As I said in my previous post about the Ansonia Derby clock, it seems that long ago part of the upper gingerbread broke and the owner sawed off the rest, reducing the upper gingerbread to a simple arch. I’d like to create new gingerbread for this clock. To do that I need to unglue the original, cut remnant and glue my to-be-designed gingerbread in its place.
Continue reading Loosening Antique glue Using heat
Clock Repair 101: How the Great Wheel works
I just now learned how the great wheels – the mainspring gears – work, by finding they didn’t work correctly in my Korean clock. The strike train Tension Washer, that is supposed to hold the gear firmly against the ratchet, has come loose. …so I had to disassemble the clock, after it had run fine for over 11 days.
Continue reading Clock Repair 101: How the Great Wheel works
Clock Repair 101: Adjusting the Korean Clock Speed
In my previous post about this clock I ordered a replacement pendulum suspension rod and bob, because the originals were missing. In this post I cut the suspension rod to length and adjust the speed of the clock, using audio recording to measure the timing of the tick-tock.
Continue reading Clock Repair 101: Adjusting the Korean Clock Speed
The second clock: a craft-altered Ansonia Derby
Since I was making good progress on my first clock, I decided to haunt the antique malls looking for a second one to work on. I wasn’t really planning to buy a clock until I’d finished the first, but I found the perfect second clock to work on.
Continue reading The second clock: a craft-altered Ansonia Derby
Clock Repair 101: Ordering replacement parts
In my previous post I calculated the theoretical length of the pendulum my Korean 30-day clock requires. You may recall that the clock as I bought it had a broken pendulum suspension spring, and the pendulum parts – the suspension rod and bob – were missing. In this post I order replacement pendulum parts.
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Clock Repair 101: Making sense of the Time Gears
In my previous post I finished cleaning my junker clock, ending up with a jumble of gears and other parts. You may recall that when I disassembled this clock, parts sort of fell out willy-nilly, leaving me a bit fuzzy about what gears go where. In this post, I figure out which gears are part of the Going (time) Train (gear set), and as a bonus I calculate the length of pendulum this clock requires.
Continue reading Clock Repair 101: Making sense of the Time Gears
Clock Repair 101: I finished “Cleaning” the clock
In my previous post I showed the early results of my cleaning of my junker clock by hand. In this post I show why cleaning by hand isn’t really very effective at removing old oil and dirt.
Continue reading Clock Repair 101: I finished “Cleaning” the clock
Clock Repair 101: Cleaning (or something approaching it)
In my previous post, I disassembled my junker, practice clock. In this post, I begin to clean it. The pro’s use an ultrasonic cleaner, but I’m on a budget, so I’m doing it by hand.
Continue reading Clock Repair 101: Cleaning (or something approaching it)
Clock Repair 101: Disassembly / Destruction
In my previous post I covered the dangers of mainsprings, and bought the minimum of tools required to safely handle mainsprings. In this post I disassemble my junker clock.
Using my new mainspring clamps and Let Down key, I “let down” (unwound) the chime mainspring and time mainspring, following the process I’d seen in the videos: Continue reading Clock Repair 101: Disassembly / Destruction
Clock Repair 101: A time bomb waiting to go off
In my previous post I explained how I got started on this strange path to clock repair. In this post I talk about the dangers, some videos, and my first clock repair tools. Continue reading Clock Repair 101: A time bomb waiting to go off