Mike's Clock Repair

In for repair is a Gilbert Banjo clock.  The clock was in good condition given the age of the clock.  The lacquer on the wood finish was starting bubble and the glass on the bottom rectangle of the clock has been replaced.  The original glass is usually a picture of tall ships with sails.  This glass physically looked new and was clear.  Click this link for a history of the Gilbert clock company.

Yes, it is bent!  This was an interesting repair because there was a number of things the clock movement needed.  Here is a picture of the pendulum leader.  The adjustment of the leader worked to put the clock "In-Beat" but not a recommended adjustment.  Notice the radical bend in the leader:

Below is an image of the repaired leader   


The movement was dirty with very thick/old oil around most of the lantern pinions and pivots.  Upon further inspection there were 13 pivot holes that were worn.  There were a few that were very worn.  Check out these two videos showing the wear.  Vide…

In for repair is an American Waterbury tamber time and strike mantle clock.  A nice looking mantle clock This clock was made around  the 1920-30's.

Waterbury manufactured many clocks.  This one is a Boise model as seen by the label on the underside of the clock.  The 12922 could be the serial number of the clock:
The problem is obvious with this clock, the time mainspring broke.  

What is not obvious to this clock was any residual damage to wheels and pinions resulting from the mainspring breakage.  This damage will not be known until the movement has been taken apart.   Luckily, there was no damage to wheels and pinions of this clock.  
The hardest part of this rebuild was removing the movement from the case.  The rest of the rebuild was very much routine.  After a few minutes, the movement was removed and the work commenced.
There were 10 pivot holes that were warn.  The movement plates are made of steel.  Most clock plates are made from brass.  This was a cost cutting technique…

In for repair is a New England Company grandfather clock.  This clock is a German bin ban style striking clock.  It does not play one of the many standard chime clock melodies.  The movement is a Urgos movement.  Two weight chain movement.

The unique feature of this grandfather clock is that the case comes apart into 3 pieces.  The top section houses the clock movement.  The next section is the throat where the weights are located.  The bottom section is basically the base that gives it height.  To properly repair this clock the top section was obtained along with the 2 weights and the pendulum. 

Follow this link for a brief history of the New England Clock Company.

The customer stated the clock would not run.  Upon removal of the movement, it was found that there was excess wear in many of the pivot holes.  It was recently oiled.  A little too much oil was applied.  The repair of this movement included a complete rebuild of 10 pivot holes with bushings, pivots checked and polished wh…

In for repair is a German wall clock movement only.  The time side runs but the strike train gets hung up because of bent trundle wires on the 3rd wheel lantern pinion.  This image shows the bent trundles: There were 3 bent trundles.  To repair this, the top shroud had to be lifted to remove the trundles in question.  Here is a picture of the wheel in the split stake tool. Tapping the shoulder of the arbor causes the shroud to lift, creating space for the trundles to be removed.  Here are the bent trundles removed. And the trundles after straightening.  Notice the size of these wires. The repaired lantern pinion. This picture was taken before the wheel was ultrasonically cleaned.
This picture above is of the back of the movement. 6 pivot holes were warn oblong and new bushing installed. All the pivots were tested and polished where needed.  After all work was done to the movement, all the movement parts were ultrasonically cleaned with hi-grade clock cleaning solution.  Pivots were a…

In for repair is an Ansonia kitchen clock with alarm.  Below is a picture of the clock as it was brought into the shop. 
A nice looking clock.  Basically in good shape.  The wooden case was dry and the face showed a little wear.  This clock was made about 1890 showing a patent date of June 18,1882.  Click this link for a brief history of the Ansonia Clock Company.  These kitchen clocks before the 20th century were usually made of oak.  After 1900 most clocks were made of pressed wood making unique designs.  The pre-1900 clocks were called "Oakies".  These kitchen clocks usually had a label on the back of the case.  This label identifies the model of  the clock.  Unfortunately, the label on this one has worn off.  There are similar case styles like the "Beaver", "Australia", & the "Amazon" which have similar characteristics but the cases are very different.  The similarities include Roman numerals and nickel trim with a nickel pendulum.  The …

In for repair is a Seth Thomas 89 movement.  Follow this link for a general history of the Seth Thomas Clock Company.  To properly repair this movement requires specialized tools to disassemble, repair bushings, polish pivots, and in this case rebuild a complete pivot.  More on this later.

Here is the movement as it was received:
Front Back Notice the bell and strike hammer are missing
The mainsprings were clamped so the power is taken off the gearing.  This is done for easy disassemble and to accurately ascertain the condition of the pivot holes.
Here is a short video showing how much wear was in the pivot holes .
These next two images are again the front and back of the movement.  There are 14 pivot holes that were sloppy and egg shaped that are in need of repair (bushings).  The holes have been marked with a RED marker.

Diagnosing a repair with the movement together shows almost everything that could be wrong with the clock.  Every once in a while, a discovery is made that is not ex…