Barrel assembly:
Most weight driven clocks use a cylindrical drum that a line winds around. A weight pulls on that line, turning the drum, which turns the first gear in the gear-train. There’s also typically a click-and-ratchet assembly so that when the weight gets close to the floor, and the drum is almost out of line, you can wind the weight back up to the top while the gear stays put.
During the winding process the weight isn’t delivering power to the clock, so the clock temporarily stops. If you want the clock to keep ticking during winding you’ll have to add a “maintaining power” assembly. This video gives you an idea of what that consists of.
The larger ratchet will be engaged by a click that’s attached to the clock frame. The torsion spring on the inside gets loaded up by the pull of the weight. Then, during winding, when the barrel and small ratchet are turning clockwise, the large ratchet holds firm, and the spring keeps pushing the clock-train forward. Power is maintained, and the clock doesn’t miss a beat.
Spoking the great wheel:
The largest wheel of this clock is made of 1/2 inch brass. It’s transmitting the most amount of force, so the teeth need to be thick so that it doesn’t wear out too fast. The spokes of this gear needed to be cut out with a simple hand-held jewelers-saw. This took awhile, but it’s finished now, and I’m on to the more fun task of sculpting those gear-spokes with a rotary tool.
