All successful blogs grow and develop. With development comes transformation and better ways of managing communications and so, I have decided to make a change in the way that you, the reader, can communicate with me more effectively. Up to now, I have used my personal email account for your letters. It has worked well … More Reach me at my new email address
Seven clocks in my collection have family connections, not necessarily with my own family but clocks that I am able to trace back through families mostly in Nova Scotia (Canada). No names are mentioned. The stories are sad in some cases but interesting nonetheless. Let’s begin. Waterbury wall clock When I was a child back … More 7 Clocks in my collection that have family connections
Earlier this year I bid on an English-made Empire gallery clock at an online estate auction and won the bid. When I collected the clock I had hoped I had bought a clock with a fusee movement but it turned out to be one with a conventional spring-driven time-only movement. No matter, it was not … More Second gallery clock bought this year – this one has a fusee movement
I often get letters from my readers that begin with something like, “I picked this up in a thrift store” and marvel at what they find for next to nothing. Quite often the item they snagged at an unbelievable price needs a little love but that is to be expected. While on our summer jaunts … More Sessions wall clock found in a thrift store
It is a $10 cottage clock my sister picked up in a yard sale several years ago and gave to me after I serviced one of her ogee clocks. There is a label on the inside that says it is made by Ansonia Brass Co. and I would date it to around the early 1880s. … More Ansonia cottage clock servicing but is the end near for this old clock?
This wall clock was gifted to me in the spring of 2022. I have no idea who made the clock, there are no markings on the case or the movement. It was likely sold by the Forestville Clock Company of Toronto in the 1960s and my guess, a Hermle movement. I could find nothing else … More Wag on a wall – servicing a well engineered movement
Maintaining your antique clock – a discussion How do I know if my antique mechanical clock is keeping good time? While it may be important today, years ago people had a different concept of time. Back in the 18th and 19th centuries common folk had little need to know the time of day precisely. There … More Maintaining your mechanical clock – it’s simpler than you think
My wife’s uncle was an internist (internal medicine specialist) in Newfoundland and practiced for many years but dementia and its attendant complications finally got the best of him. He spent the last 5 or so years in a locked ward of a residential facility for the elderly. As part of his practice, he set up … More Wag on a wall clock – does it wag?
Like a car engine, oil is the lifeblood of a clock. A correctly oiled clock will ensure a long life. Oil is the “lifeblood” of the car engine; the same applies to a clock. Just as a car engine relies on quality oil to keep its moving parts running smoothly and efficiently, a clock depends … More Oiling your mechanical clock – a quick guide
Inflation seems to be everywhere. The continuing decline in purchasing power is reflected in increased prices on almost everything. The other day my wife and I bought a container of spray from a garden store. We thought the price was high at almost $25 but when we got to the cash, the clerk charged us … More Clock prices – a great time to buy despite crazy inflationary times
Something causes tooth damage. But what? The example is a Fleet time and strike mantel clock from the 1930s. Fleet Time Company of Montreal, a company that was operating four short years, sourced movements from Germany prior to the Second World War. It was a very common mantel clock sold through department stores across Canada. … More Mainspring barrel tooth damage – how does that happen?
An attractive gallery clock made by the Empire Clock Co. of England was bought at auction this past spring. It has a very conventional time-only movement and as with most time-only movements there are only a few wheels to worry about when servicing. The minute and hour wheel are outside the front plate. The movement … More Empire gallery clock servicing – no bushing work this time
Tick-Talk Tuesday is about the letters and comments I have received from readers concerning clock issues, challenges faced, a clock you would profiled or advice on your particular clock concern. For those comments and questions that stump even me, I consult within my clock circles for the best possible answer PS writes; I have a … More Tick Talk Tuesday #42 – Ridgeway clock damaged in shipping
Won at auction this spring is a Daniel Pratt Jr. reverse ogee with splat although this one is missing the splat, the decorative piece on top of the case. According to the label it was made in or after 1843. It was also missing the suspension spring and pendulum rod and the wire with regulating … More A woodworks movement by Daniel Pratt Jr. and it actually works
The National Day of Canada is observed as a statutory holiday on July 1st. This post has nothing to with clock collecting or repair but why not take the time to celebrate Canada’s 155th birthday. How it started On June 20th 1868, a proclamation signed by the Governor General, Lord Monck, called upon all Her … More Canada Day – a Time to celebrate
I knew when I first laid eyes on the clock that it was missing something, the crown. It’s too bad because it is very attractive Hamburg American Company or HAC 8-day time and strike mantel or parlour clock. The little plaque on the base references 1926 the year it was presented to a pastor in … More HAC mantel clock – it came without a crown – FIXED
Let’s clear something up right away: I am not a “Dunkin Swish” enthusiast. If you’ve been researching the clock-collecting world for a while, you might have come across this term. If you haven’t, consider yourself lucky—it’s something best avoided at all costs. “Dunkin Swish” (apologies to those named Duncan) refers to the practice of placing … More Cleaning an antique/vintage clock movement – Ron’s method
When I placed my online bid on this time-only gallery-style clock (local auction house) in June 1922 I had hoped it had a fusee movement since a clock with a fusee movement has always been on my wish list. A fusee (from the French fusée, wire wound around a spindle) is a cone-shaped pulley with a helical groove around it, … More English gallery clock by the Empire Clock Co. is not a fusee
The psychology of auctions, now that would be a fascinating study. How bidders behave, the frenzy of bidding wars often called “auction fever“, and the emotions wrapped into the pursuit of that one item everybody seems to want would be very enlightening. Auctions are fantastic places to find great deals. I have found many clocks … More Clock auctions – Ron’s rules for bidding
The Grand Assortment was sold “six in a case” to retailers who then sold them separately. The name “Assortment” seems appropriate and I am not surprised that some collectors refer to them simply as the Grand. So, was the “Assortment” a choice among a number of Grands (Grand 1, Grand 2, etc.)? Selling clocks in … More Servicing a Sessions Grand Assortment time and strike movement
Jerome & Co., a marketing arm of the New Haven Clock Co. made this clock in the mid-1850s. It is a 1-day or 30-hour clock called the “Rose Cottage”. In the 1850s and later, cottage clocks could be purchased with a time and strike movement, time and strike with alarm but this one is a … More The tiniest clock movement I have come across, made by New Haven
I have a number of cottage clocks and they all seem to have one thing in common, they have lived hard lives and this one is no exception. They had the cheapest of movements, the cheapest of cases, and could be purchased for almost nothing but many have not survived and that’s too bad. This … More Jerome & Co Rose cottage clock – the case is a mess but the movement is interesting
Can this gingerbread clock made by E. Ingraham be saved? Possibly, but this clock is destined to become a parts clock and I will explain why in this post. In the spring of this year (2022) 4 clocks were bought at auction. I can save three of them but not this one. Gingerbread clocks often … More An obituary for an E. Ingraham gingerbread clock – the case that is!
This is not the first Grand Assortment clock from the Sessions Clock Co. that I have worked on. In June 2019 I repaired a family member’s clock. It is exactly the same model. The Grand Assortment was sold “six in a case” to retailers who then sold them separately. The name “assortment” seems appropriate and … More Grand Assortment by Sessions – is the assortment really that grand?
I am a bit of a sucker for cottage clocks, have several of them, most are 1 day but I find them interesting just the same. There are not many survivors for a good reason. They were the cheapest clocks one could buy and when they stopped working they were either thrown away or repaired … More Here’s what a $12 auction clock looks like
Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks 
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