About Town 11/17/19

This week's photos of Columbia

Superman in jail? The bars must be made of kryptonite.

 This will happen soon enough.

 Here's a cozy little home shrouded by snow on the first block of South 3rd.

 Last of the season, most likely

 Not necessarily good advice

 But this probably is good advice.

 The many steps to pumpkinhood

 Starling convention near the railroad tracks

 Speaking of the railroad tracks, here's a couple of fancy train cars.

 And there they go.

 Assuming the snacking stance

 When nuts aren't available, he'll settle for maple tree seeds, as shown here.

 The Keeley stoves are still inside the Market House.

 Here's the third one.

 Differing views on religion

 The Railroad Administration Office of Safety - mobile, no less

 CAT ON BOARD

 Pick yourself up afterwards

 Yes, please patrol.

 Busted windows

At the Mount Zion A.M.E Church on South 5th:

There are several unique stained glass windows, each with a memorial tribute, as shown below.

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 Contrail-riddled sky. (No, the government isn't trying to kill us - at least not like this.)

 Makes for an interesting sunset, though.

 Building for sale on Bridge Street

 There's the sign.

 The building comes complete with a ghost sign and keystone/datestone.

 Those Warthogs get lower all the time.

 There were visitors at the Elks on Saturday.

 Here's the "backstory."

 Rust-colored sign all aglow

 Yes, we did get some foliage.

Giant ice cream cone at Coffee & Cream

Columbia's "Time Wizard" works against time to restore four 19th-century church clocks

Dr. Larry Laird positions an aluminum time ring (the white part) on a wrought iron clock face. The ring is held slightly away from the surface with rubber spacers to prevent electrolysis between the aluminum and the iron.

Why is Dr. Larry Laird working against the clock? Well, to renovate a clock, of course. Or more accurately, four clocks.

Laird, who owns the local company Global Time Wizard, reluctantly took on a big project several months ago: renovating four 19th-Century clocks from an old German Lutheran church in Philadelphia. The clocks had slowly deteriorated since their installation over 150 years ago due to exposure to the elements.

Each clock face has a little square door to access the clock movement once the clocks are installed. The doors are original. Each face is four feet in diameter.

Laird and assistant Cody spent over half a year working on the project at Laird's Locust Street studio. To begin, Cody spent several months wire-brushing rust and dirt from the wrought iron clock faces, each of which measures four feet in diameter. The next step was to apply a durable exterior paint made by Sherwin Williams. Laird chose a type used on battleships that will withstand rain, snow, and ice. The paint is extremely difficult to apply and each coat takes six weeks to dry, Laird said. 

The drill press Laird is using was used to make Hamilton watches and is extremely accurate. He says it runs "like silk."

As the paint was drying, Laird made four pairs of aluminum clock hands patterned on the originals, as well as four time rings containing numerals and notches. (The aluminum is specially coated.) He applied the rings to the clock faces with stainless steel fasteners. The rings are kept slightly away from the faces with rubber spacers to avoid electrolysis between the aluminum and iron.

Cody holds a state-of-the-art "movement," which drives the clock hands. When installed, the movement shaft will fit through a delrin bearing and will self-adjust. The bearing was made at Stevens Trade.

Finally, four sealed clockworks, called movements, were ordered to drive the hands. The movements are state-of-the-art electro-hydraulic motors that will be synchronized and operated from a single power switch after installation. The movements are custom made. "Everything you see here virtually is custom made by somebody in the United States," Laird added. "We bring together all these skills from around the country."

Laird shows a specially made metal plate to facilitate lifting the clocks to the tower. An installed movement can be seen near the bottom.

The clocks will be transported by truck in specially made wooden crates to the old church, which is now part of a retirement home known as The Loft. Steeplejacks will then install them into their original settings. Laird hopes to "beat the clock" and complete the installation before the onset of winter weather.

This whimsical automaton will sit in the lobby of the church.