Not quite lava - anyone collect MasterCrafters clocks?

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/clt/602506069.html

It's one of their rain lamp clocks, probably built in conjunction with Creators' Co. This is the rectangular plain model - plain meaning gold rather than textured gold, no mill-house, and a plain finial instead of an eagle. Wiould be a perfect spot to put a statue or figurine. These are well-built rain lamps with an electric clock, and I believe they have a separate switch for rain and light. Been a while since I used mine.

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

The rolling ball clocks are fun. Mine is an Arrow... but it drops or throws balls fairly often. Clocks are another of my collections. MasterCrafters (onyx swinging-girl wall clock, Starlight, Eternalight, Action Starlight, rain lamp) cuckoo clocks and miniature German novelty clocks, and some unusual ones - Golden Hour, Suspense, Arrow ball clock, Brandt six-man clock etc.

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

I agree on the Action Starlight. There were other colors: I've seen Action Starlight bottles in two shades of pink plus red, medium blue, yellow and emerald green.

I'm mot sure that the cat clock was originally called Simone - I understand that to be a nickname they acquired, but I could be wrong. They were produced by Spartus, and originals are electric. I'm not sure, but the reproductions may be quartz/battery like the repro Kit Kat Clocks. Oak Tree Vintage often sells both new and vintage of them. Unlike the Kit Kat with its side-to-side eye motion, the Spartus model's eyes have lids with long eyelashes that move up and down as the tail swings. Nifty clocks, especially in black-and-white or orange tiger stripe, (as far as I know) the original finishes.

[medicated goo]

"Golden Hour" desk/mantel clock

What do you folks think of this one? I grew up with one in my grandpatents home and was always intrigued by the cool mystery design-- the "floating" hands with no obvious mechanism to turn them. This little fella needs some TLC (re-wiring) but no biggie..

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Simple: Yeah, Golden Hours are excellent clocks! They keep good time and mystify your guests. It's fun to hear people guess about how they might operate. Don't read further unless you want the clock fanantic's information flood. And if you want to keep guessing on these, don't read past the warning.

The Jefferson Golden Hour is based on a whole succession of clock designs, previously of Leendert Prins of Holland, also made in the 20s by a few firms, all of which are based on mystery clocks of this style built by the famous French clockmaker and illusionist, Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin (after whom Houdini took his stage name). It is 24k. gold-plated and has luminous radium-painted numbers, hour indices and lines on the hands.

The Golden Hour is the basic model. Others, varying in rarity, include: the Exciting Hour, a Golden Hour in silver-tone with blue numerals; the smaller Golden Minute, with a different base and black numerals; the Golden Helm, a Golden Minute with eight ship's wheel spokes and hook-and-anchor hands, with blue numerals; the Golden View, a Minute-sized dial on a sleek, curved wooden base of either mahogany or blonde wood, making a minimalist camelback clock; and the Suspense, which hangs the hands (on a plastic disc) from a sprocket chain, which attaches it to a motor at the top of the open, box-like frame. Numbers are on a glass plate in the rear.The Golden Secret uses a different operating principle, with the hands mounted at the tip of a thin, curved shaft that appears to support no method of drive. They hang at the center of the dial ring, an open, rounded square.

They're all excellent clocks, very reliable and intriguing as displays. Most people seem to assume that the hands are somehow pulled by hidden magnets. My personal collection includes a Golden Hour, Golden Helm and a Suspense, all showy and all quite accurate.

For those who have solved the mystery, there is an "advanced class", so to speak: MasterCrafters' model 209 "Fantasy" adds a twist. The clock is very similar in design to a Golden Hour, save that the face is rectangular! If you know howthe Jefferson clocks operate, this will throw a wrench in your ideas...

A competitor to Jefferson, Haddon used a different idea. Their clocks had the numerals etched or printed on the glass. The minute hand was connected to the drive gear in the rim by a short wire at its tip, and stationary reduction gearing mounted to the center powers the minute hand. Their Nautical model, the Commodore, has etched sailboats, waves and birds on the glass. Many of their models had backward-slanted faces, and some had a light in the base that shines on the wall behind the clock. There are many variants: Golden Vision, Golden Visionette, Sun Gold'n Hour, Special Vision, Golden Secretary (with pen mounts and thermometer) etc. The Titan is a large pocket watch-shaped wall clocks on the same principle, with lights; the Golden Wheat is a backlit Sunburst clock with a mystery dial; the Golden Charm is a knockoff Suspense. Their Southwind model has a tall, trapezoid-shaped frame, with all four sides bowed inward, coming to points at the corners. Like the MasterCrafters "Fantasy", the hands have no connection to the rim, but the glass on this model has numbers and ferns on/in it. It uses the same operating principle as the "Fantasy". The Haddon Lighted Hour places the hands on a metal capsule attached to a tall, thin metal rod, which stand inside a lentil-shaped dial consisting of two convex glasses and a metal ring. This clock has a Golden Hour-like base and a light. The Sundial Time model has a faceted dial ring with hours and minutes marked, and a pointer shaped like a sundial gnomon which revolves to tell both hours and minutes.

