My latest project (or just another in a long line)

[wls1971]

This is one of my latest projects I really should stop buying, the living room is getting over crowded with three Gillett and Johnston grandmother clocks one completed and the other two part way done but movements cleaned and running, a Grimshaw Baxter and Elliott grandmother clock to do, a  Electric Regulator clock that came out of a old Clock Makers shop in Brixham which I wasn't planning on buying but went to pick up a milling machine and the seller just happened to mention he had a old clock to sell. And then there are the runners or mostly non runners because I am forbidden from having them all running at once because apparently it interferes with Coronation street and Eastenders two triple fusee's, three double fusees, two single fusee, four spring driven Westminsters, two vienna regulator's two Ting Tangs, various carriage clocks, and Swiss 8 day clocks and a Atmos clock and many more it's like a stock take at a zoo just when you think you counted them all another pops up.

So one more won't harm I guess, I collected this today after putting a very cheeky offer on it yesterday on ebay which to my surprise was accepted.

Best described as very High Gothic Victorian Its signed on the dial Bennett 65 and 64 Cheapside London I think it would date from 1865 to about 1880 because before 1865 the company only occupied number 65 Cheapside.

It's a triple fusee striking on 8 bells and the hours on a gong, the movement is large and the plates are 8 by 10 inches and is so heavy the seatboard has metal struts underneath to support the weight the case is oak and is 18 inches across and 26 inches high 

 

There is plenty of evidence to show that the case was gilded in part with gold and some parts enhanced with painted details there is also a latin moto painted on to the gilding above the dial I think it says "many hours and days declared" but am unsure because I used a online latin translator.

 

Much of the case detailing is loose and needs reattaching but the sellers kept all the loose bits in a carrier bag so its all there  apart from one of the side frets the other is complete so I may take an impression from that and make a replacement from resin, the elderly couple I bought it off had inherited it from the Husbands father who he said would stop the clock every night and restart it in the morning because there is no silent switch on the clock and the chimes are so loud it woke him up

.

I'll have to give this clock a little thought I'm unsure whether to have the gilding renewed or to just wax the case I'm not very bothered by the crack down the front I may see once the movements out if there is any play in the wood to bring them closer together, I think the clock is all original but if anyone thinks not please comment.

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by wls1971
sellpnig

[oldhippy]

Mass produced monster movements these. Extremely well made fusee, I hope you have a good mainspring winder when it comes to removing the springs from there barrels. Defiantly mid to late Victorian, everything looks right about it. Ebay is full of these types of movements in Victorian bracket clocks. 

It must be deafening in your home at 12. I always loved that time in my workshop all going off at 12, longcase clocks striking out of there cases  was a hoot you couldn't hear yourself speak out in the main shop. 

[wls1971]

I've briefly had the movement out the case just to see what I'm dealing with and because some of the hammers where not striking, that's now been dealt with it sounds fantastic.

The movement must weigh a good 8 to 10 kilos and it quite a tight squeeze getting it in and out.

[oldhippy]

Looks like hardly any warning, you can see this by the first hammer lifting.  

[wls1971]

1 hour ago, oldhippy said:

Looks like hardly any warning, you can see this by the first hammer lifting.  

I think that maybe because I tripped it off the lifting arm because i'd taken the hands off to remove the dial.

[wls1971]

I've had another look at the movement, the chime and strike are flirt release they use a system that operates without warning, it use a large sprung flirt that is tripped by a pin on the hour wheel knocking the rack hook upwards and allowing the rack to fall, I'll take some pictures and post when I clean it. but the following picture is of another clock I own that uses the same type of chime strike mechanism

 

[oldhippy]

I'll look forward to the progress. 

[wls1971]

Having had the week to mull the clock over, I gave a lot of thought to the gilding the clock has, on close inspection it was obvious the clock had been gilded around the dial but the varnish covering the gilding has deteriorated and gone a mucky brown colour through the years, cleaning this with nothing more than a cotton bud and distilled water did bring some of this off but was also removing gilding,

In order to return some of the victorian splendor to the clock, I decided to renew the gilding with 23k gold leaf around the dial i am part way through the process, I have dulled the gold down some what using a gold, brown varnish so it matches the gilded area with the writing on

 

 

[oldhippy]

I'm following this. Case restoration is most important its knowing when to stop as it is easy to damage what has built up over the years. 

[Squiffything]

Have done a little bit of digging into the history of John Bennett. Trained as a watch maker under his father and moved to Cheapside sometime between 1839 and 1847

He had 10 kids, 3 with his wife and 7 with his mistress!
He became the Sheriff of London and Middlesex in 1871 and Sir John Bennett in 1872

In 1889 the business became a Limited Company and it was around this time that John ceased to have any dealings with the company.
 

The shop was dismantled in 1920 and parts of the shop front are still standing in the Henry Ford Museum in the US including two statues of Gog and Magog.

lots of info here https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/londonstreetviews.wordpress.com/2013/08/08/john-bennett-clock-and-watchmaker/amp/

interesting to know the history of the makers.

 

[RogerH]

I love reading all the old topics, you can learn quite a lot. What was the final outcome of this one WLS1971?  Did you get it all cleaned and working?