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Interior Design & Decorating Information
The ABC of Being a Good Interior Designer
It may seem that all you need to be a good interior designer is a sense of aesthetics and a flair for design. That is a good start, yes, but it gets you about five feet forward in terms of your career. The first thing to do is to turn a latent, in-born talent into an effective tool. Just because you can figure out what looks nice and what doesn?t does not make you a good designer or decorator. You may know how to use light and colour, how to synthesize architectural elements with design details and how to integrate space and design, but that is about five percent of the work. Most of the real work begins when you come to the execution.
Black Forest Cuckoo Clocks
Known for its harsh winters, its many local artisans, and an abundance of hard woods unique to the area, Triberg in the Black Forest is the prime location for the production of cuckoo clocks. Even today, most of the world?s supply of cuckoo clocks still comes from Germany, mostly from the Black Forest area. There are imitators out there but beware ? if it?s not from Germany or Austria it may not be a high quality, hand-carved cuckoo clock.
Where to Find Cuckoo Clock Parts
In some places, one might be able to find old men bent over tables with all of the knowledge, expertise and inventory of parts that are necessary to fix a broken or malfunctioning cuckoo clock. For those of us who don?t have the time or desire to seek out such eccentric craftsmen, the Internet has become a haven for locating and purchasing any of the hundreds of individual minute pieces that make up a Black Forest cuckoo clock. You may find, however, that purchasing small replacement parts and having them shipped to your house is more expensive than the total cost of replacing your worn cuckoo clock with a new one.
Finding a Cuckoo Clock Repair Service
Weights hanging from the bottom of your cuckoo clock keep it running smoothly and accurately. Some cuckoo clocks have two weights and some have three. Since the internal working parts for these two types of timing mechanisms are different, the prices for repairing them will be different no matter where you go or who does the work. Since cuckoo clocks can be purchased for prices ranging from as little as $39.99 for mass produced, discontinued or used items, to as much as many thousands of dollars for pristine, well maintained older versions by acknowledged craftsmen, you should take into account the value of your individual item before you attempt to have anything repaired.
The Value of Antique Cuckoo Clocks
As cuckoo clocks have been around since 1730 and have always been manufactured by gifted artists and skilled craftsmen, many of the older pieces that have been even minimally cared for are still in existence today. A well-preserved cuckoo clock from the 18th or 19th century can bring a king?s ransom at any of the prestigious auction houses around the world. Bidding can easily get up into the millions for a certified, pristine Schneider cuckoo clock in perfect working condition. Available in auction houses and high-priced boutiques around the world, antique cuckoo clocks are prized for their hand carved scenes, whimsical displays and attractive facades.
The Benefits of Quartz Cuckoo Clocks
Unlike windup cuckoo clocks, which require rewinding every one, two or eight days before, quartz cuckoo clocks use a more modern timing mechanism, drawing power from batteries and running continuously until the batteries run dry. Battery cuckoo clocks run for approximately one year on a new set of batteries give or take a little, depending on the type of battery used and the amount of animated movement built into the clock. Obviously, moving one small bird in and out of it?s little house once an hour is going to take a lot less battery power than moving a small group of animated characters in a moving scene out of their housing, around to the front of the clock, sounding the cuckoo noise, playing the accompanying music, and moving them all back inside again as often as every half hour, as is the case with some ornate clocks.
A Look at Cuckoo Clock Movement
The inside mechanics of cuckoo clocks maintain virtually the same design since the day they were first created in the Black Forest of Germany. While the parts are now sometimes made out of metal and plastic instead of the all wood versions that started it all, the weights and counterbalance mechanisms that help them perform accurately and to imitate the sound of the cuckoo bird have not changed much in almost 300 years. A mechanical movement run by weights that hang from the bottom of the clock drives the action of most cuckoo clocks. Most clocks have three weights, while some larger more complex versions require three weights hanging from the front of the cabinet. They are commonly in the shape of pinecones and must be pulled periodically, depending on the model. Spring-driven cuckoo clocks never really caught on and subsequently are quite rare.
What You Should Know About Cheap Cuckoo Clocks
There are cuckoo clocks available for people with all kinds of decorating or collecting budgets. On Ebay you?ll find cheap cuckoo clocks priced from $9.99 to thousands of dollars before the bidding begins. Obviously, if a clock is hand carved, very old, and in good shape, it will end up bringing in lots of bidders who cruise the listings looking for bargains. If it?s a mass-produced, relatively modern piece of equipment you may end up snagging an enjoyable, delightful, accurate and cheap cuckoo clock for very little money.
How to Build Your Own Cuckoo Clock
Of all the various kits available from hobby stores and websites across the Internet, cuckoo clock kits are very rare indeed. Why is this? Two reasons: one is that as simple the cuckoo clock?s design may seem (after all, it was invented in 1730), it is actually very complicated and can only be replicated by masters. Minor defects in construction will render the movement meaningless with regard to telling accurate time. There is then the added difficulty of the simulated cuckoo sound.
The Value of Antique Grandfather Clocks
These days, everything from ovens to telephones silently mark the minutes in glowing red and green letters, rendering the ?tick tock? of the mechanical clock increasingly unnecessary. Digital clocks might be more convenient and accessible, but they will never hold our affection the way a good old-fashioned round-faced clock does.
Building Your Own Grandfather Clock
Timeless and elegant, classic and stately?grandfather clocks are all of those things. They are also rather expensive, with heirloom-quality grandfather clocks costing upwards of $10,000, making them inaccessible to much of the population. However, with just a little bit of money and a lot of do-it-yourself spirit, anyone can own a grandfather clock.
Contemporary Grandfather Clocks
The name ?grandfather clock? instantly conjures up images of a dark, musty room, grandpa sitting in his rocking chair, smoking a pipe. Curls of woodsy smelling smoke drift across the room as his faithful old clock strikes the hour. Though the name grandfather is definitely old-fashioned, the clocks aren?t. While much of their technology is a reflection of the earliest clocks, the styles have evolved through the years.
Grandfather Clock Repair
A well-made grandfather clock is an heirloom piece, designed to be handed down from generation to generation. As such, they are made to last over several lifetimes. In fact, some grandfather clocks from the 1700s and 1800s are still in existence today. With such a long lifespan, it is inevitable that grandfather clocks will occasionally need repair.
Getting a Grandfather Clock at a Discount
Whether it is a basic bong-bong-bong or a thrilling symphony, the sound of a grandfather clock faithfully chiming the hour is music to the ears for many people. However, the high price tag makes the clock strikes flat for the majority. Most people are simply unable or unwilling to spend thousands of dollars for a clock, no matter how beautiful or rich-sounding. However, these people do have alternatives.
The English Grandfather Clock Tradition
Like the storied countryside of England, grandfather clocks from that country are rich in history and tradition. The first known pendulum clock was made in 1656. Grandfather clocks got their name in 1875 from a song by Henry Work. Grandfather clocks are also known as longcase or tallcase clocks.
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