---------------For those who don't want to know how these operate, stop reading here---------------
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The Jefferson "Golden" clocks, except the Golden Secret and Suspense, contain an electric motor, which drives a toothed wheel, ring-shaped, mounted in the dial rim. The single glass plate is glued to this ring, and revolves with it at 1/60th rpm, to drive the minute hand which is attached to the glass by friction. The hour hand needs reduction gearing, but as the single glass plate rotates, there is nothing stationary to attach to - thus, its gearing is held on a small counterweight behind the dial, which keeps it upright. Setting the time is simple: one sets the minutes first by turning the minute hand. The hour hand will automatically adjust itself. Then, the counterweight can be flipped by hand to set the correct hour: flip it counterclockwise to advance the hours, and vice-versa.

The Suspense uses the same hand arrangement and rotating dial, save that the dial is a plastic disk driven by a bead-chain hung from a sprocket gear on the motor, which is mounted at the top of the frame. If your Suspense loses time, buy a new chain (they're available online) as they can stretch.

The Golden Secret's curved support post contains a flexible drive shaft. It uses the same hand arrangement with counterweight, set in the same manner.

The MasterCrafters Fantasy uses three sandwiched dial plates: two glass, with thin plastic between. The plastic rocks side-to-side twice a minute, advancing the minute hand using pawls and a ratchet gear. The Haddon Southwind uses the same principle.

The Haddon Lighted Hour powers the hands via a drive shaft in the metal rod holding the hands' support.

The Haddon clocks spoil the illusion by connecting the minute hand to the dial ring with a thin wire. This rests against the motor-driven ring gear, which has a knurled edge to hold the wire. The reduction gearing for the hour had is mounted to the glass. To set one, press the minute hand gently against the dial and rotate in either direction. DO NOT attempt to set the hour hand separately - rotate through the hours with the minute hand until you reach the correct time. The Sundial Time uses the same principle but with a single hour hand, set the same way you set the minute hand on other Haddon models.

-----------------------------End clock fanatic information flood-------------------------------------

[medicated goo]

Hey thanks man, the knowledge you possess on this topic is phenomenal!!
This is great to know more of the background on my grandpa's old clock that I inherited......

[Manix5]

Looks like one is up on Ebay now. Bidding starts at $189.99
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-MASTERCRAFTERS-LAVA-STARLIGHT-MOTION-CL...

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

That's Model 434, the "Magic Lite". A single oil glitter tube in front of a curved reflector, a very showy little clock. Hope someone who loves MasterCrafters, glitters and/or novelty clocks grabs it. And please, don't try to refill it - the liquid in these is not nasty like Perc-filled ones, it won't eat the glitter. These are best left as-is, as they don't "go bad" and there's no nicer glitter fill for slow, gentle action. The liquid (I don't know about toxicity, but it has no dangerous fumes) is thick and oily, and I believe the glitter to be extremely thin aluminum leaf.

Attached: Action Starlight with blue liquid. Very rare are the colored ones. I've seen gold, pink, rose, red, medium blue (shown) and emerald green, as well as the common clear.

[Manix5]

When I was a child, I remember my Grandmother having one of the SWINGING PLAYMATES clocks. I'm pretty sure it was working when we sold her estate. It's one of those things I wish I had held on to now. Any idea of the years this clock might have been made? Here is a picture from an Ebay auction. It is the same clock my Grandmother had.

[Jonas Clark-Elliott]

