So there you have it! Technically speaking, there's still about 4 feet of chain left to make, but the body of the clock is 100% complete!!! The remainder of the chain isn't needed for the photos anyway, so I thought I'd go ahead and take some finished shots (as finished as I'm capable of anyway). If everything goes well, there will be a book available that shows the creation of No6. It will include the very first sketches, the machining process in the shop, and photography of the entire clock, dissected, and shot from angles that no one will be able to see otherwise. The plan is to document the creation of future works as well, and this 8x8 hardcover will become the first in a collection.
As for the sale of this piece, I have no answers at this point. I may sell it from the shop on this site, and I may wait for a good opportunity to display this, and some other work in a gallery somewhere. There's one thing I can say for sure though, I need to enjoy this piece for awhile before I let it go!
Here are a few more pictures. Read More...
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Following the sketches to a tee, like always, I give you my eighth motorized piece. There's not a lot to tell, as the techniques I employed are the same as in the past. One thing to take note of, is that I've raised the numbers up with solid pieces of thick plate, rather than the cylindrical stilts. This was more work, but it gave it a nice sculpted feel. If you're interested, there are more pictures in the gallery.
The dials are finished, the hands are done (except for the centers) and a lot of the frame is carved up and aged. This is definitely the fun part of the process, because No.6 is beginning to look finished. There's still 100-150 hours of work left, so it won't be done this year as I'd hoped, but I'm happy with the way it's all turning out. It's living up to what I'd originally envisioned, and put to paper in the drawing. Also, after running the clock for awhile, it seems to be ticking very reliably.
Not just the faces, but the motion works gears, and some raised decorative pieces were finished. Also, the lever like screws that were used to hold the frame together were replaced. I decided to go with a dressier version of a standard slotted screw. These new screws are sleeved, and have a design and proportion to match the chain links. I decided to use screws around the lip of the dial as well, since I rather liked the way it looked on my number six quartz. Other than the gears, I haven't contoured or darkened any of the pieces yet. Once this process begins, it will seem like the progress is making leaps and bounds; and the clock will really start to come together visually. Other than the hands, and some adjustments here and there, all of the pieces are cut out and assembled. I'll probably start to shape everything with the grinders and files soon.
Things have been going well recently thanks to an e-mail five months ago from artist 
This little mechanism allows the hands to be adjusted, without slipping when they're not supposed to. Normally this is done with some kind of friction fitting, but the small click ratchet gives it a nicer feel when you're moving the hand. This is a lot of work just for effect, but it's worth it. There's 60 teeth on the ratchet, so it clicks into place on each minute of the hour. The minute hand will be mounted to the outside sleeve of the mechanism, which is part of the lantern pinion. The piece in the center gets permanently fixed to the center arbor of the clock with a setscrew. 
54 hours invested so far, and I'm half way there. That of course puts me at 100 plus hours for the chain alone; what can I say, I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. This is ten six inch segments that will eventually be attached end to end. I'm not sure, but the next post may be of something other than a finished chain. I could wrap it up, but I'm anxious to make the weight so I can start testing the clock, and make sure it ticks healthy for extended periods of time.
And so it begins. For weeks to come, I will become a chain making garage hermit, as this is without question the biggest task for this clock. If you look at the first and last link on this segment of chain, you'll notice that they're the same. This six inch piece repeats 20 times.
A lot has been made since I posted the gears and frame a couple weeks ago. Most noticeable is the decorative piece of frame that's been added to the lower left side. With this piece the shape of the clock seen in the drawing is starting to emerge. Also complete, is the pendulum, hanger, escape pallets, and arbor for the great wheel. The whole train is set now. If I hang the clock on the wall, I can swing the pendulum, gently push on the first wheel of the train, and keep the clock ticking! 
Over the last nine or ten months, I've taken a break from the marathon creation of mechanical clocks, and enjoyed the more instant gratification of the motorized pieces. These have been a great way to explore some visual ideas, and give people a slice of my world for a tenth of the cost. It's also been awhile since I've heard a new clock tick for the first time, and No.6 has been sparsely visited since I began working on it. It's time to get lost in the shop again, and this next onslaught of creation will be all about the gears.