adler gong – Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks

This is Part II of a three part series on restoring this beautiful German FMS Mauthe (Friedrich Mauthe Schwenningen) wall clock. Part I can be found here. Part III, in a week or so, will cover case repairs and refinishing.

This attractive antique Victorian style German FMS Mauthe wall clock was purchased locally from a family that once lived in the town of Parrsboro. Nova Scotia over 100 years ago.

Why would someone solder the minute hand to the arbour

In this post I will discuss servicing of the time and strike movement.

As I began taking off the dial I noticed that the minute hand had been soldered to the arbour. Not only that, it was in backwards. A taper pin should secure the minute hand, not solder. Using a butane torch I freed the hand. Once the hands are off, removing the dial requires pulling 4 pins from the support posts. Following that, the bottom rail, which is secured by two machine screws, is removed. Now to work on the movement.

Very dirty movement, in need for a good cleaning

Before we do that, let’s look at the numbers on the back plate. 105 is the number of beats per minute, 42 is the length of the pendulum rod in centimeters. The number 55006 is a patent number which was issued to Heinrich Kielmann (Ruhrort/Rhein) in 1890/1 and concerned the method of hanging the pendulum. The number 20934 refers to a production run but I have no idea what date is assigned to that number. The Adler gong has the FMS eagle on the block and from my research the eagle was placed on gongs going forward in 1898. Therefore, the clock is from about 1898 – 1905.

The movement has not been serviced in some time. Expecting to see a significant amount of wear, I was pleased to discover the movement in generally good condition.

The pallets had little or no wear and the escape wheel likewise looked good. The pivots had very little wear and polished up nicely. There were 4 pivot holes that needed some degree of attention. I decided that two on the strike side were not so bad that they could wait but two others were quite worn, the centre wheel, front and the motion works wheel just above it. This is expected as these wheels carry most of the load from the mainsprings.

2 of 3 Bushings were installed for these pivots

After a 30 minute cleaning cycle the solution was quite dirty, in fact so dirty that I disposed of the solution

I take plenty of photos as an aid in helping me relocate the movement parts on reassembly. Sometimes the wheels on the strike and time side look similar. In the case of this movement there was no confusing which side the wheels should go.

I disassembled the movement and placed the parts in my ultrasonic cleaner. After a 30 minute cycle the solution was very dirty, in fact so dirty that I disposed of the solution (it is biodegradable). Reassembly was straightforward as most of the adjustments to the strike side occur outside the plates, unlike a typical American time and strike movement where there a myriad of levers and helper springs that seem to pop out when you you are trying your best to get everything set up between the plates.

As a side note, Mauthe did make time and strike movement with the count wheel located between the plates and with conventional wire levers.

The only critical adjustment is the stop wheel which has to be in the correct position otherwise the strike will not function correctly. Trial and error is needed to get this right but I set it correctly on the first attempt.

Stop pin on the strike train; positioning the stop pin upon reassembly is critical

Unfortunately, I do not have a test stand tall enough for this movement and the case was used to test the movement. The movement slides in and out on a set of rails making it relatively easy to make the necessary adjustments.

Cleaned, reassembled and installed in the case for testing.

One issue, a broken suspension spring. Could have been my handling of the movement or it was already broken. Nevertheless, my order from the supplier arrived and the spring has been replaced. Most clockmakers would agree that it is a good practice to replace the suspension spring as they weaken with age.

During testing the strike side was sluggish and would not engage from time to time. I attributed this to an enlarged pivot hole on the star wheel, back plate one of the two I noticed earlier. The new bushing was a very small #7 Bergeon at 0.80 mm (inside dimension) with very little margin for error. With the new bushing (a total of 3 for the movement) the strike side was still sluggish. After taking the movement apart again I found a slightly bent arbour on the second wheel of the strike side which I fdiscovered when I attached it to my lathe. Using a hollowed punch tool I straightened it out.

The reassembled movement was oiled and mounted in the clock case. The recoil escapement is adjustable and a slight tweaking of the verge corrected the beat. After a few frustrating adjustments exacerbated by a bent arbour, the movement is running well after servicing.

Next, I will cover case refinishing for this fine old clock.

NOTE: After completing this project I designed and built an extension for my movement test stand to allow me to work on movements with long pendulums such as this one.

The family was in the process of downsizing and this was one of the items that had to go

This attractive antique Victorian style German wall clock was purchased locally from a family that once lived in the town of Parrsboro over 100 years ago. Parrsboro is a picturesque Canadian community in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia and one of the oldest settled areas of Canada. It had hung for many years in the Parrsboro Mansion pictured below. Today the mansion is a popular bed and breakfast destination.

Parrsboro Mansion, Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, Canada

I found the clock on a local online for-sale site. It looked interesting but there was no price listed. I contacted the seller but they were asking considerably more than I was willing to pay. I explained the work that had to be done to the case and movement and the fact that had it been in better condition they would easily receive more for the clock. I concluded the phone conversation with my top offer for the clock. They contacted me 4 days later and met my price.

I was curious about its history. The seller explained that the clock was brought over from Europe when her husband’s family moved to Canada in the 1890s and had been in the family ever since. The family was in the process of downsizing and this was one of the items that had to go. I was pleased that the seller expressed an interest in seeing the final restoration and I assured her that I would keep in touch. Knowing the history of the clock, or any clock for that matter, is value added in my view; provenance is so important when it comes to any antique.

Using the serial number and trademark I have determined that it was made between 1890 and 1910, consistent with information provided by the seller

It is a Mauthe time and strike wall clock with an Adler gong. I have been assured that the clock is original in every way and using the serial number and trademark I have determined that it was made between 1890 and 1910, consistent with information provided by the seller. The eagle emblem on the Adler gong suggests that it was made after 1898. The turn of the century would be fairly accurate dating for this clock. It is a 120 year old clock that is not overly garish and reflects the style its period.

The clock case is in need of a restoration. There are pieces missing and it appears that it was either in a hot environment for some of its life, an attic perhaps or hung over a fireplace; the finish is alligorated. Alligorated finsihes are those that have encountered heat damage and are characterized by a finish (shellac or lacquer) that softens and pools into globules collecting dirt as it re-hardens.

It is missing a finial on the crown, a trim piece on the top of the access door, the wall stabilizers and a corner piece on left side of the crown. Some of these parts are available through parts suppliers, other pieces must be fabricated.

Crown with missing finial and small corner piece on the top left

I am anxious to start on the case and must decide whether to clean the surface or strip to the bare wood. The dial is a separate issue. It is cellulose and very dark. Can it be cleaned? Not likely but I am doing some research to find a solution. In the meantime the movement has run strong for the past 4 days and strikes as it should. It will need a cleaning and possibly new bushings but I will know more once I examine it more carefully. At this point I do not see any major issues with the movement.

I am completing the restoration of a Waterbury wall clock and once done I will commence work on this clock project.

As I proceed with this project I will document my experiences restoring this early 1900s FMS Mauthe time and strike wall clock with an interesting history.

Tag: adler gong

Mauthe (FMS) wall clock restoration – Part II – servicing the movement

Why would someone solder the minute hand to the arbour

After a 30 minute cleaning cycle the solution was quite dirty, in fact so dirty that I disposed of the solution

Turn of the century Mauthe (FMS) wall clock with Adler gong

The family was in the process of downsizing and this was one of the items that had to go

Using the serial number and trademark I have determined that it was made between 1890 and 1910, consistent with information provided by the seller