. I found this in a box of assorted junk while at dad's house and just had to rescue it...........it's been around as long as I have memory. Metal case with Made in U.S.A. proudly stamped on it's back. Certainly not guitar related but an old piece of Americana that can be appreciated for having survived in perfect working order for so long. Wind up mainspring, wind up alarm with that fine old clattering bell sound..........

 

I found this Westclox history page. Looks like this one is a Style 6, white ivory, manufactured from 1949-1956.......right in my wheelhouse! [biggrin] $5.50 when new......and it still does exactly what it was built to do.

 

Z7e4R1N.jpg --- KvEpt2t.jpg

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I like vintage time pieces a lot - railroad pocket watches, alarm clocks, and such. Glad you salvaged the Ben. Big Bens, Baby Bens, Westclox Scotty pocket watches - all part of my childhood/young manhood. Damn, I'm old!

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My grandparents had big ben and baby ben alarm clocks. It took me forever to get to sleep with those darn things ticking. I have a few tucked away in boxes but can't really use them due to the ticking. I think all but one of them are still working. In a quiet room with that ticking, it would take forever for me to sleep.

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Great piece of the past, Buc. One cool thing about that primitive technology was that it didn't stop running if the power went out. Of course, it relied on even more primitive tech (us remembering to wind it) to keep running........... It's more than just a clock. It's part of life. Write a song about it. The clock, your dad, you, the passing of time and like the clock, life goes on. Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane. Lots of things there to bring back home. [thumbup]

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Great piece of the past, Buc. One cool thing about that primitive technology was that it didn't stop running if the power went out. Of course, it relied on even more primitive tech (us remembering to wind it) to keep running........... It's more than just a clock. It's part of life. Write a song about it. The clock, your dad, you, the passing of time and like the clock, life goes on. Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane. Lots of things there to bring back home. [thumbup]

 

 

Heck of a good idea Larry. I bet Buc could pen some really good lyrics into that.

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Dang! We had one of those when I was a kid. It was my job to wind it, but not over-wind it.

 

We still have several mechanical timekeepers in the house today. One is a Chelsea ship's bell clock, which has been in production for over 100 years. It costs about the same as a good used J-45 every time it gets serviced. I call it my ex-wife's revenge. She gave it to me as a parting gift when we got divorced. I thought she was being sentimental, but now I know she did it to remind me of how much she cost me every time I look at it sitting on the fireplace mantel.

 

The others are fancy Swiss watches that rarely come off the winders, and aren't that good at keeping time, no matter what they say. But sailors have always been attracted to those, and one of them was a sailing trophy I'm pretty proud of.

 

I'm eyeballing one of those watches now. I could swap it for a pretty nice early 1950's D-28...

 

I can still hear that Baby Ben alarm bell...

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Buc, thanks for the ... Memories,I can only imagine all the times that the stop button was pushed and the days that followed back in early 1950's .........thats fertile ground for "Grand dad's clock" Hehehe

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