Antique and Vintage Clocks

I did not pay much for this Sessions tambour style clock (circa 1927) though my first thought when I picked it up was that I paid a little too much, such was the work that awaited me. This was obviously a non-working clock when I received it and it did not take much to discover why. It also came without a key and a pendulum bob. Not a problem since I have an extra bob and a universal key set.

I suspected a problem when I first saw it advertised. When I finally picked it up I noticed that the strike side spring was fully wound while the time side was completely unwound.

A turn of the key on the time side told me that nothing was engaging . I suspected three things; a broken spring, broken click or unhooked spring. It turned out to be a broken click. Here it how I found the time side mainspring wheel (see photo below).  The click engaged very poorly and ultimately slipped quite a bit making it impossible to wind. Sessions are great clocks but they have a dubious reputation for their click design and the clicks quite often fail over time.

and the repair.

The click was filed down and the rivet was made secure by tapping the back lightly with a ball pean hammer on a vice. Brass is pretty soft and easy to work with.

The clock was disassembled and the parts were first cleaned by hand and then placed in an ultrasonic cleaner. The bushing holes were pegged and the pivots were polished. I did not detect any serious bushing wear though at some time in the next year or two the clock will probably require some bushing work.

I test fit the movement but have not put on the top plate just yet since I am waiting for my spring winder to arrive.

The case was in poor shape and as mentioned in a previous post I stained, used steel wool and applied 3 clear coats to bring the case back to a presentable condition. I am pretty confident that once everything is all back together the clock should run nicely and be a fine addition to my collection.