Posts Tagged ‘handcrafted cuckoo clocks’
As time goes on, I’ve noticed that there are so many different kinds of clocks these days; there’s enough to make your head spin. Excluding watches and digital clocks that are on every single new-fangled device that’s out there, there are grandfather clocks and wall clocks, desk clocks, and clocks for pretty much every area in the house. They come in all shapes and sizes and every house has got them.
I’ve personally always opted out of fancy digital alarm clocks or hokey novelty clocks. The clocks in my home are exclusively hand made cuckoo clocks. I like having clocks that I know were made carefully by hand rather than in a factory somewhere, I think it adds a bit of extra elegance to my home.
Mom and Pop Shops
I started working at a used bookstore over the summer; it’s in an interesting part of town where there a lot of little neat mom-and-pop shops of different varieties. There aren’t really any chain stores in sight, at least for the small block where the stores are located at. I kind of like that because it feels like it adds a bit of uniqueness and charm to our town.
There are a lot of nifty little stores in the area. For instance, the antique shop next door has a lot of handcrafted cuckoo clocks and other interesting and unique items. There’s also an independent video game store, which I’ve found to be really quite rare, as well as a comic book shop in the area as well. There are a lot of places that really adhere to people with certain kinds of collections.
My Grandfather The Craftsman
My grandfather was a brilliant craftsman. He could make anything out of wood. Grandfather was building things since he was in his teenage years. He started off making cabinets and then evolved to more unique pieces of work.
He started making hand made cuckoo clocks when I was about twelve years old. The detail was exquisite. It was the most interesting thing to watch. I could spend hours just watching him work on the clocks. He would put special little touches that made it even more special. It was brilliance in the making.
Route of the Clock
Believe it or not, cuckoo clocks are a big tourist attraction in Germany. Black Forest cuckoo clock enthusiasts can take a 300 kilometer long scenic route through the forest. It passes by Triber, Furtwangen, St. Margen, and Eisenbach.
The town of Furtwangen in particular is important to the history of the Black Forest cuckoo clock. Furtwangen’s clock museum has a global reputation. It stores the largest collection of old German clocks, a collection that’s rooted in the clock-makers school established in the town in during the 19th century. It was the school’s first headmaster, Robert Gerwig, who urged people to collect old hand-carved clocks.
Holiday gift idea
Shopping for the holidays can be a pain. No one wants to stalk people coming from the stores just to find a parking spot. Not to mention the crowds of irritable shoppers all vying for the same games and latest gadgets. Besides, you want your presents to your loved ones to be memorable. You want to give them an item they can cherish that won’t become obsolete within a year.
A cuckoo clock is an excellent gift choice. It’s decorative so it can serve as an art piece and it’s functional. Did we mention whimsy? There is definitely a lot of whimsy associated with cuckoo clocks, especially musical cuckoo clocks. You can purchase intricately carved and painted cuckoo clocks that play short musical interludes on the hour or half-hour, depending on your preference. Figurines that dance, drink beer, and chop wood along to the music are sure to bring joy and laughter to the recipient.
Address Your Vertical Surfaces!
When it comes to home interior decorating, people tend to think about the horizontal aspect of a space much more than the vertical. In other words, what goes on the floor in terms furniture, lamps, and accessories comes before we think about the walls. But in truth, the walls are often one of the first aspects of a space people notice, and other than the television, probably the most likely place our eyes will drift. It’s important to address those vertical surfaces with paint, wall borders, and wall paper. In addition, artwork is a great way to draw together the room, so make sure you have posters, framed pictures, or even wall scrolls to improve the visual aesthetic. And don’t forget practical items as well, such as decorative one day cuckoo clocks or ornate antique mirrors.
When you have gorgeous walls that draw attention, you’ll be amazed how often you and your guests will no longer be focusing on the furniture. You’ll be liable to receive more comments on your walls than all the objects on the floor.
Crafted to Perfection
While telling time is certainly the primary function of a clock, this is not their sole purpose. They are also used as decorative items anywhere in your house. When clocks are purchased for the dual purposes of style and functionality, they tend to have classic designs, such as hand made cuckoo clocks.
Handmade clocks are generally crafted with painstaking detail and have intricate details. They are suited to your every need and taste. You can put these clocks in the dining room, kitchen, living room or even your bedroom. The clock you choose can say a lot about your personal style, so choose wisely.
It’s About Time for a Good Gift
My husband’s parents had just bought a lake house and they were hosting a small housewarming party. I had always hated these parties because I never knew what to bring. Most people gave plants, wine or flowers, but I thought those gifts were cliché. After all, I was a leader, not a follower.
Their new house was decorated in cabin motif. You know, exposed beams, rough wooden walls, old-fashioned furniture-that sort of thing. I took a chance and decided to get them a wood cuckoo clock. It was rustic looking and I thought they would appreciate it. The rustic look of the wood clock fit perfectly with their decorating motif. It turned out they loved it! Apparently their neighbors have been hounding them ever since to find out where they got it.
The Manufacture of Cuckoo Clocks
Manufacture of cuckoo clocks begin in the hands of the wood worker. Like the architecture here in Barcelona, they are masterful artists. The craftsman selects the pieces of wood to be used for the particular clock and cuts them to the approximate lengths and shapes he will need. Power tools and hand tools are used for this part of the process; hand tools may include measuring tools, saws, rasps, and files for shaping, drilling tools, abrasives including sandpaper, and adhesives and clamps. The box-like case or cabinet for the clock works is cut, fitted, and glued together.
The outer frame, the decorative part of the clock featuring the traditional forest and chalet scene, begins with a stenciled design on paper. The craftsmen make and collect sets of stencils based on their own drawings and those that have been handed down. The sets of stencils are made for specific sizes of clocks. After choosing the stencil for the size and style of clock, the wood worker draws the design on the wood and begins carving and shaping the frame. When the frame and the case are complete, both are stained and left to dry. Handcrafted cuckoo clocks are definitely pieces of art.
When the frame and case are dried, the clock is assembled by first mounting the movement in the case. In the old days of village manufacture, the craftsmen who carved the wood and assembled the clockworks probably lived in the same village. The clockmaker poured and handcrafted the internal workings of the clock himself and assembled them. Today, manufacturers buy preassembled clock movements, and the process is reduced to fitting it in the case and properly fixing it in place with wood screws or other fasteners.
More tomorrow on the sound making devices.
Handcrafted Cuckoo Clocks – are you a fan?
There is one style of clock that hasn’t evolved much over the past few hundred years, and they are handcrafted cuckoo clocks. They still have the swinging pendulum, the pipes that count off the hour and sing the call of the little coo coo bird. The parts have changed a little, but the essence remains cemented in the style of the original clock made in the mid eighteenth century. There are two types of cuckoo clocks. One is an eight day clock that cuckoos every hour and the other is the one day cuckoo clocks which cuckoo every half hour.
Most handcrafted cuckoo clocks are made in the Black Forest of Germany. There are over a hundred clock makers there and many have been there since the beginning. The styles have changed to meet the trends of the time, but several of the manufacturers of the Black Forest cuckoo clock keep with the tradition of hard carved, ornate facades of the originals. There are other cuckoos from around the world and they include the Chalet cuckoo clocks from Switzerland. These are recognized by the deeply sloping roofs and figurines that move when the clock sounds. Most popular are the axe man and beer drinker. The coo coo is replaced by these figures and music plays instead of the cuckoo. Time marches on … but the cuckoo clocks continues to stand tall.
Do you have a favorite?