Restoration Day Seven

To allow the iron structure of the petals to be cleaned of the layers of paint that have accumulated over the years they will need to be separated from their copper petals by removing the rivets. The hunt for replacement copper rivets resulted in a visit to Sapphire Products in Mount Street, Birmingham. They have given us some mushroom headed rivets that look to be the correct size to replace the ones fixing the petals to there supporting structure. They have also loaned the right tool for forming the rivets - all 72 of them.

A handy source of copper rivets.

Finding the right rivets.

Andy at Sutton Soda Blasters has finished removing the paint and fibreglass from the main tubular steel frame so we can now see where the original welds were that attached the missing cross-members. The steel has cleaned up nicely and is in remarkably good condition considering its siting in water for forty years. The next step will be to replace the missing parts. After that the steel will have a durable waterproof coating ready to face another forty years in contact with water.

The main frame stripped of paint.

The violin playing bird has been soda blasted and the violin bow has been straightened so this part is now back to its original shiny condition. There are five more of these to clean before they can go back onto their new bearings. The original bearings were in a poor state and close to failure but are being replaced and the support structure is being cleaned and painted. It may not be visible when the clock goes back together - but we know it's there!

Known to some as the 'Chicken with a Violin'

The first of the Water Wheel butterflies have also been soda blasted and revealed a number of unexpected copper parts that were completely obscured by the layers of salt crystals and grime. One of the decorative lattices from the central control box is ready for blasting. The layers of gold paint have obscured much of the detail so this should make a dramatic difference and reveal which metal was used to create them.

A butterfly ready to have its missing jewels replaced.

Tomorrow we will hopefully introduce a blacksmith to the Cobweb Water Wheel.

Restoration Day Six

We now have a set of gleaming animal and bird figures ready to take their place on the ends of the radial arms at the top of the clock, courtesy of Team Anker. These were covered in grime but not exposed to the ravages of chlorinated water and coins so have been bought back to life using a dilute solvent and a lot of elbow grease.

The petals around the sunflower have adopted a number of different shapes over the years due to the unwanted attentions of maintenance cherry-pickers. Team Price have produced a former based upon one of the undistorted petals to allow all of the petals to be copper-beaten back to the same shape.

Team Grogan are now working on the butterflies cleaning and replacing the missing jewels from the wings and copper antennae. Team Billington are in the process of stripping down the central Bouquet feature so that each part can get the most appropriate cleaning regime.

A slight problem with the size of the Cobweb Water Wheel means that zinc plating may not be an option but we are keen to ensure that when restored it will withstand the rigours of its vulnerable location. We are now investigating electropainting (e-coat). This is used to treat the undersides of cars so offers a durable, water-resistant finish and looks promising. With a final powder-coated finish we should be able to both restore the wheel's original appearance and make sure it stays that way.

Team Parkes are working on the steel frame that supports the Woodland Orchestra in the sunflower and Team Dexter are in the process of replacing the missing drive mechanism. Pete Dexter is also looking to correct the alignment of the stirrups that support the petals and devise a protective rim for the Cobweb Water Wheel to protect its more vulnerable parts during transit.

Restoration - Day One

Today the clock was delivered to its home for the next three months whilst restoration takes place. The shipments of parts dismantled last week arrived palletised and sheathed in bubble-wrap. The first task was to strip off the wrapping to check that all of the parts were present and make an assessment of condition.

The Cobweb Water Wheel arrives.

Corrosion on the Water Wheel.

Sixteen Butterflies but not all survive.

 During the morning visits were made to a powder coating company to discuss the practicalities of colour-coating the main structural frame and Cobweb Water Wheel and the best waterproof treatment to be carried out in advance of coating. It was decided that galvanising remained the most likely treatment for the frame following the fabrication work to restore its missing parts but that zinc plating would be the most appropriate way to protect the more delicate structure of the Water Wheel.

Powder coating booth with water curtain.

The second shipment of parts included the main frame which was delivered directly to the blasters to allow the stripping of the frame back to bare metal. Whilst there it was realised that the circular steel disc that supported the central control box hadn't been repainted and still sported its original green paint. Samples were taken to allow identification of the exact colour for the powder coating and paint finishes.

The main structural frame.

Evidence of the original colour.

A meeting of the volunteers was arranged for the late afternoon and sections of the clock were assigned to each. By taking 'ownership' of elements of the clock the volunteers can carry out restoration work separately with processes such as soda blasting orchestrated by the Project Coordinator John Cox. Pete Dexter stripped out the central control box so that it could receive its blasting and painting treatment whilst the control gear received attention.

The Control Box is stripped.

And control gear taken apart for attention.

The base of the Sunflower on its bench.

The sunflower petals are going to be taken apart for thorough cleaning and repainting of the steel brackets. The copper petals will be soda-blasted and polished before re-assembly and the whole will receive a spray lacquer coating to preserve their lustre.

Dismantling an Emett

Nine hours work compressed into 60 seconds.

Clock Update

We have now done a test on one of the Woodland Orchestra figures with the soda blaster and it will look amazing. It appears that the surfaces of the figures were engraved and then plated so there were concerns that the plating may be removed by the process. This hasn't happened. The high pressure blasting with a solution of baking soda thoroughly cleans the surface without abrading it so bringing back its sparkle.

Parts that are painted will need a dry soda treatment but this too will remove paint and grime without damaging the underlying metal. Each part will be cleaned using the most appropriate method.

