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Preparing for shipping and the development of the Operations Manual - June 2022 This month the clock is being prepared for shipping. Buchanan has also created a set of videos to help me unpack, reassemble and set up the machine.
Second, if an inspection is required by authorities they can see and test it, say for explosives, drugs, etc. without having to touch the metal. This avoids damage as well as fingerprints. The entire cage is bolted to solid 1/4" aluminum plate. That plate is then floated on rubber shock absorbing material. A set of videos was made to show exactly how to unpack and remove the cage. The next photo is the second crate containing an additional thirteen small crates that contain the various complication modules and other pieces that will have to be reassembled upon delivery.
Here the main crate is being readied for final assembly. Note the white board in the background and the arrow pointing to the last inscription that reads "PARTY". There is a sense of relief that the project after so many years is at last finished!
Early in the morning of June 14, 2022 the two crates are loaded onto the truck and driven to the international shipper near Sydney. The second photo shows the box in the shippers warehouse being moved to its appropriate location. It will soon be on its way to the United States. Operations Manual Buchanan sent a
complete set of videos for unpacking and reassembly as well as instructions
as to how to set up the clock to coordinate all the complications. Section
one of the Operations Manual shows the assembly and use of
the carry frame and initial setup of the main body of the machine with seven
videos for the unpacking of the main crates (not shown). There is also
another set of video vignettes on how to assemble the clock upon arrival
found in section two. Section three describes the installation of the
clock's complication modules. Section four has a set of video vignettes that demonstrate
what is illustrated in the Operations Manual and is keyed by letter A
through N. I used these videos and explanations to create the fifty page Operations Manual
for the machine (further editing is still in progress). This information is invaluable for one to be able to
unpack, rebuild and set up the clock upon delivery.
These video screen shots below, AA though N show how to set up the various astronomical and time systems of the machine. These make up section four of the Operations Manual under the chapter titled: Setting up the Astronomical skeleton clock.
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The main crate with the clock is shown in the first photo. Notice the
careful way the main machine is packed. It is surrounded by a steel cage
that has clear plastic on all sides. The plastic performs two important
functions. First it keeps any dust and particulates off the machine. Every
crate is filled with particles from the sawing of the wood to the packing
materials. If the artifact is not somehow protected, either with a plastic
surround in the case of a larger machine, or in a plastic bag for a smaller
item it will coated in a layer of dust. I have learned this lesson the hard
way.
