Thursday, 27 October 2011

Family heirloom clock


A 1940's german mantle clock.
My dad gave this to me recently. It was completely black inside, dust, cobwebs, the lot. I have given it a proper service. I took my time examining the pivot holes, side-shake, escapement, etc. It has polished up lovely apart from the barrels as I have not checked the springs yet. But I will. It is now (as you see) on test, out of its case.
It is quite a good little movement. The anchor is the solid polished type. Everything on it works good and uncomplicated.
I have oiled it correctly and synchronised the chiming side correctly.
Theres still a little hiccup with the strike... maybe its not warning right. But its too late in the day now to investigate.

Cheap little job to do.


It's a clock that's come back from a previous service that I did. It may be my fault for giving it the quick horolene bath treatment. The thing is, it is the cheapest, feeblest mass produced clock I have ever seen. It came to me with not much wrong with it. It just struggled going. But as the movement sat there for a week or two on my dresser table various other things kept sneaking up on me, some were quite perplexing. Well whats happening now is the chiming side does not want to go. I think (I hope) it is just the levers catching on each other. They are so thin and flimsy. So the movement is coming out of its case for the umpteenth time.
The big question: do I replace the three springs? In a clock not worth £10.