We have spoken to a local company that can re-instate the bottoms of the legs to put it back to its correct height and replace the missing parts. We have also spoken to a company that can accurately reproduce the curved tubular members that disappeared from the clock when it was moved previously. So far, so good.

A restoration team meeting will take place tonight to allocate tasks.

Strip Down Day Two

The second and final day of the dismantling started exploratory investigation of what happened beneath the surface of the waterproof concrete holding the structural frame firmly in place. We have photographs of what should be there but it became apparent that when the Clock had previously been moved the bottoms of the legs had been cut off. This has made the clock stand so much lower for the last few years and the elegant sweep of the curved tubular steel legs has been truncated. 

This obviously needs to be corrected so it was decided that the legs would be cut off flush with the surface of the concrete giving a clean end to which replacement 'feet' could be welded. The frame is also missing a number of uprights and curved cross-bars so this will all be done at the same time.

Drilling around the feet.

Work continued with the removal of the remaining petals. This went smoothly until the infamous petal 1.2.2.24 . Known by its friends as 'Petal 24'. This one refused all coaxing. The hinge pin was firmly fixed and further attempts to remove it could have damaged the sunflower frame so it has been left in place for attention on the bench.

Removing petals.

The Bud was removed and tagged along with the other parts. This has been painted a gold colour a number of times so we will soda blast and repaint to return it to its original lustre. Each of the petals will also be lightly soda blasted and polished.

Removed parts.

The Sunflower head was unbolted and carefully lowered onto a palette ready for transportation. The inside of the sunflower has been cleaned previously but it attracts a great deal of dust and fluff.

The Sunflower Head.

The Control box and the lattice column welded to its top was removed and tagged. Pete Dexter will be replacing the drive motor for the Cobweb Waterwheel that should be housed in this box but which was removed some years ago.

Removing the Control Box.

With all the parts removed the structural frame was cut cleanly off at its base and removed from the pool enclosure.

Cutting the Feet.

The Frame retrieved from the pool.

Gone!

The sad, but thankfully temporary, absence of the Emett Clock from the Victoria Centre that has been its home for over forty years. Now we face the task of returning it to as close to its original form as possible. Restoring its parts, restoring its colour and replacing the parts that have been removed over that period.

After it has been on display in Birmingham it will return, as good as ever, to its rightful place in the Main Mall of the Victoria Centre.

Strip Down Day One

The first evening's work on stripping down the clock started as the Victoria Centre closed at 7:00pm. Two cherry-pickers manouvered into place ready to start work at the top. Photographs were taken to record its condition and three video cameras were set-up ready to record the dismantling.

The Clock Awaits.

The first task was to remove the radial arms and gondolas so that the clock could be reached. The first part was removed was one of the gondolas. They were all found to have a thick layer of grime but were in good condition.

The first piece is removed.

Having removed the three radial arms and their gondolas, the next part to receive attention was the clock. The spire was removed, followed by the four clock faces and then the central cube containing the drive gears.

Removing the clock.

Now for one of the more complicated parts - the Sunflower. Each of the actuating rods was unbolted from ring at the base and their respective petal. Each was tagged with a code number so that they can be re-assembled in the same places. We leave nothing to chance. 

Rods, radial arms and clock removed.

Each of the petals was then removed. The hinge pins were a tight fit and needed some persuasion. This turned out to be a slow process involving liberal application of WD40.

Removing the petals.

Unfortunately the 10:00 noise curfew came into force so work had to stop on the petals with only half of them removed.

Half-way there.

Turning to quieter things the Woodland Orchestra figures were removed and the central Bouquet in its autumn leaf. This is in particularly poor condition and will need a lot of work to get its lustre back.

The Bouquet is removed

As each part is taken of it is tagged and the smaller parts are bagged with their identifying code. Some of these are later replacement bolts and not all are there.

Small parts bagged.

The next part to be removed was the central turntable that supported the Woodland Orchestra along with its electric motor. This was followed by the upper tower sections with the turntable that carried the radial arms.

Removing the turntable.

The Cobweb Water Wheel was the next to go. The replacement bearing on this was poorly designed with the twin bearings too close together. The turning force from the weight of the wheel had tipped and turned the wheel relative to the frame of the clock. There are a number of parts missing so this piece, along with the Bouquet will probably need the most attention to get it back to original condition.

Removing the Cobweb Water Wheel.

The last parts to be removed after a long evening's work were the actuator leavers under the sunflower and the water spout. This particular part is going to offer a challenge as it has be bent over the years to direct the water at a gradually tipping water wheel. The pipe will probably need to be replaced but the shape will be dictated by the relocated wheel.

Parts ready for wrapping.

We are most of the way there. The remaining parts should be simple to remove, with the possible exception of the remaining petals which will be the noisy bit.

Dismantling the Clock

The process of dismantling the Water Clock in the Victoria Centre, Nottingham starts this evening. After the Mall is closed we will move in to carefully take the clock apart, piece by piece, labeling each part with a unique number as we go. As the Clock was hand built we will need to ensure that each piece goes back to its correct position or it may not fit. The numbering system will allow us to do that.

As work progresses we will be photographing all the parts and, at the same time, three video cameras will record the proceedings. This will allow us to put together a timelapse film of the dismantling process that will aid putting it back together both at Millennium Point for the Birmingham Emett Exhibition and then back at the Victoria Centre in the Spring/Summer 2015. If all goes well with the filming we will post the timelapse video on the website.