About me

 

 

 

My youth was in the Northern part of the Netherlands in the beautiful city Franeker

in the province Fryslan. It was an exiting time with the first sputniks and astronauts.

At about eight I dismantled the electric clock of my parents, they where not pleased!

As young boy I was already interested in Astronomy, on dark evenings sitting behind

my telescope I made drawings of the Moon craters and the position of the moons of

Jupiter. I made my first telescope support with meccano and had wild ideas about

building a radar, never worked of course. But my own radio (Philips construction kit for

children) was a great success, said all the time, bleep bleep bleep, must have been

satellites!  Later I studied at the Art Academy "Sculpture" and worked as Art Therapist.

But because of a poor health (COPD, Myasthenia Gravis and CVID) I have very low energy

and muscle strength. Live is most of the time climbing the Himalayas!  Had to stop

active live, also one of the reasons to start this hobby, you can make small parts and

after some time you end up with a working clock!   (At least you hope you do)

 It took many years being a complete amateur, to learn how to work with a lathe for

making wheels and other parts. In fact I made a start in making wheels from wood

with nails. Later I tried to make them by hand in yellow brass (see photo).

 Of course I can not work as precise like a real professional. There are three machines

an Emco 5, a Hobbymat and an older engraving machine. I have only a limited number

of Thorton  cutters, so I have to smuggle sometimes a little bit.  Because there is no energy

for more complicated works, I keep it as simple as possible. I hope this site is a help

an encouragement to start building (astronomical) clocks, for it is a nice hobby.

On the Links page you will find many interesting sites with much information!

 


Hope you enjoyed my site,  Pieter Merckx      

  

Questions?  Drop me a line!

info(at)astroclocks.nl
 

 

 

Oeps...time goes too fast!

 

 

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