North Coast Imports, Inc.

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-130107742010-04-06T17:45:26.723-04:00North Coast Imports, Inc.Watch this space for current and upcoming news of all things horological and mechanically interesting, as well as helpful support information for all your fine clocks. NCI is your source for the finest timepieces since 1953.dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.comBlogger179125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-83483551620541327922010-04-06T14:17:00.004-04:002010-04-06T14:40:34.476-04:00Adjust your Cuckoo Clock Gong

If your cuckoo clock doesn't sound quite the same as those heard on our YouTube movies, the first thing you'll want to do is to check the position of your gong.Before every cuckoo call, there is traditionally a gong that is struck by a mechanical hammer. This adds depth of sound to the cuckoo clock call. If your hammer is missing the gong, or if the hammer is too close to the gong, you might

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-3509975335807533772010-01-25T14:52:00.002-05:002010-01-25T15:09:50.321-05:00North Coast Imports's /design Line featured in ReadyMade Mag!

Thanks to the creative people at ReadyMade Magazine for noticing our ClassicSpace cuckoo from our NEW /design line.

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-89324352798311858452010-01-24T22:07:00.003-05:002010-01-25T23:47:31.273-05:00Welcome to the Blogosphere Bill!

Our friend Bill Maier has recently started his own blog to document his impressive collection of rare, antique "Vienna" Regulator Timepieces. Here's a particularly stellar example from his collection:Gilded bronze skeletonized laterndluhr by Fertbauer, C. 1810. Overall height 67". Seconds beating, knife edge suspension riding on a gimbal. The gimbal is held by two L shaped brackets through the

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-46751701274354511652010-01-23T23:09:00.001-05:002010-01-23T23:13:46.670-05:00Why worry? Each one of us is carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on his - Wrist?

From ScienceDaily:The world's most precise clock - on which all time-keeping and navigation systems are based - might be made as small as a wristwatch with a new design proposed by an international team of physicists.A new class of atomic clocks of at least equivalent accuracy could be made much smaller and simpler by trapping aluminium, gallium, cesium or rubidium atoms in a lattice of laser

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-3959707216289202502010-01-23T22:56:00.002-05:002010-01-23T23:07:55.845-05:00Ytterbium for Next-Generation Atomic Clocks

Cesium has been the element of choice, thus far, for the most accurate clocks. It is in use in our civilian time standard.But make way, Cesium:An experimental atomic clock based on ytterbium atoms is about four times more accurate than it was several years ago, giving it a precision comparable to that of the NIST-F1 cesium fountain clock, the nation's civilian time standard, scientists at the

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-3455571265082215062010-01-23T10:29:00.003-05:002010-01-23T10:51:52.859-05:00Binary Clock Fun

A Binary Clock is a way of displaying the digital time in binary code. For example...Reading a BCD clock: Add the values of each column of LEDs to get six decimal digits. There are two columns each for hours, minutes and seconds.Here's a fun interpretation of the idea from Instructibles:The Flock Clock uses male and female drinking birds to display time. Binary addition of the female birds (left

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-83996995593063966622010-01-14T12:21:00.003-05:002010-01-21T14:11:03.757-05:00The Weather Clock

We, at North Coast Imports, love the idea of new and artistic displays of important information. After all, this is the essence of a mechanical clock!Here's a great example from Sean Carney:I took an old clock, removed the mechanism and replaced it with an Arduino (micro-controller) that checks the weather on the Environment Canada website every fifteen minutes and update the hands accordingly.

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-53349008607541136592010-01-13T18:10:00.004-05:002010-01-14T12:17:57.737-05:00New Designs, Winners

Here's a great design, won the NAWCC 2009 Craft Contest, First Place and People's Choice Awards.From Bower Clock Company:"The Vinion was completed in May 2009 and was awarded People's Choice in the Craft Competition of the National Association of Watch And Clock Collectors 2009 National Convention. Nathan Bowers also was awarded first place in the single train clock category. The intricate spoke

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-50801075406671218422010-01-12T15:57:00.002-05:002010-01-12T16:33:38.476-05:00The Rack Must Fall!

