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Publications
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| German
clock carvers cuckoo for their crafts (Pittsburgh
Tribune-Review 08-31-01) |
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By Carla
Mastowski
TRIBUNE-REVIEW |
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You
might say Rudi Fehrenbach goes a little cuckoo over his work.
The 66-year-old native, from Schonach, Germany, has been a
cuckoo clock woodcarver for 52 years. And at age 29, his son
Bernd Fehrenbach has been a chip off the ol' block, carving
right alongside Dad since he was 5.
The pair will bring their years of talent and wooden creations
to the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in Mt. Pleasant Township this
Labor Day weekend for the Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts Colonial
Festival.
The Fehrenbachs will offer an array of hand-carved clocks
with intricate details, some with music, and all with finely
skilled talent. While both father and son have 3-year apprenticeships
under their belts to learn the basic skills of woodcarving,
Bernd Fehrenbach said there must be something more to create
a masterpiece.
"You must have the skills to carve something, but you must
be a little talented to be able to do it," he said. "If I
would have been totally unskilled and untalented in this craft,
I wouldn't do it."
Both talent and skills have driven Fehrenbach to carry on
the family tradition, which began with his grandfather, Johann
Fehrenbach, who worked as a joiner. Bernd Fehrenbach earned
a degree in product engineering, which he says helped with
marketing skills, speaking English and the economics of being
self-employed.
The work may be done piece by piece, all by hand, but Fehrenbach
said today's technology is hard to resist - from a marketing
standpoint. He has created a Web site to sell his and his
father's wares. At www.clocks-online.de, viewers can browse
an array of clocks and e-mail the Fehrenbachs with purchase
inquiries. Fehrenbach said he hopes to add a feature next
year that allows customers to buy directly online.
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But
when it comes to making the clocks, the Fehrenbachs do it
the old-fashioned way.
"The difference between making something with your own hands
and manufacturing a product is that you can see your own self
and talent in the clock," Fehrenbach said. "Every woodcarver
has his own style and when you see your style in something
you have made, it gives you a good feeling."
Fehrenbach said he usually makes about five to 10 copies of
each style of clock. He said while each may look the same,
a closer looks reveals a uniqueness in each piece. Starting
with the case and movement pieces made by a clock maker, the
Fehrenbachs begin work on the front piece. According to Bernd
Fehrenbach, it can take anywhere from two days to several
weeks to complete a clock, depending on size and detail. Prices
range from $100 for a 10-inch clock to $2,000 for a bigger
one. Features include music and movement. Clocks are made
on a one-day or eight-day time movement - the time it takes
before it will need winding.
In addition, Bernd Fehrenbach and his father carve stag heads,
barometers, smoking men and nutcrackers. Bernd Fehrenbach
said his favorite piece is a 20-inch clock, which sells for
a little over $1,200, featuring a carved boy and girl, who
resemble the Hummel figurines.
"The clock strikes, the cuckoo comes out and it plays a song.
At the end, the boy and girl are kissing," Fehrenbach said.
"It's my best seller. I call it my `woman's clock.' They just
love it."
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Rudi Fehrenbach and his son Bernd display two of the cuckoo
clocks that will be for sale at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds
over Labor Day weekend. 
One of the clocks carved by Rudi and Bernd Fehrenbach
that will be on display at the arts and crafts festival
at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds. The figures turn their
heads and kiss when the clock strikes the hour.
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