Rocking Ship Clock - the Ship

The rocking ship was designed to pivot about its center point so that it would rock in the opposite direction of the waves. The ship would be mounted using a "straight" pin through a hole at the ship's pivot point and then into the back frame.

An attempt was made to keep the ship's center of gravity coincident with the pivot point while it was being cut out. While close, it was not close enough and the ship would lie on its side The ship needed to be balanced like a car tire to minimize the effort required to rock it. The end result of adding a balancing weight was not perfect, but it was good enough so that the ship was balanced and had a only a slight tendency to right itself. Ideally, the ship would be balanced and maintain its orientation in any rotation. Otherwise the ship trying to right itself would add an extra load on the clock.

A small diameter brass tube was glued to the back frame with about 1/4" protruding from the front. A "straight" pin was used to mount the ship on the back place, but the ship was free to rotate on the pin. The pin was bent back and forth to create a friction fit and hold it in place within the tube.

About 3/4" of the brass tube extended out the back.

Here is the ship mounted. It is nicely balanced and sits parallel to the back plate, and you can see how it engages with the crutch extension.