How does a cuckoo know how many times to call? Why is my clock only calling once when the hands say 3:00?These are great questions, and the ingenious works of a mechanical clock can do it, but a few things have to be in proper adjustment. Here are some things to watch out for to keep your clock working, and keep your cuckoo calling the right number.First, check the hands.We already have an

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-55658292520075381512010-01-12T15:46:00.001-05:002010-01-12T15:49:02.274-05:00The Best Way to Set a Mechanical Calendar Clock

On the back side of the dial there are levers. Two levers behind the 3:00 and one behind the 9:00.The one behind the 9:00 is the chime shutoff. The one further behind the 3:00 is the auto night shutoff. The lever at the front (behind the 3:00) is the date advance lever.Please have your customer follow this procedure in shutting the clock.1. Move the minute hand COUNTER-clockwise until both

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-84123404522317894402010-01-09T11:45:00.005-05:002010-01-09T11:59:34.841-05:00Bahnhäusle

The Bahnhäusle (sometimes "Bahnwächterhäusle") design has been an incredibly popular design since 1850. Friedrich Eisenlohr of Furtwangen, Germany first submitted the design as part of a contest for the Grand Duchy of Baden. His inspiration was a railroad guard's house overrun by vines and leaves.

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-67836163948211220572010-01-09T11:41:00.002-05:002010-01-09T11:44:09.650-05:00Black Forest Apostolic Clock

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-86443851874180167642010-01-08T19:21:00.003-05:002010-01-08T19:33:11.163-05:00“Masterpieces of french horology” at François-Paul Journe

From the “Chefs d’œuvre de l’Horlogerie Française ”, an historic collection of 12 unique clocks made between 1770 and 1851, from the private collection of Italian connoisseur Auzano Musa. This exhibition ran last year, 19 January to 6 February, 2009.Fascinating stuff, curator François-Paul Journe "believes that contemporary watchmaking must take into account the history of horological science

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-91405497470134176242010-01-08T19:06:00.003-05:002010-01-08T19:16:41.708-05:00Galileo's Telescope

From Officine Panerai:The exhibition "Galileo's Telescope - The Instrument that Changed the World", created by the Istituto e Museo di Storia della Scienza in Florence and sponsored by Officine Panerai, is open from October 10th, 2009 to January 17th, 2010.Galileo's telescopes are housed in the Museo di Storia della Scienza in Florence. The instrument on show in Stockholm is displayed for the

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-77059626886446552282010-01-05T23:47:00.003-05:002010-01-06T00:04:27.326-05:00Amazing Automata from the 18th Century

Here's something to knock the socks off of any of you fans of automata.The newscast is in German, but anyone can get the drift. These are three mechanically animated figures. One plays the organ, one writes, and the other draws. To be clear: the organ isn't a player organ (that plays itself) while the figure sits in front and pretends to play... the figure ACTUALLY PLAYS the organ. The

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-19706081348350125192009-12-22T02:00:00.007-05:002009-12-27T21:16:58.709-05:00Restoration Finished! A Rare Emilian Wehrle Musical Shelf Flute Clock

We just finished the muscial restoration on this rare Black Forest Clock. This piece was made by Emilian Wehrle in Furtwangen C. 1880. To find a musical shelf clock by Emilian Wehrle of this size and quality is nearly impossible.This example is an 8-day, three-train (Time, Strike, and Music) timepiece. This is the largest movement that Emilian Wehrle made. The music train is a two-tune, 9-pipe

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18132850179025357193madeinfurtwangen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-47195167795508154192009-12-17T01:53:00.005-05:002009-12-27T21:12:14.979-05:00A Rare Black Forest Clock Collection Located!

