Success
I'm declaring success for Compact CLock 16. I am delighted to have completed this project and proud that I have a clock to show for my efforts.
I'm writing this for anyone who hasn't built a clock and is wondering if it is a good idea for you.
I started with zero knowledge. Never saw a 3D printer until a friend gave me his son's leftover Creality Ender 3 Neo printer -- very slow. A month later I was still sturggling with first layer adhesion. (Now, I can't get the parts off the bed until the next day.)
All I knew is that I saw StevesClocks.com and I wanted to print a clock.
Now, I have a box of some 29 leftover gears in three color schemes, a few dozen spacers, an extra back frame, two spare front frames, and five times as many failed parts.
I suffered a major setback when I took the clock for a car ride. I stopped working. So I started reprinting the replacing parts. My guess is that I heated/bent the back frame which did irremediable damage to the geometry.
Two months later, reliability increased and I was finally felt like I would reach the goal.
I got a bit creative. I chose the 3mm carbon fiber rods for the pendulum and made a "tempus fugit" fob cover. TinkerCad skills are basic, if not primitive, but I was able to modify three of the gear (2,3,4, 6) with a decorative "hoop" between the hub and the gears. They look great. Hoping the added mass won't drain too much energy once I install them.
To amuse my wife I will make a pumpkin and then a turkey cover for the fob, a double decker fob to look like Frosty the Snowman. Then ChatGPT will help me adjust the mass on the pendulum.
That's slightly beyond my current ability. To annoy a coworker I will turn the spare weight shell into R2D2 some day in the future.
I'm gratified by the entire experience. I don't plan to build the huge rolling ball clock, but this has been worth the hundreds of hours i invested in learning a new technology. Especially valueable was fighting through the bent frame. That's where I learned the most. I have a huge respect for the subtle and clever engineering that went into this clock. Simplicity is a great accomplishment. And for Steve's dedication to these clocks.
Thank you for your kind words, all around. For the record -- Frostly the Snowman is being printed so I can effectively shorten the pendulum weight by shifting muass "up." WHy do something so silly? Becasue the 40mm long carbon fiber rods put the bob out of adjustment. I don't know how or dare to cut the carbon fiber -- after all the warnings. So, shift the mass upwards and hide it behind Frosty. I'm a total amateur. I see the recent posts of Clock 17 in Art Deco and I'm kind of embarrassed.. But, when Frosty prints I will such up my courage and show it.