Hi all - FIrst flip clok in my life Copal 702

[Georgi]

Hi all. I came here as some of the videos on you tube were from flip clock fans.Never had a flip clock before. Born in 1990 we had Sony radio alarm clocks with the red numerals when i was little kid. Always been fan and have a collection of watches, especially japaneese ones. Have a Casio woodpecker alarm clock but never had a flip clock. Now that i have one, i am i love more than ever.
For a while I wanted to buy at the least 2-3 different flip clocks. 722, 601 and 702 for sure (mainly for the glass and aluminum body, no plastics)
After waiting for the right one, a bronze 702 came for sale on ebay for $185 with best offer . I did offer $100 and seller accepted - YES
It is working. Alarm works too. It has very little cosmetic blemishes and it is really dirty. This is ok for me, I will clean it up.
I watched the video for disassembling it and also for oil the motor. And also the night light is very dim. It is not the way it should be. Dimmer than normal dim.
The green light on the left works too.
Maybe i will try to see if it keeps time and will then maybe open it up or if someone professionally knows how to tune it up - let me know, i can send it
Also i have 1 question. If the alarm is on and starts buzzing - I snooze it and then it comes back in few minutes, this is normal, right? I think i have to switch it off from the back to shut up

this is the picture and on porpoise has flashlight so it can bring up the dust
First time my wife saw it - she is intrigued by it.
Georgi,
Chicago

[flipoclock]

Welcome and congrats on the Copal clock! I know which one it was that you bought, I had seen it. The seller is known on the forum and there have some not supergood experiences with that particular person, but I am glad that it worked out well for you. Surprised that they took your (sort of) low offer, but good for you!

[Mackey]

The seller is known on the forum and there have some not supergood experiences with that particular person

Maybe he's turned over a new leaf.
This was a good price for this clock. And It's one of my personal favorites too.

[Georgi]

And It's one of my personal favorites too.

Main reason for buying the clock was your video - thank you. I love the fairy tale music background on the video. I usually buy a lot of vintage and collectible treats and always look for something overbuilt or top of the line. I read somewhere here that the 702 might be a halo clock. Since only premium materials were used they may had little or no profit of it at all back then.

Thanks for the neon bulb info "Engineer". I tested the clock for half a day and it keeps exact time - good sign. I will open it up and let you know what i find inside. But from the look of the screws it looks like it was opened before. Some of them have small traces of the screwdriver being there. So i would bet it was either repaired or for maintenance. Will let you guys know
Thanks

[Georgi]

I think I gave it a name - "Bronzie"
Alright. There are good news and bad news.
Bad news is only 1 - Bronzie stopped working ;(
Good news are a lot.
Watching the video of how to disassemble it I followed one rule I used to neglect - take your time and do not force anything. Give it few touches and it will come out alone. So I did
Bronzie for sure was repaired of some sort. I noticed modern electrical tape on and around the switches for the alarm buttons and mechanism. Picture below





Bronzie was incredibly dusty. Took an hour with small painters brush to dust it off and even took the time to gently wipe off every single tile twice, just to remove all the grime that has accumulated over time. I think now it is so much better knowing its clean inside. I am sure over time the rest of the dust will come around again but will clean it again if needed.

Once I slowly removed the mechanism from the case, walking it slowly without binding on the alarm indicator or the seconds wheel I powered it up. Started right up and in about couple of second it stopped.... I was shocked. Started to look around if I broke something but I did not. I think it is important to say this was BEFORE I attempt to clean it whatsoever. Switched it on and off again and still nothing. I could see the motor wheel moving with snail speed. Gave it a few spins with a finger and now is was much harder to move than before. I wonder if from removing it and rotating it side to side to remove the screws I may have introduced the accumulated dust on to the shaft or bearing. I mean it sure did have more than plenty of dust inside the case.
The bulb was blackened but still works

Another thing I noticed that Bronzie was probably an updated or "later" clock. LOL Looking at the video and explanation - the side panels have tabs which were maybe shared with another model and they were held just by the screws rather than those tabs. Looking at Bronzie's serial number (101084) it appears to be higher than the one on the video (74091) which makes me guess they updated the mold of the plastic and now they are just smooth and no tabs. Also it says 3 Watts rather than 6 Watts. Go figure








I mean just look at it. Such a beauty. The glass seems almost invisible. The shape of it and also the color gives it a "stance"
So today the happiness was short lived - Bronzie worked good for half a day and now it's not. Maybe that is why I should not attempt to fix stuff that I don't know. But most definitely this will not be my only flip clock. I want a smaller, a bigger and a wall flip clock in the future.
I did make a photo of the two watches I think it does reminds me of.
The "Goldie" Pulsar P2 that was made in December of 1972 (selling in 1973, same as the 702) and it was priced as some Rolex models. It has this look of "Goldie" and "Bronzie" that nothing around it is shaped like that. The second one is Grand Seiko. Very overbuild watch and looks modern, retro and futuristic at the same time. Same as the 702. Pictures make no justification

[flipoclock]

Interesting about the tabs, I had not noticed that before, thanks for pointing it out! With regard to your clock stopping to run, from your description, it sounds like a worn 1st gear unfortunately. It is fixable, but will require some work, digging and a new gear of course! Good thing you paid no more than 100 USD!

[Mackey]

Interesting about the tabs, I had not noticed that before, thanks for pointing it out! With regard to your clock stopping to run, from your description, it sounds like a worn 1st gear unfortunately. It is fixable, but will require some work, digging and a new gear of course! Good thing you paid no more than 100 USD!

I'm not sure, but I think Georgi may be describing the need for oiling of the motor instead of a gear problem.

Have you oiled the motor? I have a video about that explaining why it's needed, but you just need a drop of oil on the axle and some spinning.

Just a side note. The 702 seems to have been a late to the game clock, kind of wrapping up the decade of the flip clock prominent in 1979.

Copal 702 flip clock 02 May 1979, Wed The Newark Advocate (Newark, Ohio) Newspapers.com

[flipoclock]

You could be right about that (the repair, I mean), I read it again and I think I read it too fast the 1st time :-)

[Georgi]

Very cool newspaper ad.
Thank you very much for the suggestions
Looking on videos how a oil and non-oiled motor runs - I would guess it need oiling. But sort of like it happened or was bound to happen. I think with a lot of machinery in general when they are not used for a long time they tend to crash shortly after they run again. I mean the videos on you tube and the forum here is about all the information I can and ever did get about flip clocks. I do not know anybody around me that ever talked about flip clocks..so
I may attempt to dip Bronzie's motor side in isopropyl and oil it. It seems very doable. Then I dont have the right oil. Even if I buy it, it still needs a new bulb. So i might bring it to a professional

Also do you know why my version, that is clearly the US version, has 3 watt motor rather than 6?

[Mackey]

view on YouTube

Somehow Georgi's flip clock ended up in Flip Clock Fans Studios!
I've used it as a tutorial on oiling the motor and replacing a bulb.

[Georgi]

Thank you very much. This clock is now forever throned on the internet and may never or not soon disappear.
great video and well made

[Georgi]

I was able to fix the broken tile real easy with the baking soda + super glue method. Very satisfied