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Ok so I tried searching for case cleaning and clock case and the search said it was too common…I did not find any though so I don’t see how common it is…
Anyway, I have a Seth Thomas mantle clock shown in the pictures. I do not want to give it back looking like it does. I was told that this case finish is called adamantine? I am not sure of the spelling or what adamantine is. I am curious, what would you guys use to clean this case?
What would you use to polish it after cleaning?
I have some Howard’s Feed & Wax that I can polish it with after cleaning but I am not sure it would work well on this finish as I normally use that on wood cases like oak.
Thanks in advance
Jim
Ok so surfing the web has given me a bit more information that I thought I’d share. This clock has a date code on the bottom of 6? 981A The 6? is because I can not be sure it is a 6 but it looks like it under magnification. According to research on the following site: http://clockhistory.com/sethThomas/index.html this case dates to January 1896…Very cool!! I used my thin CA(Cyanoacrylates) to fix a cracked bottom plate as shown in the photo. I was a bit sloppy, please learn from my mistake. This was before I knew the age of this case/clock not that that should make a difference because I should always be careful…. I hope I did not detract from whatever value this clock has.
This picture does not show the date code as well as I’d like. Anyway, from the same site I learned what adamantine is:In the 1860’s, French clocks in slate, onyx or marble cases became popular in the United States. These cases were expensive, so the American clock manufacturers produced similar looking cases made of iron or wood. These clocks have become known to collectors as “Black Mantel Clocks”, and were popular from 1880 to 1931.
Seth Thomas made clocks in marble cases for a short time, from 1887 to ca. 1895. They also made clocks in iron cases finished in black enamel, from 1892 to ca. 1895. Seth Thomas is well known for their “Adamantine” black mantel clocks, which were made starting in 1882. Adamantine is a celluloid veneer, glued to the wood case. Adamantine veneer was made in black and white, and in colored patterns such as wood grain, onyx and marble.
Adamantine veneer was developed by the Celluloid Manufacturing Company of New York City, and was covered by U.S. Patent number 232,037, dated September 7, 1880. Seth Thomas Clock Company purchased the right to use the Adamantine veneer in 1881.
I have also determined that the gold metal trim is held on with tiny wood screws so I am going to remove these pieces so that I may clean the case and these trim pieces easier and do a more thorough job. I think for the initial cleaning, I am going to use Goof Off 2, a water-based, safe on plastics, milder version of Goof Off.
To Polish the case, I think I read on the NAWCC site several people recommended Flitz polish which is also safe for plastics.
On a different subject, something that is note worthy however is the fact that T5 had a worn pivot:
When the clock was together, you could not tell that it was worn this bad. It looked normal and had very little movement. At first glance this was a simple cleaning job. It was only after I disassembled the movement, that I discovered this.I repaired this pivot by silver soldering to fill in /enlarge the pivot, then using stones and a lathe, turned the pivot back down shown here:
In addition I also re-bushed that side of the plate since it is obvious that something got into the bushing to wear the pivot that much.Hi Jim,
I would be very careful using certain cleaning products on this type of clock case. Krud Cutter can be very harsh too, I would avoid using that as well. I would start with using a bowl of warm water with very little mild dish soap and a clean wash cloth. Then dry off any damp areas. Don’t apply any mineral oils or waxes until it is completely dry. I can almost be sure from just the look of the pictures that this is just superficial dirt and should clean easily. I clean most all clock cases with this method (depending on the condition) and had no problems or damage to the finishes. For the groves and tight corners, I will use a soft tooth brush and Qtips.
I wish you well
JimHi Jim,
thank you for understanding
I made one of those flags and it works very well. You should find the arbors on that clock are not super hard (not as hard as French clocks!) and as long as you use hardened pivot steel you will not have any problems. I re-pivoted a clock of my own a while back and it is scary when you do it for the first time. Just take your time, dont put too much pressure on the drill as they can snap if not careful which leaves you with an even bigger problem. The first time I started to drill out for a re-pivot I backed it off to check and I was off centre
. A few adjustments and I got it spot on and drilled it out. Enormous sense of satisfaction when you get it right
Look forward to seeing the cleaned case.
Paul.Thank you all so much for you input!! I love this forum!! OK so I just finished the case and wanted to show off the results however the current lighting is from my bench magnifier so I am getting a lot of reflections. I will take some better photos tomorrow in the natural light from my window that is next to the bench so that I get better photos. These really do not do the case justice:
And here is one more showing the case and it’s movement:
As I said I will get better pictures tomorrow but I think if you compare you can kinda get an idea of what it looks like now. It was allot of work but well worth it!!Thank you all again!!
Jim
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