by Jean Caff

This remark from my younger son David set me thinking. What could I make for a boy? When my grandson, Tom was born I asked the late Lawrence St Leger to make me a brass working bracket clock inscribed with Tom’s name and date of birth. Then among the many items sitting on a shelf awaiting my attention, (we all have them, don’t we?) I found a Sid Cooke clock-case. 

Inspiration struck! I could make a watchmaker to go with the clock. 

Having decided on a mahogany stained case the next step was to give the impression of a cellar workshop. The concealed stairs were completed and put in place followed by the false wall.

The timbers were given a coat of button polish and then finished with black boot polish. 

The plasterwork is good old Polyfilla. The chest of drawers and workbench were made by ‘yours truly’. The watch- maker doll was a kit. To get the correct position of the hands I gently nibbled the porcelain arms down to the wrist with a pair of small pliers and inserted a pipe cleaner. This gave more versatility to position the hands in a realistic fashion. 

Two small watches were taken apart for their bits and pieces and the workings placed in the watch- maker’s hand and on the workbench. He was then given a ‘Grampy’ hair-do using very fine flock mixing black and white together. 

To add some fun to the scene I had a cat chasing the mouse, the dog waiting patiently for his walk and a creepy spider on the wall. The cobwebs were made of teased cotton wool coated with PVA and dusted with cigarette ash. 

The oil stove and bench lamp had a hole drilled in them and a grain of wheat bulb inserted. The ‘Certificate of Excellence’ hanging on the wall was designed and printed by my niece, Mitch.