Timer Program App and Lubrication with Graphite

Simplicity by Christopher Sesco

A short time ago Christopher completed his Simplicity and sent me pictures of his wonderful build.  He was able to get his Simplicity running on 2.2 pounds (1 kg) of drive weight by substantially decreasing the internal friction in his clock, and in his email he describes what methods and materials he used to accomplish that.  Getting a Simplicity to run on such a light drive weight is an impressive accomplishment and a testament to his high level of craftsmanship.  However, in addition, he has some other really exciting information that he wanted to share with all my builders.  Below he describes how he used a free app to get the timing of his Simplicity into a truly accurate beat.

Thank you for sharing the following information, Christopher.  This is a brilliant re-purposing of the Shot Timer app.  Read on to find out how Christopher achieved such accuracy in his wooden clock...

Christopher writes...

I wanted to share with you a few things that have helped me keep her (Simplicity) running smoothly.

First, everywhere there is brass-on-brass contact I have lubricated with dry graphite. 

Next, a friend of mine informed me of a Teflon powder that piano repairmen use on piano keys. I applied a very light dusting to all wood-on-wood contact points. After a short wear in period the clock runs very smooth, on very little weight. 

Lastly,  while trying to set the clock into perfect beat, I utilized a pistol shooting timer program that I had installed on my phone. IPSC Shot timer (android) is a free app, designed for pistol shooters to record shot timing. After setting the microphone threshold sensitivity very low, it is capable of recording clock beats. This program is excellent for using on clocks. Turn it on near the clock and let it run for a moment, paying attention to the 'split time' and result table. This shows me down to the hundredth of a second each beat of the clock. 

Instead of letting her run for a few days and making a fine adjustment, I can set her in near perfect beat within a few minutes. 

It is interesting to see because you can even identify teeth that are slightly different, by slight discrepancies in the beat times. After marking and sanding down a few teeth, the clock runs beautifully.

I highly suggest this approach.

Thank you again, and keep creating your amazing designs.

Sincerely, 

Christopher