Safe arrival! Yesterday I got a picture from the recipient of my latest tabletop piece, confirming that it arrived in Australia unscathed! Quote from recipient: “I think it would have survived a small IED the way you boxed it up.” Clock #2 for this client. Lucky guy!

New clock available for purchase on my website! www.ericfreitas.com/shop/twisted...

New clock finished! Here are some preliminary photos. I have something special in store for the final photo set. #clockmaking #horology #sculpture

All sculpted and darkened. Time to make some hands! I’m having a lot of fun with this design. It’s leaning into my usual decayed organic thing, but this one has a lot of nice movement to it. I should be finished with it in a week or two! #clock #horology #goth #steampunk

Finished! After months of work, I’ve finally completed my first tabletop piece. This one took a bit longer than I expected, but it was worth it. I’m really happy with the way the inlaid “Six” and “12” worked out. I might have to incorporate that look into some future projects.

Finished dial markings! Next I’ll be making the hands, but first I need to answer a question. Originally I’d planned on having my often used, tattered and weathered paper treatment for the dial. But I’m kinda liking the way it looks metal-on-metal. Decisions decisions….

Getting close now. I’ve finished the back plate assembly, along with the rolled piece in the center. The whole clock body is finished, and I’ve applied the patina to all of it. Now I just need to make the dial and the hands.

Taking shape! Piece by piece I’m carefully grinding away. There’s a stack of six layers that make up the front part of this clock. I’ve finished sculpting the front two layers, which make up most of the visible details. #clock #calligraphy #clockmaking #horology

The framing around the numbers is starting to take shape. Can't wait to put the patina on this one. All that depth is gonna look great once the lows are dark and the high spots are popped. A lot more to sculpt first though. #clockmaking #timepiece #steampunk #calligraphy

My latest mechanical project now has hands! I'll be working on the new tabletop clock exclusively for the next month or so. In the meantime I can run this one, test it's accuracy, and have another working clock in the house. #horology #clockmaking #calligraphy #pieceunique #timepiece

I’m back! I’ve been away from the workbench for a couple weeks, but I’m back at it, carving away at the new one. I started with the fun parts, which to me are the Six and 12. I've also made hands for my new mechanical piece. I'll post those tomorrow! #clockmaking #calligraphy #metalsculpture

Update on the new tabletop piece - Assembly is 99% complete. Just need to fasten the drum to the interior lip so it doesn't lift up at the top there. Next step is to grab the rotary grinders and make these flat pieces into a 3D sculpture. #clock #timepiece #clockmaking

For my next piece I’m trying something a little different than any of my previous work. Assembly has begun on my first tabletop clock. Or is it a mantle clock? I think the name changes depending on where you put it. Everything is fitting together nicely so far. Should be a fun one! #horology

New clock part, fresh out of the acid drip. I’m slowly working away at this mechanical piece on the side. Anyone familiar with old english lettering will spot the way bottom of the number 3 completes the old english T.

New Clock! This one will be boxed up and sent to Australia. Fun fact - Australia is top three for most frequent landing spots of my work. Great taste on that continent. #clockwork #horology #luxurytimepiece #customtimepiece #pieceunique

Just the hands, face, and paper trimmings remain. The finish line is right around the corner! If you’re interested in commissioning a clock of any kind, there’s currently only about a four month wait. Finished pics soon! #clock #horology #timepiece #melancholy #gothic

Back at it! I was away from the shop for a couple weeks, but now I’m back at the bench happily working away on the newest quartz piece. I’m just getting started on the sculpting part of the process. Excited to see this one take shape! More soon. #clock #calligraphy #sculpture

Turn, thread, drill, assemble. The latest quartz piece is all put together and ready to be sculpted with the grinding tools. More soon! #clock #calligraphy #sculpture

One of my favorite concept drawings uses this mechanism. I thought it was time to cut some (a lot of) gears to test my math, and make sure everything works as it should. It’s a little crude, but certainly adequate for a mock-up. #horology #grandcomplication #astronomical #tellurion #clockmaker

Road Trip! Last week I rented a large SUV, and drove from Michigan all the way to Seattle to deliver “Perpetual No.1” to its new home. The scenery was absolutely stunning! iPhone pics can't come close to capturing it. #roadtrip #clockmaker #horology #grandcomplication #perpetualcalendar

New Gears! I just finished carving up the gears for the mechanical clock I’ve been working on. They’re all balanced and ready to put back into the clock. #clockmaking #gearmaking #horology

Cutting out the gear spokes for the mechanical clock I’ve been working on. Next I’ll start sculpting the spokes with the rotary tool to make them more three-dimensional and organic. #clockmaking #gearcutting #horology #pieceunique #HandmadeClock #wallclock

Last week my air conditioner broke, and while it was being repaired I couldn’t work in the shop. I decided to take my drawing supplies up to the dining room table and scratch down some quartz clock designs. Here’s what I came up with. #clockmaking #conceptsketch

