Astronomical Clock with perpetual Calendar mechanism

as described in Britten's handbook

 

In Britten's handbook there are no technical dimensions and details, many times I felt like a Sherlock Holmes figuring out how to do it.
Beneath the wheel that turns once a year and the center I made two equal wheels, they move the long hand in the center.
In one year this hand moves anti clockwise through the images of the Zodiac showing the position of the Sun
.
Will the perpetual mechanism work as intended, I don't know just have to wait and hope, time will tell!
(Perhaps some adjustments to the date wheel have to be made)


 

 

 

Engraving for the Clock face

 

 

And the engraving for the Equation of Time

 

 

Building the perpetual mechanism

 Front side 

 

 

 

Rear side with date wheel
( The date wheel turns once in four years, it has deep notches for the months of February, one of them is less deep
and is for the leap year, the other shallow notches are for the months with 30 days)

 

 

  Front side with hands for Sun - Equation of Time - Days of the Month - Days of the Week - The Month and Zodiac signs

 

 

 

Some parts for the front side

 

 

And some parts for the back side

 

 

The kidney shaped disc turns once a year 

 

 

This disc turns once a year and moves the hand for the equation of time

 
 

 

This spring gives a constant pressure on the pin that pushes against
the kidney shaped disc

 

This disc at the rear side turns once in four years
(the contra weight is on the photo at the wrong side of the pin)

 

 

 

The levers for the month, week and date wheel

 

 

Every wheel has a steel bush in the center

 

 

This wheel carries the Moon disk

 

 

Moon disk

 

 

 

 

The lever has to be moved by hand - once a day - so this part had to be very sturdy
(It would be possible to use a 24 hour clock but I decided to do it in this manner)
(The two rvs plates are made from an old broken soup spoon)

 

 

 

 

Stars for the Zodiac

 

 

 

Milling of the Stars with the Lathe

 

 

Photo without the glass

 

 

 

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