Most of the MasterCrafters motion clocks date from the mid 50s onward. The Swinging Playmates was an early clock, available as early as 1951. Their first model was the swinging girl, which used the same case as the Magic Lite. Here's a list of models I know of - these are those for which I know the model number. Any motion will be noted. "Flickering ____" denotes that a tiny, flickering orange neon bulb was placed somewhere on/in the clock. "Light" denotes 7-watt night light bulb(s). Most clocks with lights had an on/off switch for the light, which did not turn off the motor-driven motion. Name in caps denotes known model name. Model numbers were sometimes re-used - the one I believe to be earlier will be listed first. Variants are in parenthesis.
47 - ACTION STARLIGHT. Glass face, does not light up. Flanked by two glitter tubes with lights. (Multiple colors of glitter liquid available. Two different numeral styles for face)
110 - Plastic bowling pin.No motion.
119 - SWINGTIME. Swinging girl with light. (Marbled Brown or marbled green Onyx Tenite case - two different backgrounds known: farmhouse and ranch house)
119 - Swinging girl on porch of cottage, flickering porch light.
119 - FIRE ENGINE. Side view, red and gold with flickering light in boiler.
137 - LANTERN. Silver and black brakeman's lantern with flickering light. (With or without wire bail)
146 - STARLIGHT. Illuminated square glass face with star. Has light.
209 - FANTASY. Rectangular "mystery clock" with hands floating on glass face. No light or motion.
209 - TRAIN. Front view, black and silver train engine with flickering headlamp.
227 - SWINGTIME. Wall model swinging girl with light. (Marbled Brown or marbled green Onyx Tenite case)
245 - Gold plastic "bowtie" case, vertical, with moving gold pendulum in window below dial.
254 - WATERFALL. Swingtime type case with moving waterfall projected onto plastic sheet. Marbled Brown Tenite, with light. Action not visible when light is turned off.
263 - Blacksmith (May be called VILLAGE SMITHY). Gold plastic "bowtie" case, vertical, with blacksmith scene in window below dial. Blacksmith hammers at anvil as forge flickers. (Scene variants: Full body blacksmith with detailed scene in color; Waist-up blacksmith with simple scene in color; Waist-up in all gold)
272 - FIREPLACE. Flickering fireplace in Swinging Playmates type marbled Brown Tenite case with light. Gold plastic surround with flowers/fender screen, andirons. (Gold log or brown log)
281 - OLD MILL STREAM. Rectangular rain lamp clock with wrinklepaint "gold nugget" finish and gold foil/black rubber trim. Gold eagle finial. Cottage with revolving mill wheel, turned by flowing oil. Switch operates both light and pump.
308 - Copy of basic model Jaeger-LeCoultre Atmos, with revolving pendulum. Limited production.
326 - EMBERS. Gold plastic "bowtie" case, vertical, with animated printed fireplace scene in window below dial, with light.
335 - Swinging bird with light. Swinging Playmates style case with white birdcage front. (Marbled Brown or marbled green Onyx Tenite case)
344 - WATERFALL. Swinging Playmates type marbled Brown Tenite case with motion lamp-like animated scene of flowing waterfall and burning campfire, with 3-D trees surrounding scene. (Green-brown, dark green or medium green trees)
426 - TOASTY. Toaster with toast that rises and falls. (Avocado, possibly also Silver or Copper)
416 - ETERNALIGHT. Same idea as Starlight, with circular face, curved base and curly star. With light.
434 - MAGIC LITE. Swingtime type marbled Brown Tenite case, glitter tube with light and curved reflector. (Red, orange or silver reflector)
452 - Clown. White plastic "bowtie" case, vertical, with multicolored clown in window below dial. Clown waves hand, nose flickers. Face has multicolored spots around numbers.
470 - PERKY. Coffee pot with black handle. Flickering light in clear percolator top. (Gold, silver or copper)
515 - Golfer. Gold plastic "bowtie" case, horizontal, with full-color scene in window on right of dial. Golfer swings putter. Golf ball and crossed clubs on dial.
524 - INFINITY MIRROR CLOCK. Square faux-wood case, gold-encircled dial with ring of white lights in front of mirror, domed mirror in center behind hands. Creates "infinity tunnel" effect.
551 - SWINGING PLAYMATES. Boy and girl on swings that oppose, one swings forward as the other swings back. With light. (Marbled Brown or marbled green Onyx Tenite case or brown plastic case with gold highlights. Tenite cases have white surround and fender like Fireplace, with multicolored flowers; Brown/gold case has gold Surround with gold flowers)
560 - Church with lighted scene in door. Pastor pulls cord, and bell in steeple swings. Often missing Cross atop steeple. (White or gold case; with or without internal bell that dings once on hour and half-hour)
641 - Football. Gold plastic "bowtie" case, vertical, with full-color football scene in window below dial. Player moves arm with ball, throwing a pass. Green dial with footballs at 3-6-9-12.
722 - Ship captain at wheel, with map behind dial. Captain's pipe flickers.
740 - YANKEE CLIPPER. Wooden ship with chrome sails. Ship's wheel spokes around dial. No motion or light.
740 - Antique auto. Front view, black and silver plastic, with flickering headlamp.
830 - POT BELLY STOVE. Flickering light in coal door at bottom. (Black with gold, or white with silver)
911 - HAPPY TIME. Black and silver. Drunk leaning on street clock, moves arm to drink from a bottle. Flickering lamp post.
920 - MERRY-GO-ROUND. Swinging Playmates type case with light and revolving merry-go-round, with four riders and ticket-taker. Translucent multicolored canopy and candy-striped center pole. Red-and-white surround and fence. (Marbled Brown or marbled green Onyx Tenite case. Variant may have had wind-up music box)
A11 - LUNAR LANDER. Dark blue plastic "bowtie" case, vertical, with lunar lander scene in window below dial. Astronaut holding American flag moves arm as fire under rocket flickers. Dial has moon surface photo in center and moon capsule at tip of second hand.

Unknown model numbers:
Rectangular rain lamp clock with greenery in base. Smooth gold finish. Acorn finial.
Round rain lamp clock with greenery. Smooth gold finish. Table or swag models.
Round rain lamp clock in shortened version of "antique bronze" plastic Creators' Inc. rain lamp.
Unknown model clock. Pump in base fills tubes molded into plastic circle flanking face with orange liquid, one at a time, alternating sides, before filling up center of face. Liquid then drains in reverse order. Rectangular black plastic base with motor-driven accordion-bellows pump. Any further information on this clock is wanted!

Two replicas of the model 344 WATERFALL were produced in the 80s in Taiwan. Both have octagonal dials and grapevines with grapes surrounding waterfall scene, with electric motor, light and switch. Gold plastic model with bright green leaves has quartz clock. Brown plastic model with dark green leaves has electric clock and red switch on back.