New quartz clock on the way. Time for something a little different - My first tabletop piece. It’s actually kind of surprising to me that I’ve never made one before. Should be a fun one! #horology #clockmaking #metalwork #sculpture

Design for a tellurion clock, which shows the spin of the earth, it's rotation around the sun, and the moon around the earth. This would be a fun one if given the chance to make it! #horology #grandcomplication #pieceunique #clockmaking

New clock finished! This is a redux of a clock from a very long time ago, which was simply titled “Quartz 8”. Enjoy! #clockmaking #romannumerals #horology #metalsculpture

The new quartz clock is all carved up and the patina is applied. Next step - Hands & face. #clockmaking #romannumerals #metalwork

Carving away Yesterday I finished adding the curves, twists, and gnarl to the first numeral. Giving my Foredom a workout as usual. On to the "III". Hoping to finish this piece next week #sculpting #brassclock #clockmaking #romannumeral

All cut out and assembled! If you follow me, you’ve seen this pattern before. Draw, saw, drill-tap-thread, assemble. My little jewelers-saw and my screw-threading jig have certainly seen some miles over the years. Next up...sculpting these parts into something pleasingly un-flat. #clockmaking

New quartz clock on the way The design is set, and cutting has started. I decided to saw this one out by hand, rather than CNC. I like using the hand-tools from time to time. I figure it's also good to stay in practice with the old jewelers saw. More soon! #clockmaking #jewelerssaw #sculpture

There’s a new heartbeat in the shop! The new mechanical clock had its first pulse yesterday, and was ticking away through the night. This is always one of my favorite parts of creating a mechanical clock. Next I get to spoke & sculpt the gears! #horology #clockmaking #timepiece

The frame is finished! The holes in the plates were carefully drilled to accommodate the clock-train, along with the holes for the pillars that hold the main plates together. Then the pillars were turned and tapped, the plate screws were made, and voila! Starting to take shape now!

Yesterday I used the lathe to thread the barrel of the new clock. This clock will get its energy from a weight that's wound around a barrel. That barrel is threaded so when the clock is wound, the line will neatly follow the grooves, and doesn’t get crossed or tangled.

Polishing away Most of this steel piece was quickly shined up for aesthetic reasons, but the tips that interact with the escape wheel needed to be a perfect, geometrically accurate mirror-finish. A slow, methodical process. Thank you headphones! #clockmaking #horology #timepiece

Fun with salt lava! I can’t think of a better way to hang out in the Michigan cold than next to a 1500° vat of molten salt. Yesterday I fired up the salt-bath kiln to harden some steel parts for the new clocks. Next step is to start polishing. Like...lots and lots of polishing. Maybe forever.

Today I'm cutting a 40 tooth ratchet-wheel for a new mechanical piece I've been working on. #clockmaking #horology

The new quartz clock is finished! This one got a pretty big response, even before I finished it. It looks like my time with it will be limited to just a few days, because this clock has already been spoken for. #clockmaker #steampunk #sculpture

New piece on the way! I've been working on a new quartz piece over the last couple weeks. This one is a more compact design than my last quartz clock, measuring just 16", but it still packs a lot of detail. I'm putting the finishing touches on it now. Finished pictures soon!

"Twisted Twelve" - 2017 Really happy with the way the gears turned out on this one!

Stills from the video of "Th3". This piece is small compared to most of my mechanical clocks, but it's one of my favorites.

This is one of the smallest mechanical clocks I've made, but it's one of my favorites. I like the design, the mechanism is simple and reliable, and the ticks sound really nice. #clockmaker #skeletonclock #handmadeclock #sculptor youtu.be/k9FkAbYW3ck?...

"Mechanical No.7" - 2011 This one is from very early in my clockmaking endeavors. I really took the creative handcuffs off and went for it with this design. While it's a little rough mechanically, it still works quite well, and is ticking away in my workshop. youtu.be/H0jzO01eXNc?...

Here's a link to a youtube video of “Perth”, which was completed in 2023. At the end of the video you’ll get to see the perpetual calendar mechanism in action, as it jumps from February 28 to March 1. youtu.be/YuNqitBZ5Q0?...

“Perth” - 2023 This piece currently resides in Perth, Western Australia. It features a moon-dial, and a perpetual triple-date mechanism, which can mechanically display the correct date, accounting for the varying days in each month, including February and leap year.

If you’re curious about how I make my clocks, here’s a video of “The Grasmere Commission” with some process footage mixed in. Enjoy! #clockmaking #sculpture youtu.be/Ta4juCUpgsU?...

Back in 2021, after a lot of brass, labor, and love, I completed “The Grasmere Commission.” This is my first post on BSKY of this clock, but it won’t be the last. There are lots of photos of the many details throughout the clock. There’s also a video that I’ll link sometime. #clock #art

My latest piece, hot off the workbench. www.ericfreitas.com/ericfreitasb...

First post on bluesky! Here's a good place to start. A little montage video giving you a sampling of my style. More coming soon! youtu.be/_eyz4A4vHOY?...