"The Clock Fixer"

In for repair is an American Kitchen Clock.  The initial report is that it ran great and all of a sudden stopped.  Could it be the clock needed just a general oiling and adjustment?  In this case not.  Initially the clock was setup and ran to test first hand what the customer is experiencing.  Yes it ran for a day with no problems but the 2nd day stopped and stopped again.  The escapement did not release, no ticking.  Something is defiantly wrong. Upon removal from the case and examining the mechanism closer it was found that one of the wheels had badly warn lantern pinions trundles.   The arrow points to the wear.  The shroud on the left side was lifted and warn trundle pins removed.  New pins were cut from pivot wire. and installed One problem resolved.  Further inspection of the mechanism showed a very badly warn pivot.  The wear was so bad the diameter could not be turned down.  A new pivot needed to be rebuilt. T...

In for service is an 8 day Seth Thomas mantel clock.  The clock came in for a periodic wear inspection, oiling, and adjustment.  The case had veneer chip damage and needed dust and dirt removed.  A nice coat of high grade wood oil was then applied.  The mechanism was surprisingly a very nice early Seth Thomas 8 Day Parlor Clock Movement model 5 3/8.  The clock was made between 1853-1865 by the stamp on the plate " Plymouth, Conn ".  The clock factory was located at this location during this time period. A look at the entire mechanism with the face and hands removed. The case had care and adjustment instructions written on the case.  The image below are directions for setting the clock up. The lettering is very small and hard to read.  On the left side of the gong are instructions on how to oil the clock mechanism.   The text below is what is written: Place the Clock in a perpendicular position. Oil the pallets or ends of the part commonl...

In for repair is a modern Hermle Skeleton Wall Clock with a Mechanical 8 Day Passing Bell Strike Movement. A simple mechanism with some heavy issues.  Upon initial observation the clock was dry and dusty.   After further inspection it was evident that the clock has gone thru a partial disassemble and a not so good reassemble process.  There were two very badly bent pivots and the strike mechanism arbor was dislodged from it pivot hole. The arrows above shows the pivots misplaced. This image shows the 4th and escape wheel pivots.  Very badly bent, not sure if they could be bent back true. 4th wheel Escape wheel The pivot on the 4th wheel was able to be repositioned straight and true.  The escape wheel pivot not so much.  This pivot cracked when carefully being straightened.  I did not have much hope for this one. The pivot had to be replaced. This picture shows the new fabricated pivot. This picture shows the wheel mounted on my Sherline lathe...

Unusual repair of the week is a cuckoo clock in a box.  Here is a picture of the clock as it came thru the door.  Every piece of the clock was separated.  Note the face, mechanism, back door, bellows, bird, chains, hands, case, weights were all neatly packed.  Fortunately most of the pieces were all there.  Missing pieces were the horns, pendulum, and top bonnet. The clock mechanism is a Regula 34-L 8 day cuckoo clock movement.   First action taken was to verify that the clock mechanism was working properly.  There were two mechanisms supplied.  The original mech and a newly purchased mech.  The new mech ran well.  I had to take some pieces from the original mechanism off and install on the new one.  The bird purchase is always moved to the new mechanism.  The shape of this perch is always different and hard to match so the transfer of this piece makes the job much easier. The gong was very bent and had to be straightened....