Clocks restored in August 2015

I am posting pictures of gorgeous clocks I had the privilege of restoring and repairing successfully.  Here is a tall case clock by William James of Brecon (South Wales), probably late 18th century.

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Here is another 1800 tall case by Williams Thomson from Dalkeith.  The dial is very well preserved and appears to be original.  I did not find information about this clock maker.

 

 

I had the pleasure of having 2 French portico clocks to repair.  I kept them as long as I could and enjoyed them.  But, sadly, I had to return them to their owners.  One is by Julien Le Roy à Paris who was the King’s clock maker in 1739.

 

Clock part made by 3D printer

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This reproduction of a 1492 Columbus wooden clock stopped working years ago and I could not repair the damaged pinion with the mold-and-epoxy method.  I could not find anybody would could make a new wooden pinion. It was really frustrating. But my son said he could reproduce the pinion with his 3D printer.  After taking the dimensions and entering the data in his computer program, he was able to produce the piece we can see on the attached picture.  I put the clock back together and the clock is now running.  It is not a reliable time piece but it makes me happy to hear it tick –although the beat is not even. IMG_0184

1830 Jeromes & Darrow Wooden Clock

A pilaster clock with wooden movement by Jeromes & Darrow (1828-1832) came in for repair. The owner said she had taken it to a clock repair person who told her the clock could not be fixed and was just good to be thrown away.

Upon examination, I discovered that some teeth were broken and needed to be repaired to have the slight chance of running again.

The following pictures show how teeth can be replaced. Although wood can be used to fit a new tooth where one is missing, I chose to fill the gap with epoxy glue.

The method is simple: insert a pin in the core of the wheel; make a mould of a part of the wheel with plasticine; place the mould over the broken tooth and pour epoxy glue in the empty hole. Let dry overnight and … Voilà!, you’ve got a good solid tooth.


The same method can be used to repair broken leaves on a pinion. In fact this is an easier way to do it and you get a more solid repair than trying to insert a wooden leaf.

Both gears were returned to the movement and the clock is now running properly. I m pleased with the result of this repair and so is the owner of the clock which is an interesting piece of horological history.

If you try this at home, use some plasticine underneath your gear to make sure you don’t epoxy your gear to the table.

USA-ambassador-residence

This Herschede, made in Cincinati, tall clock is part of the furniture of the US ambassador residence in Ottawa. I was called to repair it and getting to run in 2009, after the new ambassador moved in. Some of the tubular bells had fallen off and it needed some oiling.

With he arrival of a new ambassador in 2014, the residence had to be repainted and the clock had to be moved. I had to return to restart the clock but this time I determined it needed a full cleaning. It is now working well and I hope nobody is going to move the clock without calling me first