Talk:Hornsby Water Clock

Should be added to water clock article in Wikipedia

Hornsby Water Clock should be added to water clock article in Wikipedia — Preceding unsigned comment added by 118.211.210.239 (talk) 20:55, 3 January 2019 (UTC)

Need better photos

I'd be thrilled if someone can provide better photos than those I took in the middle of an overcast day - get some with early morning or late afternoon sunlight to give it more color and warmth plus some blue sky. I'd do it myself but I'm in the US; I took these pictures on my last visit in December 2007. I didn't realize till now that I missed details of the Chinese water wheel clock and the mechanism that controls the pontoon location. If you've got a better photo, just overwrite mine.

Also, I don't understand the operation of the Chinese clock. The description on the plaque isn't clear to me even though I'm an engineer (or maybe because of it)!.

Thanks. Any help appreciated. Peter4Truth (talk) 01:59, 31 May 2009 (UTC)

Reference to 'Big Ben

I would like to point out that the reference to "Big Ben" is not entirely correct, "Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north-eastern end of the Palace of Westminster in London. The correct name is, "The Clock Tower"

I hope this isn't too picky - Terry Hanna —Preceding unsigned comment added by Twhanna (talk • contribs) 12:33, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Email from the sculptor

I sent an email to Victor Cusack on the day this article appeared in the "Did you know ..." section of the home page to let him know that his work had been recognized on Wikipedia and to ask if he had any suggestions for improvement. I was delighted to receive his response in which he said:

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"The script[text] seems very complete and quite accurate to me, with possibly the following comments.

1. All the sculpture was done by myself, and the work is actually a sculpture rather than a water clock or mechanism (something that often happens, but it should be referred to as a sculpture and my main role as the sculptor). I happened to also do the engineering and cast it in my own foundry, which I started primarily to cast this and other earlier commissions of mine, works that mostly exist in Sydney. Rex Feaks is (still is) an old friend who I trained in the casting techniques and hired as my foundry floor manager. He was a located in the Flemish Tower in Sydney's 'Rocks' area.

2. I was paid $536,000 of the total cost for the sculpture and it's cast structure, the rest being in pond and pumphouse construction by others. I actually lost $50,000 in the process, but that is all history.

3. The big pendulum clock is actually the same time cycle as Big ben but with more than twice the counterweight, and it does keep accurate time f adjusted properly. It was tested over a two months period and was accurate within 90 seconds. The weather has virtually no effect on this heavy mechanism.

4. The main problem it had, other than the originally bad filter design by others, was that I used 12 mm thick toughened 'armour' glass for the three pendulum clock dials, having been assured by the glass company that it would not break ever because it was bullet proof. Over the years, the dials have progressively shattered, the last on about 3 months ago, which is 16 years after original installation. they were progressively replaced by carbon fibre dials which I am told are more indestructible, so we will see. The sculpture is completely built from non perishable materials that will last for a thousand years with a little maintenance.

5. The clock didn't operate except as a fountain (with spilling water) for nearly 4 years, through no fault of Hornsby Council (or myself). Westfield shopping centre paid Council a $1M bond to be allowed to remove the sculpture, destroy the pond, build a shopping mall under it, rebuild the pond and replace the sculpture, but they stuffed it up by refusing to follow my advice. As a result, the sculpture water feed pipe around which the whole floating work rotates, cracked and allowed enough water to escape to cause it to cease working. It became a legal argument with Westfield refusing to acknowledge they were at fault, Hornsby having eventually to fix it themselves, and then fight with my help to get the repair cost back. I am delighted to say after some years of assisting Hornsby Council get the money back, Westfield last week paid out $90,000 to Hornsby Council to recompense them for Westfield's sloppy construction and engineering work (civil engineers in a hurry don't make competent mechanical engineers).

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Unfortunately, I can't include the details of payments, construction problems and difficulties with Westfield in the article as it isn't verifiable anywhere else on the internet though I did clarify Rex Feaks' involvement. It will have to remain here for the moment. Peter4Truth (talk) 01:15, 15 June 2009 (UTC)

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