Do you own a ticking bomb ?

[wls1971]

Whilst doing a bit of research on anniversary clocks I came across a few intresting articles on a Haller clock that through a combination of bad design and wrong use of plastics can literally self destruct on your mantle piece and can cause injury, they where eventually withdrawn from the market, if you have one call bomb disposal

The danger comes from the fact that the mainspring for this 400 day clock is wound onto nylon spools that over time become brittle and can fail at any time releasing all the energy from a reverse wound spring this as earned them the nick name "The german time Bomb"

http://erkelzaar.tsudao.com/models/ultra/german-tb.htm

http://www.anniversaryclockidentification.com/pages/sh-gbt.pdf

[clockboy]

I am aware of these but have never encountered one to repair. Personally I would not touch one.

[Alastair]

Looks to be a few with that movement for sale on a popular auction-site...
--I wonder if any of them know the dangers of these, or the lucky escapes they've had...

[MilTimeCan]

Whoa ! quite the timepiece.

[oldhippy]

Cheap and very nasty. I wouldn't have had one in my workshop. I never had sand bags around.

[vinn3]

Quote

time bombs

are these a modern version of the " Shotz rotary pendulum"  clock?

[Lenj]

Hi All,

I just came across this thread, did not see this one.....I am ashamed to say that this was ME, this was my first and LAST Haller clock!!

I got this from an auction and when I got it home, I could not wait to try it out to see if it worked.. At the time I was only into the restoration of French slate clocks, so this was a new one for me.

I set it up and tried to wind, but it was fully wound, so started the balls going and it worked. I wanted to see that it worked OK before stripping down to clean it, as it was a tad grubby and I like to tinker... After about twenty minutes it stopped, perhaps it needs a drop of oil I thought,..BIG MISTAKE!!! I started to undo the 4 nuts on the backplate, un-be known to me this also held the mainspring in place. what a stupid setup, no warning not to remove.

Well this is how I gave it the name of The German Time Bomb, because it went BOOOM it exploded very loud, and the plastic mainspring wheel after it shot out and broken into lots of pieces, it embedded in my chest, I also got a nasty cut on my hand, I was very lucky, if that had hit me in the eye, I dread to think what would have happened. The photo doesn't show all the bits of the mainspring, there were lots!!...Lessons were learnt that day.. Strange I read there was another that exploded on someone's mantlepiece about a week later, this was just sitting there and suddenly went, there was glass everywhere from the dome...My clock went in the dustbin never to be seen again.. I remember later I put the dome off mine on ebay and got more for that than I paid for the clock!!

As I said lesson learned!!!!!! 

I will stick to my French and carriage clocks, a little safer!!

Len

 

 

 

[Johnnie]

Well that's sorted, I now know exactly what I will be buying my mother in law for Christmas! 

[yankeedog]

German time bomb ? sounds like unexploded ordnance that's been floating in the North Sea since '44.

[clockboy]

I have serviced/repaired Haller's in the past but not that particular calibre.However the absolute rule with clocks is ALWAYS remove the power before stripping a clock. The springs on clocks are powerful and if let loose uncontrollably they can not only destroy a movement but cause serious damage to yourself. 

[Lenj]

3 hours ago, clockboy said:

I have serviced/repaired Haller's in the past but not that particular calibre.However the absolute rule with clocks is ALWAYS remove the power before stripping a clock. The springs on clocks are powerful and if let loose uncontrollably they can not only destroy a movement but cause serious damage to yourself. 

Great advice to the newbie..Too late for some..Like myself...lol

[oldhippy]

You must let the power off all the springs when taking the movement apart. That is the first thing you do.