What is a "Fusee" clock?

[@phillipneale6422]

Hi Cliff, we started a repair cafe in 2020 and last month came across a British Railways Southern region fusee clock which had stopped working. it has a steel wire drive as opposed to your chain and I wish I had seen your video before I stripped it down, cleaned and lubricated it. Your explanation of the stop arm and spring for the fusee movement now makes sense as I was scratching my head as to what is was for. I thought it was a guide for the steel wire drive ! Thank you and keep vlogging.

[@bigmotter001]

Extremely interesting and complicated design. I can see why they would cost more and be more accurate than ordinary clocks. Thanks for sharing with us and take care.

[@CliffsShed]

Thank you, and thanks for watching, All the best, Cliff

[@tonysuffolk]

Just serviced my old fusee clock thanks to this video ,

[@charlescartwright6367]

Mahalo Nui from Hawaii, Very informative. I am only a beginner in my clock hobby at 81 years old and I have never heard of the Fusee clock... Again thank you

[@CliffsShed]

Thanks, and I hope this helps when you get your hands on one, All the best, Cliff

[@bruceheubner465]

Nice piece of work, well done

[@munnerlyn3]

Love this video. Very good explanation on the Fusee movement. Thanks.

[@halnwheels]

I just finished a repair of a GPO fusee clock. It's a quality movement and very robust in construction. It doesn't use a click and ratchet wheel on the mainspring barrel, but rather just a cock piece with a square hole. I gave a quarter turn to put preload on the gut line and then fitted the cock screw. Certainly a setup with the ratchet would have been easier. There is stopwork so that before the end of the line is reached, the winding action is stopped. This prevents over-tensioning the gut line. As this was my first fusee clock, it was interesting to feel the smooth and even winding tension when winding the clock. This would be a great device to put on a chiming mechanism. It's very disturbing to me to hear the difference in chiming speed after winding and then when it's ready to be wound again.

[@monoman7116]

Really clear descriptions about fusee clocks. I don't have access to my workshop due to movement problems. My own Dent has had to go away with my daughter have the chain replaced and a good service. it has kept good time for over 10 years until the chain left its anchorage! Jerry

[@RetroSteamTech]

Fascinating stuff Cliff, thank you so much for showing this. I had heard of Fusee Clocks but had no idea what they were. Very well explained. Oh, and I also have a very similar rack with all my electrical cutters and pliers in 🙂 Cheers, Alan.

[@CliffsShed]

Cheers Alan, I've got a couple of those racks, can't have too many tools! :-)

[@markoskam5921]

Well cone Cliff. Very informative.

[@joecolanjr.8149]

Congrats on the 5k subscribers by the way!! Sky is the limit! Cheers!!

[@CliffsShed]

Thanks Joe, I actually missed the big moment! but it is quite amazing, took so long to get a hundred! All the best, Cliff

[@avianfish8732]

Well thats cleared up a few mysteries.

[@jonsworkshop]

Every day is a school day Cliff. Learnt something new there mate. Interesting and well explained. Cheers, Jon

[@CliffsShed]

Thanks Jon, ATB, Cliff

[@jbranstetter04]

Fantastic video. Everything I wanted to know. Last weekend I bought a triple fusee clock and was wondering how it worked. It's made by J&A McNab in Perth Scotland sometime between 1820 and 1856. It's a thing of beauty. Just having a little trouble with the hour bell, that it keeps ringing continuously. Looks like the lever that comes down on the rack is getting stuck on a burred up spring screw above it. I can smooth that out. But now the hour ring is off by 2 hours. Out of the case there's a lever that sticks out on the top left like a handle and it makes the Chimes go off so I think somehow that might be the adjustment. I'm being very careful with it because I think it's very expensive and I don't want to break it. Thanks for the information.

[@retromechanicalengineer]

Very interesting Cliff, clever design to alter the ratio to match the torque output. Thanks for explaining, I know nothing of clockmaking and I enjoyed learning. Best wishes, Dean in Oxfordshire.

[@CliffsShed]

Cheers Dean, as always thanks for watching, ATB, Cliff

[@angelramos-2005]

Hi Cliff,you had being busy.This video is very interesting and very clearly done.The camera mount works perfectcly .The quality of it is really good.Big thumb up.Thank you.

[@CliffsShed]

Cheers Angel, It works good, lighting is the next problem to get right, All the best, Cliff

[@oldtimer4863]

The reason the fusee was invented is the mainsprings that were made all those years ago were not constant in delivering their power, that is because they couldn't make mainsprings of an even thickness from end to end, so the movement would not keep good time. So the fusee was invented and by this invention it could regulate the distribution of the mainsprings power equally, meaning the movement would keep very good time.

[@samrodian919]

That explanation makes complete sense sir! Do you have any idea when the fusee movement was first made?

[@oldtimer4863]

@@samrodian919 Found this on google for you. Gruet of Geneva is widely credited with introducing them in 1664, although the first reference to a fusee chain is around 1540.

[@samrodian919]

@@oldtimer4863 thank you so much! I had no idea they went that far back, I'd guessed at around mid 1700's but I'm way out!

[@MegaBuckfast]

Thanks for the video, really enjoyed watching it.

[@CliffsShed]

Thanks, I'll be putting it back together soon, All the best, Cliff

[@TheKnacklersWorkshop]

Hello Cliff, Very well explained... thank you... Cheers. Paul,,

[@CliffsShed]

Cheers Paul, Started "turning" that metal into shavings yet? ATB, Cliff

[@TheKnacklersWorkshop]

@@CliffsShed A little bit but sometime life does get in the way of KZbin...

[@waynetetley584]

Great video - thanks 😊

[@stephenmale4492]

Fascinating stuff. Thank you.

[@CliffsShed]

Cheers Stephen, thanks for watching. All the best, Cliff

[@hpevans9041]

Thank you very much Cliff, I found that very interesting

[@CliffsShed]

Thanks for that, All the best, Cliff

[@eyuptony]

Brilliant Cliff. I've heard of these fussee clocks but never really investigated the drive method, it's fascinating. I own some of the other old spring driven clocks but I dare'nt touch the movement. Some have stopped working...help...Tony

[@samrodian919]

Nice one Cliff, the fusee is an interesting piece of design utilising different ratios depending on where the state of tension of the spring is at any one point of its travel from fully wound to unwound the unwound point being at the large end of the fusee and the smallest end at the fully wound state. Rather like looking at a bicycle 5 gear wheel set up But rather than just 5 different ratios the fusee is set up with the chain running in the groove giving an infinite set of ratios between one end of the spiral to the final ratio at the other end. Very clever indeed these clockmakers of old. Incidentally when was the first fusee movement made, do you know Cliff?

[@tropifiori]

Fascinating. I have destroyed every watch I have ever taken the back off. I have yet to attempt a clock

[@CliffsShed]

Well if I had a pond for everyone the back never went back on........ :-) All the best Cliff

[@samrodian919]

Should have started with the big stuff and worked your way smaller

[@amateurpocketwatchrestorat9367]

Hi, what cameras do you use, thanks

[@milantrcka121]

"Fusee" - I have seen the same spelling referring to a "fuse" as in an artillery shell. Is there any connection?

[@markrainford1219]

Very interesting mate. Not particularly got any interest in clocks, just mechanical stuff in general. Now KZbin is pointing me to videos on 'cutting a clock fusee thread' lol. Ah well, down the rabbit hole.

[@Man-in-da-shed]

Did somebody mention Clickspring !!!! That was interesting, though I thought you was trying to spell Fussy. Keep em coming Cliff.