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First Clock


Waggy

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I'm looking for some advice, I'm thinking that I may try my hand at clocks. I've been doing watches for a short while (well, relative to most of the users on this forum) and would like to give clocks a try to increase my knowledge and add a bit of variety. I just wanted to get some advice before I charge in blindly.

  1. Any advice on which type/make of clocks to cut my teeth on?
  2. Any tools, equipment or techniques that I may need that differ from my watch tools?
  3. Any pitfalls to avoid?
  4. Anything else you can think of...? 
Edited by Waggy
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My first clock was a Smiths striking mantel clock from around 1950. I only have everyday tools but found that long-nosed pliers and an electrician's screwdriver came in very handy. I found this forum and YouTube very useful. I would avoid, for now, clocks where the mainspring has gone - you need a machine to tackle that!

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A smiths mantel 8 day timepiece is a good place to start that is if you can find one. Other then that a Smiths pendulum strike. You can pick up a strike from ebay for around £25

You will need a clock mainspring winder.

A good set of screwdrivers you can pick up a set in most hardware shops.

A bottle of windles clock oil. 

Peg wood

Clock cleaning fluid. I always used Horolene Concentrated Clock Cleaner.

Tubs to put the parts in. If you are new and working on a strike you need two tubs one for the strike and one for the going. 

A large tub with a lid for the cleaner big enough so all parts can be submerged, parts that are just part covered will have a line across them.

A few washout brushes, you can get them from a good materiel suppler. 

Drying parts you can use a hair dryer or you can do it the old fashion way I used sawdust. 

Some old rags for the cleaning the mainsprings. 

At some point you will need a clock makers lathe for pivot work and burnishing. I have two Unimat 3 one with milling attachment. If you have a watchmakers lathe you can do the pivot work on that.

A set of clock clock makers broaches and plenty of clock makers bushings. 

 Emery sticks assorted grit 

Burnishing file.      

A bench vice 

A mainspring let down tool with different keys

That should get you well and truly up and running.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would stick to a time only to start with, youll have enough to do and learn with that alone. You'll need to learn about the drop and lock of the escapement as youll be taking the pallet and arbor off completely which in turn means that you will remove the bridge and lose the correct position ( height ) of the pallets. Along with pivot filing and polishing and bushing. 

So don't over complicate things by buying a strike or Westminster as your first choice, the list that OH has given is about right but thats a ball park figure of £1700+ to purchase, take £300 off if you dont need a lathe.

If you do take it up I can  highly recommend the Bergeon bushing tool and bushes.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The Ollie Baker would be a better option but it is quite expensive. So unless you plan on working on a lot of clocks, most hobbyist would opt for a cheaper option.

The top photo shows a homemade version. There are many designs out there, some better than others. 

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Hi from the list OH gave you is quite comprehensive and includes many tools. Depends how deep you intend to go into clock repair. If all the way, worth investing if not get what you need for the job in hand. One of the most important is the let down tool which you can buy or make to release the power of the mainspring.   And a mainspring winder as long as it’s up to the job. The options shown will both do the job, it’s a question of cost. I made my own and it works ok and safely. Oil is important and as said Windles is best. Like I said before. How Deep and at what cost, and remember it’s not the tools ( they help) but the man using them that counts. The best tools in the hands of an incompetent are just scrap.

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30 minutes ago, Waggy said:

Any pointers or advice appreciated

When I returned to this hobby about three years ago (after doing many clock repairs for my dad as a teen), one thing I had forgotten about was details about the striking complication.  Mainly, things like the position of the gathering pallet with respect to the warning wheel pin and the cam on the wheel that accepts one of the drop levers (dont know the name).  So, before taking the clock apart for cleaning, very carefully look at the static position of all cams, pins, and levers because during reassembly, they need to be in those same positions (with some tolerance allowed).

Just like with watches, takes lots and lots of pictures.

There are spring wires attached to a few levers.  While I did not do this at first, I am now releasing them fully before separating the plates.  That keeps them from jumping away and disturbing the position of the wheels--I want them to stay put for a nice photo!!

You need keepers for the mainspring along with a let-down tool.  For your first clock, you can skip disassembling the mainsprings.  >>I am gonna get whacked for saying this, but it is your personal clock...not a client's<<

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I think a Smiths clock is a great clock for learning clock repair. It's quite robust, well made, relatively cheap, plenty around if you need a donor.

There are a few videos on YT showing how to service such clocks. And there's always @oldhippy and @watchweasol to guide you.

It's easy enough to take it apart, clean, reassemble, oil and regulate. It's tough enough to survive a beginner fiddling with it and getting it working again.

And a couple of years down the road, when you find that it's time keeping is a little erratic, you can open it up and do more advanced work like pivot polishing, rebushing and all sorts of other troubleshooting.They are after all, 50 to 70 years old.

 

 

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On 6/1/2023 at 6:46 PM, oldhippy said:

Clock cleaning fluid. I always used Horolene Concentrated Clock Cleaner.

Have Horolene on order, I assume you dilute 7:1 as per instructions? How long do youbtend to leave in this solution?

Do you rinse after, and what with/how long?

Sorry to bombard you with questions, but excited about my first clock!

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You dilute as you said, as regards how long that's a bit like asking how long is a piece of string🤣 It depends how dirty and tarnished the parts are. Rinse with water, when it comes to drying I used to put the parts in sawdust, but you can dry them in a clean cloth, just make sure you dry every part thoroughly. I would advise you to wear a pair of rubber gloves and have plenty of ventilation and wear a mask. One other thing always make sure all parts are covered in the solution if not it leaves a tide mark and you will never remove it.    

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@oldhippy I have now gathered my equipment and a clock to work on. I've watched a beginner 15 YouTube series of videos (Scotties Clock World) and taking from it the best parts to make the transition from watches to clocks. So this weekend I plan to start the process. I completely understand what you say about cleaning time being dependent on the extent of dirt/debris, but are we generally talking minutes/hours/days/.....? I am just conscious that Horolene contains ammonia, which is good for making brass shiny and clean, but if left too long in an ammonia solution can leach out the copper and cause the brass to become susceptible to stress corrosion cracking*. Maybe a better way of asking the question would be to define a time limit, i.e. what is the longest period of time that you would leave the parts in the Horolene solution?

By the way, I really appreciate the help and support you are giving me on this 🕰️

 

 

* UKEssays. November 2018. Stress Corrosion Cracking of Brass in Ammonia. [online]. Available from: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/biology/stress-corrosion-cracking-of-brass-in-ammonia-biology-essay.php?vref=1 [Accessed 19 July 2023].

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I do not recommend Scotties Clock World he is useless I have pulled him up so many times I no longer watch he channel.

I would say have a look after 1 hour and judge it from there. It is safe for the type of clock you are cleaning, they are referring more to the cast brass movements that were made hundreds of years ago which I have repaired hundreds I have never had any trouble with the cleaning fluid.  

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