200 year old Chronometer clock pendulum

[KSB]

This clock is a John Stokell, NY made in 1832. The pendulum is a lead crystal container with mercury in it. The mercury comes out the top even though it looks sealed. What are my options? Can I get it resealed? And who does that? I am in the Dallas/Fort Worth TX area. Thanks!

[watchweasol]

Hi in the absence of pictures,  it possibly ca be sealed. But as mercury is a poison it’s best done by some one who specialises in that type of work.  Checkout Barometer repairs and overhaulers as it’s probably a product they handle quite often.

[KSB]

Thank you

[HectorLooi]

On 9/23/2023 at 4:15 AM, KSB said:

This clock is a John Stokell, NY made in 1832. The pendulum is a lead crystal container with mercury in it. The mercury comes out the top even though it looks sealed. What are my options? Can I get it resealed? And who does that? I am in the Dallas/Fort Worth TX area. Thanks!

As a retired dentist, I'm very familiar with mercury.

Can you actually see droplets of mercury around the pendulum? If you can, sprinkle sulphur powder over it, open all doors and windows and let it stand overnight.  Then use a small brush and carefully clean up the area. 

Mercury is toxic. Just one small droplet is enough to saturate the air in an enclosed room. I moved away from using dental mercury in my practice more than twenty years ago. But there are some situations where amalgam is the only material suitable for the restoration. Hence I had to keep a small supply of it. I used to store my mercury in Tupperware containers in a drawer at my clinic. And after some time, the edges of the drawer would develop a strange grey stain. It can be cleaned off with some effort but it kept coming back. I suspect the stain is caused by mercury vapors.

A study showed that dental staff have a higher level of mercury in hair and nail samples when compared with the general public.

A friend of mine sent me an amalgam mixing machine (amalgamator) for repair many years back. When I opened up the machine, there was a puddle of mercury inside. I quickly closed it back and disposed of the machine. I quickly informed my friend and she went for a hair and nail sample test for mercury. It was found that she had seven times the safe limit of mercury in her body!

But the good news is; she's still alive and appears fine. 

Recently, a nice crystal regulator clock came up for auction on eBay. I was really tempted but after much deliberation, I decided I wasn't going to have mercury in my house.

I've heard of people converting their mercury pendulums to gallium, which is safer. Or maybe we just don't know enough about gallium toxicity. 

Gallium looks a lot like mercury, except it's solid at room temperature. It has a melting point of about 30°C. A piece of gallium would melt and look like mercury if held in the palms of your hand. And now with global warming, where temperatures above 30°C are getting common, gallium looks like a real viable replacement for the mercury in crystal regulators.