POUVILLON RESTORATION PROJECT - August 2012

Continue final finishing, lacquering, crystalline waxing and reassembly of the movement 

Buchanan now turns to the orrery wheel pack. Shown in the first four photos is one of a pair of a clever type of ‘quick release’ pivots Pouvillon uses to allow one to readily remove the spur gears that otherwise would require a much more complex disassembly procedure.

The demonstration crank function is added to the tellurian/orrery platform, first photo. The second photo is a close up of one of Pouvillon's clever wheel designs. Here we have a tooth profile that allows this wheel to double as a conventional wheel as well as a bevel wheel. The third photo shows the leap year dial and the two banks of perimeter dials end-on. This would be the front elevation.

Next the perimeter dials are installed on the left and right sides of the platform. Can you see the error in the second photo?

The first photo shows some of the parts that go into the restored zodiacal precession and year indicator complications. The second photo is the matching mirror plate that is sandwiched to the extant plate in the clock which holds all of the mechanism for those two complications. The third photo shows the input ratchet mechanism for those functions.

The entire under dial wheels works for the two complications is shown. Frames lacquered, wheels waxed.

The annular year date ring is attached. Next a view from the top with the enamel tellurian dial attached. Note the number '2' showing through the enamel dial at the 4 o'clock position.

Shown here are views of the movements located below and above the tellurian dial structure.

The first photo shows a close up of the planetary sign indicators /counterweights. The second shows a sphere that connects the horizontal and vertical wires to the individual planets and is faithful to what Pouvillon had originally designed according to historical photographs.

The completed tellurian, orrery and subsidiary dial banks. This is the "crown" to Pouvillon's creation and contains 563 parts. Compare this to the several examples of how this would have looked originally before Pouvillon's addition of the orrery and subsidiary dials. I think that original maker would have been impressed.