One week before the time change in Canada there were many reports of people waking up late because their phone switched to Eastern time – Quebec and Ontario, so if your phone told you it was 5am, it was really 6am. Bell Canada blamed this on a software glitch but it is a further reminder … More Daylight savings time – a scourge on us all
What is ideal is one clock stand for servicing and testing all clock movements but unfortunately, there are so many different types and styles of movements that one size does not fit all. I have written an article or two on test stands in the past but consolidating all my testing stands into one article … More Clock testing stands for most purposes.
John Sawin was a prolific 1840s Boston clockmaker and many of his clocks have survived to this day. The Key features of the Sawin timepiece share many of the attributes of the original Simon Willard Patented Timepiece. They are: No striking parts reducing the number of wheels to a minimum for simplicity, Making the distance … More John Sawin banjo clock CA 1840
I am always on the lookout for clocks to add to my collection, and one of the places where bargains can often be found is Facebook Marketplace. While browsing the listings, we came across an intriguing clock from a small village in Quebec. It was my wife who pointed it out, thinking it would make … More Gilbert shelf clock
I found the clock on an online for sale site in the spring of 2021 and contacted the seller the same day. When I saw the sellers photos my first thought was that it was pretty reasonably priced for a hall clock, known by many as a grandfather clock. I decided to take a chance, … More New Haven hall clock – Restoring the case
Yes, a weight-driven banjo clock for a surprisingly low price! There are essentially three types of mechanical banjo clocks. Those with lever escapements are usually in the $75 to $100 range, spring driven ones are $100 to around $200 and up but weight-driven banjo clocks occupy the higher end of the range and normally cost … More Yard sale find – a 181-year-old weight driven banjo clock for less than you think
Tick-Talk Tuesday is about the letters and comments I have received from you, the reader, concerning your clock, issues you might have had, challenges you face or a clock you would like me to profile or my responses to your questions with advice on your particular clock concern. For those comments and questions that stump … More Tick Talk Tuesday #36 – a tall case clock is transformed
On November 2-3, 2019 the Maritime Association of Watch and Clock Collectors held its first meeting. Members came together from various parts of the Maritimes to meet in Prince Edward Island (Canada) to form a club of like-minded individuals. Unfortunately the pandemic scuttled all plans for a subsequent meeting but the climate is right for … More Maritime Association of Watch and Clock Collectors
Ah, the kitchen clock! Most clock enthusiasts have at least one kitchen clock in their collection and some collect them exclusively. I am not a huge fan of them but they very popular and considered important clocks because of their relatively low cost and availability. Thousands of inexpensive oak-cased clocks were made by various American … More The Pressed Wood Kitchen Clock
The pandemic was certainly devastating and no doubt changed everyone and everything. Nothing will ever be quite the same. As Dickens would say, it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. There are no hidden positives in a pandemic but if anything, this past year has given many of us … More Maintaining a hobby after the pandemic
Welcome back. The mystery is solved! In the spring of 2021 I responded to an ad on a local online for sale site for what appeared to be an antique hall clock. It was inexpensive and I now know why. The seller bought it 20 years ago and in the midst of downsizing it had … More Hall clock mystery is solved
I am writing this post during what we all hope are the final stages of the pandemic. As of this writing there are many rules in place because of the large number of active cases. One rule is that we are not permitted to leave our municipal areas (May 2021). As a clock collector it … More Pequegnat clock purchase may not happen and that’s too bad
In January 2017 I took a chance, plunked down $75 and bought a project clock which consisted of a box of clock parts. I took it home, stared at the box for a while trying to figure out what to do and how far I would get with this project. I itemized the parts, arranging … More Finial replacement on a Junghans wall clock
I originally assumed this clock was a Seth Thomas since it had a Seth Thomas movement. After a thorough search on the web, I concluded that this was not a Seth Thomas case. I searched for clocks made by other clockmakers, starting with E.N Welch, Ansonia (because it is similar in style to the Syria), … More Waterbury Wren shelf clock – case refresh
It might sound a little strange to use a paint roller on a clock dial. This is not just any paint roller but one specifically designed for the purpose. The candidate is a embossed dial pan for a Waterbury Wren shelf clock C.1895. Most of the paint has been rubbed off the dial over the … More Using a paint roller to revive a clock dial
If you are a collector or simply have a general interest in mechanical clocks and wish to sell antique and/or vintage clocks then, read on. I am not a seller but I purchase clocks to build my collection. I occasionally sell clocks locally as a way to manage my collection. Most of the clocks I’ve … More Tips on selling (or buying) an antique or vintage clock
Tick-Talk Tuesday is about the letters and comments I have received from you, the reader, concerning your clock, issues you might have had, challenges you face, a clock you would like me to profile, my advice on your particular clock concern or a general clock question. For those comments and questions that stump even me, … More Tick Talk Tuesday #34 – what is a HHSN clock?
I was attracted to the style of this clock but disappointed when I learned that it was a marriage of a Waterbury case with a Seth Thomas movement. Briefly, a marriage is when parts from two different makers come together. Buying a clock from a flea market, antique mall, a shop or what have you … More Servicing a Seth Thomas 8-day movement
How far do you go repairing, restoring or conserving a vintage or antique clock without changing it in a significant way? My daughter. a civil engineer raised the philosophical argument that questions whether an object like a clock that has had all of its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object. This paradoxical thought exercise … More Preserve, Conserve or Restore, a clockmakers dilemma
7 reasons why a hobby such as clockmaking gives respite during a pandemic. Builds self-esteem. Developing and maintaining a hobby is important because the small successes from day to day are enough to sustain oneself amid other pressures in life and it is the one solid thing to feel good about. It gives renewed energy … More 7 reasons why a hobby such as clockmaking gives respite during a pandemic
Servicing the movement is complete. Next is the case. For those unfamiliar with the HAC acronym, it stands for Hamburg American Clock Company, a well-known German company that was acquired by Junghans in the late 1920s. I have a number of German clocks including Junghans, Mauthe, Hermle, Jauch, Gufa, and Gustav Becker but this is … More HAC mantel clock – refreshing the case
The movement has been serviced and the next step to bringing this clock back to life is cleaning a very grimy, tarnished and worn dial. For those unfamiliar with HAC or, The Hamburg American Clock Company (Hamburg Amerikanische Uhrenfabrik), it is a well-known German company that was incorporated in 1876 as Landenburger and Lang, later … More HAC/HAU shelf clock is attractive but the dial needs work
I want to share my experiences dealing with clock suppliers and let me begin by saying that my experiences have been largely positive. I have been repairing and restoring clocks for the past 10 years and since I live in Canada I generally deal with one mechanical clock parts supplier out of Toronto, Ontario, Perrin. … More Servicing clocks and dealing with clock suppliers
This E. Ingraham & Co. clock is a garden variety parlour clock. There is nothing special about it but among parlour clocks, it has nice lines and reflects a more conservative approach to clock designs of the late 19th century. It is an 8-day time and strike clock purchased from a local antique store in … More E Ingraham Mystic parlour clock servicing
The arrangement of the gears should be familiar to anyone working on German clocks made in the first quarter of the twentieth century Bought on an online estate auction site earlier this year, servicing the movement is the subject of this post. Once the movement is serviced, the next step is to address dirt and … More HAC/HAU movement servicing
Antique and Vintage Mechanical Clocks 
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