The volume on the phone's mike was turned up too high and the acoustics of the room (all hard walls) makes it seem louder than it really is.

Me too.

One had better be wearing gloves, not a fingerprint is allowed.

Thank you. I really like to share the work that the builder has done. I had only a hand in the overall design and guidance, but Buchanan was the man who actually built this machine over a fifteen year period (twelve full time). I am a blessed man to have been able to meet probably one of the only people who could and would do this and have the resources to support it. There are few people who can say they have had their dream actually built without compromise.

The user winding tools for the Astro-skeleton clock were made from Mammoth ivory, maybe just a little more acceptable in your judgmental view. There is nothing like the feel of ivory in your hand. Glad you missed the other three large cabinets I have with ivory carvings, don't want to upset you too much. If it makes you feel better, I have ceased collecting ivory twenty years ago.

The clock was built in Australia and was commissioned by me in the USA. This is now where the clock is located.

Yes the moons for Jupiter and Saturn are accurate. Also all the planets with elliptical orbits are accurate and have dials in French silver that show their aphelion and perihelion in millions of kilometers, mks and astronomical units, AU. Of course Saturn has its accurate tilt from the ecliptic, but also the planets of Mars and Jupiter have their minor tilts accurately depicted. The main dial is hand painted Chinese enamel with kiln firings for each color. The bezel in gold plate. You can follow the entire project here: www.my-time-machines.net/astro_index.htm and the page where the video was is here: www.my-time-machines.net/astro_07-19a.htm. Check out the demo video here: www.my-time-machines.net/astro_07-19.htm. Keep working at it, you are young and can achieve this and more if you are willing to get there.

@@MarkFrankclocks Mark, I was going through your website, and I have to ask... is that seriously a giant elephant tusk that is on your coffee table?? 😢

I know of Martin Molin's Marble Machine and he has communicated to me on my creation. His machine is very popular partially because he has to physically interact with it to play the machine. It is visually and mechanically complex. The visuals are more eye catching as flying marbles are not something one often sees, and, of course, there's the music! This machine, (I will try to be as unbiased as I can), has a different level of refinement as the parts are small and numerous at 8000. It is also all done in metal which is a more difficult material to work with. The finish is high quality with a mixture of gold and silver plate. It also took a lot of research into astronomy and its implications to translate 71 astronomical functions into mechanical representations. A lot of the machine was first created in mock ups made of plastic to test concepts before metal was cut. It took 12 years to build plus design time.

There are many examples of complex clocks beginning in the 14th century. Their work is superb and decoratively unmatched even by today's standards. It simply took the builders a lot longer to make unless they created a consortium (which was almost always the case). One man rarely has all the skills needed to build a monumental machine. Another wonderful machine, not a clock, but the fastest calculator in the 17th century by Muriel in 1859, do give it a look. In chronological order, noteworthy clocks are: Giovanni Dondi, Italy, 1365-1381, 16 years, one man, skeleton Eberhard Baldewein, Germany, 1563-68, 6 years, several people Phillip Mathias Hahn, Germany, 1739-1790 Johann Georg Nestfell, Germany, 1757-1763. 6 years, skeleton Marie Antoinette clock, Abraham Louis Breguet, 1783, 44 years, Musée d'Orsay in Paris Antide Janvier, France, Chef d’ Overe, 1789-1801, consortium, 12 years Paul Pouvillon, Nogent-sur-oise, France, 1918-1939, 21 years, one man, skeleton Daniel Vachery, France, 1938-1967, 29 years, one man, partial skeleton Rasmus Sørnes Clock, Norway, 1946-1966, over 20 years, one man, skeleton Jens Olsen, Denmark, designed over 50 years, built 1944-1955, 11 years, by consortium of 10 people, skeleton Hans Lang, Germany, 1986, one man Türler, Switzerland, 1986-1995. 9 years, commissioned by Franz Türler, designed by Dr. Ludwig Oechslin; built by; Jörg Spöring, skeleton. The clock stands 2.2 meters or just over 7 feet in height. It contains 1.2 tons of brass and 251 wheels on 155 pinions. Astronomical Skeleton Clock, 2003-2021, actual build time 12 years, one man and commissioner (me).

mark

Mark Frank

It has a brass trimmed case.

Me too.