IMPROVEMENTS IN LEVER ESCAPEMENTS FOR WATCHES OR CLOCKS OR OTHER HOROLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1884

page_text: Other Horological instruments.
I, JOHN LECOMBER of 12 Mount Pleasant Liverpool in the County of Lancaster,
Watch Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN LEVER ESCAPEMENTS FOR WATCHES OR CLOCKS OR OTHER
HOROLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS," to be as follows:-
In clock work for waste water meters, and other mechanism used in damp
places, and in watches worn in the tropics during the rainy season, the works are
apt to stop owing to rust collecting on the arbors and other parts, also from the
fine springs rusting in part and breaking. There is also another ovil very prevalent
now, namely, accidental magnetization of the spring, lever, or other part through
its coming into the field or course of an electric current.
I have therefore engaged in a series of experiments to find out some way of
avoiding these evils-My invention overcomes both of them. It consists in forming
the entire lever escapement of non-oxidizable or difficultly oxidizable metals. The
metals I prefer to use instead of steel are for the various parts.
Pallet, pallet pinion, pallet staff, lever and roller, brass or bronze.
Pendulum spring,―silver.
Balance staff, brass with gold pivots, the latter hardened as much as practicable
by drawing and afterwards burnishing without annealing. These pivots are
sarawed into the brass staff

page_text: other Horological Instruments.
I, JOHN LECOMBER of 12 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool in the county of Lancaster,
watch manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of my said invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN LEVER ESCAPEMENTS FOR WATCHES OR CLOCKS OR OTHER
HOROLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS and in what manner the same is to be performed, to
be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
In clock work for waste water metres and other mechanism used in damp
places, and in watches worn in the tropics during the rainy season, the works are
apt to stop owing to rust collecting on the arbors and other parts, also from the
fine springs rusting in part and breaking. There is also another evil very prevalent
now, namely accidental magnetization of the spring, lever, or other part through its
coming into the field or course of an electric current.
I have therefore engaged in a series of experiments to find out some way of
avoiding these evils. My invention overcomes both of them. It consists in
forming the entire lever escapement of non oxidizable and unmagnetizable or
difficultly oxidizable or magnetizable metals or alloys.
Roferring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan, Figure 2 a side view, and
Figures 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, enlarged details of an escapement made in accordance with
my invention Like letters refer to like parts in all the drawings.
a is the platform, 6 and 6¹ the cocks, a the balance wheel, & the balance staff,
e the hair spring, f the roller, g the lever, h the pallets, i the pallet staff, j escape
wheel, lo escape pinion, pivots, m regulator, and n one of the banking pins.
k
i
Figure 3 is a section through balance wheel c, and balance staff d. In this
figure the pivots 1 are shown screwed into the staff d, and may be composed of one
metal or alloy, the staff d being composed of different metal or alloy. The pivots
and staff may be composed of one or other of the following metals or alloys, viz,
iridium, platinum, gold, silver, copper and tin, or any combination or alloy of the
same, but by preference an alloy of 9 parts gold, 1 part silver, and 14 of copper, or
3 parts gold, 3 parts iridium, and 4 parts platinum, with or without the addition of
nickel, cobalt, chromium, or paladium or an alloy of gold, silver, and copper, hardened
as set forth in the provisional specification, or for cheap large work hard tough
bronze may be used, and the proportions of the said alloys may vary materially
without very materially altering the usefulness of the alloy.
Figure 4 is a section through balance wheel c, showing balance staff d, formed in
one piece with its pivots l, in this case the staff and pivots are composed of one or
other of the before mentioned metals or alloys.
Figure 5 is an escape wheel; and pinion k, made of brass or other incorrodible
metal or alloy.
Figures 6 and 7 are side views and plan of lever g, pallets h, and pallet staff i
composed of brass, or other incorrodible metal or alloy.
The pendulum spring can be made of silver. In the above specification, I have
used the word incorrodible in its widest sense, and as meaning not easily oxidising
(as iron oxidises) by air and moisture. It must not be understood as meaning
absolutely unacted on by air, moisture, carbonic acid etcetera.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1st The manufacture and use of lever escapements for watches or clocks or other
horological instruments, formed of practically incorrodible metals or materials,
substantially as described.
2nd The manufacture and use in lever escapements of staffs, the main bodies of
which are formed of one metal or alloy, the pivots of another metal or alloy being
screwed into the body of the staff, by which means a cheap metal can be used for
the body, while a finer or more costly material is used for the pivots.
3rd The manufacture of lever escapements for watches or clocks or other
horological instruments, formed of practically unmagnetizable metals or materials,
substantially as described.