Swansea Goldsmiths Carriage Clock

[HectorLooi]

I just received this carriage clock this afternoon. The seller said that the clock wasn't working and that the balance wheel was wobbling.

I assumed that the balance pivot was broken and should be an easy fix. I removed the escapement platform and inspected the balance pivots and true enough, the upper pivot was broken. But in addition to the broken pivot, the pallet fork is missing.

Does anyone recognize this escapement platform? The only markings on the platform are 581.380 and a logo which I don't recognize. The only marking on the rear plate is shown below.

 

I hope I'll be able to find a pallet fork for this platform and get the movement working again.

TIA

[KarlvonKoln]

I'm hoping Old Hippy steps in soon.  He'll know more.  But I did happen upon this advertisement while poking around: 

https://dartsilverltd.co.uk/product/brass-carriage-clock-vintage-acg-huber-w-j/

Hopefully this will be a step in the right direction.

[HectorLooi]

Still struggling to find any information on this escapement platform. It looks a bit like a gorge no. 22 but I can't be sure.

The width of the plate is 22.5 which is correct for a no. 22 but the length is only 34.5. The top of the plate appears to have been filed off. The overall height is shorter than a no. 22.

I am really hoping @oldhippy or @watchweasol have some leads as to the maker of the movement or platform.

TIA

[oldhippy]

This is a modern carriage clock. You can tell by the shape and style of the screws and the shape of the click and the click being black looking and not blued. The platform has been some what hacked about it should have four screw round hols to hold the platform (what a mess) From what I have found out it looks like  A C G is the trademark of Huber (WJ)

 

 

[HectorLooi]

I managed to find a Gorge no. 4 escapement platform on eBay.

It looks correct dimensionally but the opening for the escape wheel pinion is facing sideways. There is no way the contrate wheel can engage it. Weird.

Are the clocks configured this way?

Anyway, I grabbed the tube with a smooth jaw plier and managed to turn it the correct way.

Another weird thing with this escape wheel is the pinion is tapered towards the pivot. I'll have to check if the contrate wheel can engage the pinion at the correct height when I get home tonight. 

[oldhippy]

I was going to say they are friction tight, but in the end you found that out. So now all is good and ready to go. 

[HectorLooi]

The clock came with two of the dial feet missing and no fasteners for the remaining two feet. The feet were not the usual post with a pin through it, they were just a wire with the ends flattened. 

I decided to remove the remaining two dial feet and glue on some homemade screw on feet. The remaining dial feet came off with hardly any trouble. I then spot welded 1.6mm screws to pieces of stainless steel and glued them to the back of the dial. Worked out quite well actually.

[oldhippy]

The original dial fittings are bad, yours look much stronger.  

Edited September 24, 2022 by oldhippy

[HectorLooi]

I managed to fit the new escapement platform and get the clock running again this evening. But it was fraught with all sorts of problem along the way. 

When I tightened the platform all the way, the escape wheel tube pressed on the contrate wheel and siezed up the gear train. The only solution was to cut away the bit of the window that was impinging on the contrate wheel. 

Then when I tightened the escape wheel/pallet bridge, I noticed that the escape wheel was very tight and there was no endshake. The escape/pallet bridge was also lifted and the teeth of the escape wheel was high on the pallet jewels. So I had to push in the lower jewel. I tried pushing out the chaton holding the lower jewel in the tube but it simply refused to budge. So I decided to push out the escape tube by 0.03mm. 

When I finally got enough endshake on the escape wheel, I was close to celebrating. Then when I screwed down the platform, the tube was impinging on the contrate wheel again. 

So out comes everything on the platform and I cut back more of the escape tube. I'm just glad that I didn't make a pig's breakfast of the tube.

[oldhippy]

Its all part of learning clock repairing.