Over the past weekend I acquired a collection of 24 rare and antique Black Forest Clocks. The clocks have been in storage for over a decade. I was thrilled to be able to locate so many choice pieces and add them to our collection in a single transaction.This collection includes many high-quality 8-day shelf cuckoos, several by Johann Baptist Beha.A 5" C.1880 Hunter cuckoo with huge 8" 5 tune

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18132850179025357193madeinfurtwangen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-15609838407680794952009-11-30T00:37:00.003-05:002009-11-30T10:50:29.499-05:00The Restoration of a Black Forest Automaton

With the help of a good friend, we were able to track down a clock that has been on our want list for many years. Christmas has came early to our private museum Sorry Santa!This clock had been in the same collection in the UK for over 50 years, until making its way to Black Forest USA. This Black Forest Automaton is one of the hardest of all the complex BF automa clocks to find, with only a small

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18132850179025357193madeinfurtwangen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-24236720262600787872009-11-29T13:52:00.006-05:002009-11-29T14:11:01.918-05:00Beer Drinker

There is a long tradition of Beer Drinking automata in the Black Forest clock world. Certainly, there is some cultural significance to beer in Southern Germany. It may come as no surprise that beer is featured heavily in art and crafts from that region.I recently found this great automaton on YouTube.This one is interesting because it actually features a tube and pump of liquid being poured and

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-19674633634399944172009-11-29T10:47:00.003-05:002009-11-29T11:01:31.866-05:00The Magic Clock: an awesome Whereabout Clock

From Makezine:MAKE subscriber bumpercrop writes in to share this excellent Harry Potter-inspired whereabout clock, The Magic Clock. In the story, the clock is a magical item with hands that show the location of each family member. This beautifully constructed remake does the same, except that twitter feeds, a hacked router and a custom clock movement are used in place of unspecified magic. I love

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-70833898854081584372009-11-18T11:48:00.006-05:002009-11-18T12:08:02.157-05:00More on How Cuckoo Clocks are Made

Meet Christophe from Robert H. Uhrenmanufaktur.He's a very special clockmaker in the Black Forest in Germany. He produces our very special models #8365 and #8366. There are very few of these clocks made and each is made by hand - one at a time.Here is a pictorial on the process of carving the special Long Bahnhäusle and Gothic style cuckoo clocks.

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-86369407899406805222009-11-17T17:54:00.007-05:002009-11-17T18:21:42.900-05:00How Cuckoo Clocks are Made!

I was glad to see that someone uploaded this documentary to YouTube. Fast Forward to 5:39:Most of the shots are from our very own Rombach und Haas!!...of course, the carvings aren't done from "pine or plywood." Black Forest cuckoo clocks are carved from Linden wood.Here are more pictures from one of our specialty Black Forest cuckoo clock makers:This was for a custom made clock for the Prince

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-17999300006323795252009-11-11T13:46:00.003-05:002009-11-14T21:10:28.844-05:00Cuckoo Clock Design Contest

Images via DesignboomWe found these great new concepts for cuckoo clocks online which were created as part of a contest for forest conservation.Designer Naoto Fukawasa created a beautiful cuckoo clock using timber removedfrom over-planted forests. The project was done in conjunction with Isetan, a Japanese department store, and More Trees, an organization that works with forest conservation in

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-81457538112613350802009-11-03T14:18:00.005-05:002009-11-30T01:14:21.841-05:00A Special Musical Clock by Emilian Wehrle

Fall is here, and as the weather cools we start to spend more time indoors. During the cold months we really pick up steam focusing on our collection of Black Forest clocks.Today as I was doing some "house keeping" dusting the collection... I thought of sharing this wonderful clock we have with you. This fantastic clock has been in our care for many years.Made C. 1874 this Singing Bird Clock (

Justinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18132850179025357193madeinfurtwangen@yahoo.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13010774.post-25230606397961534982009-11-01T00:04:00.004-04:002009-11-01T00:18:26.049-04:00Handmade Orrery

I found some great pictures of a handmade Ferguson's Orrery from MakezineDesigned circa 1750, the core of the mechanism depends on gears of differing ratios to illustrate the movement of the moon's nodes and apogee as the earth revolves around the sun. It can be used to illustrate many things, including eclipses." Jim further states he was inspired by Ian Coote, see Ian's page about the orrery

dolfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07451364526769649378noreply@blogger.com0