As you know I prefer the ability to remove the calendar plate, or in this case the Wandering Moon plate and its mechanism, without interfering with the running of the clock. The escape wheel which is independent and Co-Axial with the seconds arbor and rotating at different rates on the Sidereal movement must be all the way forward to intersect with the pallets, in previous versions of this clock I was able to use the front plate to support both arbors. However as this Sidereal movement will have the addition of the Wandering Moon complication and a Sidereal Time/Civil Time conversion train to drive the Wandering Moon this movement now has 3 plates. Naturally I want to be able to remove the 3rd plate with the Lunar mechanism from the movement and not interfere with the running of the clock. To achieve this and to have the escape wheel forward where it needs to be I have designed and fitted 2 separate cocks, one for the escape wheel front pivot, the other for the seconds front pivot. I made the seconds cock the same height as the inner face of the 3rd plate then cut the plate to accept the seconds cock and simultaneously profiled the outer portion of the cock to match the serpentine shape of the plates. Descriptions; Co-Axial escape arbors1; Top view of the 3 plates, the upper 3rd plate will be home to the Wandering Moon and the Sidereal/Civil time conversion train. The 3rd wheel is shown driving the seconds arbor which is under the uncrossed 1st wheel in the sidereal conversion train. The shaft with the brass collet is for the escape wheel. Co-Axial escape arbors 2; The 3rd plate has been removed to show the two cocks supporting the escape wheel/seconds arbor. Co-Axial escape arbors 2a; A side view of two cocks with the top plate fitted, the gap between the cock and the top plate is visible each side of the upper cock, I have also made the cock 0.2mm lower than the upper for safety clearance with any part of the . Co-Axial escape arbors 3; The upper cock for the seconds arbor has been removed showing the seconds shaft passing through the hollow escape wheel arbor. This arrangement is very rare to find in a clock. David
