This clock belonged to my Great Grandparents (or possibly their parents). It seems to me the story is it was acquired new in the 1880s (maybe). My Mother just gave it to my wife so I guess I have to keep her (28.5 years so far) ;-).
It is a New Haven Clock Company, Sharp Gothic model. It only strikes on the hour and is an 8 day clock.
The good news is when it runs the hands advance and the striker works and it strikes 12 times on 12, etc. The bad news, it only runs for a minute or so then you hear sort of a light "thunk" and the pendulum stops swinging. Sometimes it runs a little longer. It is wound. It came in this condition. The only thing I did was rehang the pendulum weight (it was sitting in the bottom) and attempt to wind it but it appears to be wound. When it runs the tock-tock-tock noise trends louder then softer. Maybe that means something.
Maybe it is overwound? Anything beyond something incredibly simple I will have to get a clock repair person who knows what he is doing.
Some day when I get a job I will be able to afford to get rid of the gold fuzzy 70s wall paper ;-).
I will never again under any circumstances buy a house that has 1 square inch of wall paper in it.
WD-40 and a hammer....just joking. I am no expert, it does not look wound up to me. Spring is quite loose.
that is the chime you see in the photo.
This is my New Haven "Gingerbread" Kitchen clock, circa 1905.
The clock was a wedding gift when my Grandparents got married in 1905. It sat on a mantle in my parents house since before I was born. A few months ago I took it down and over to my house as a mantle piece.
My Dad tells me his Dad used to take the clock down and soak the movement in gasoline for an hour or so, then use a feather and some oil to lube it back up about once a month. This was in rural Mississippi way back when. I figured what the heck, took the movement out, soaked it in the sink with warm water and dishwashing liquid overnight, hit the bearing points very easy with a toothbrush, rinsed really well and then used compressed air to dry it all out. For lube, I went to Radio Shack and got one of the needle point oilers (synthetic oil) you used to use on cassette tape decks...remember those?!.....hit just a drop on all the bearing points.
The key winds the chime on the left clockwise.
The key winds the movement on the right counter-clockwise.
That is probably why you think it is fully wound. (had to figure that out myself)
Mine now keeps time for a full 8 days to within a minute. It has to be on a level surface so start there and good luck!:-)
Those two clocks sure are beauty's, I would gladly take them off your "hands!"
Handle with great care.
That is a wonderful piece of family history.
Dave,
If you decide to go the repair route, I would recommend Ed Beacham, Master Clockmaker in Sisters, Oregon.
Scott
> Dave,
>
> If you decide to go the repair route, I would recommend Ed Beacham, Master Clockmaker in Sisters, Oregon.
>
> Scott
Dave you are right. The right one did wind counter clockwise.
It probably needs to be cleaned and oiled with clock oil.
Cool clock... for sale???
Clean the works and put a drop of oil on each of the bearing points. Then place it on a level surface and star the pendulum swinging. Listen to it. It should have a very even tick tock sound. If it does not have an even sound, the works is out of level, or the escapement needs to be adjusted. If it still does not work, it might need new bushings. This requires that the works be dissambled. I would recommend that you have a clock repairman look at it in that case. Special tools are required. Anothe problem that I have seen, is a worn escape gear. A good source of information is the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. NAWCC www.nawcc.org
I have an old antique windup clock as well. Made of simple oak, and not very ornate. it does "bong" the number of hours on the hour, and "dings" on the half-hour. The ding sounds like just hitting a little bell.
Anyway, years ago when I got it, I had the problem of it not running all the time. I think I had been overwinding it. I now only wind it until it just kind of "feels" tight enough, and take care to not wind it too tight. I don't know, but it quit stopping anyway.
