Crisp and sharp pics.

[ewinrow]

OK, when it rains it pours, my friend just brought by a Seth Thomas travel clock. Looks great and runs the same. What doe’s he expect me to do to it? I told him the best I can do is bench it for a couple of days to check the movement out along with timing and maybe oil. What the heck, I’ll charge him about $30.00 and do as best as I can. He said he brought it off eBay, I do remember seeing this jewel on their for sale. Cheep. A really nice piece for what he paid for it. Maybe I’ll offer him $45.00 and see if by chance I can add it to my collection of travel clocks.

[willofiam]

Well Ed, I was reading between the lines, seen a little of what I had gone thru in the past and that is why I asked. Anyway, when it comes to the bank account I can relate, we have struggled for many years, You see pictures of my shop and clock business and you might say “right” …..I will assure you that i have used every asset I have built up from the past 22 years in business to finance this (boat, truck, cars, tools, hunting and fishing equipment ect..ect…), so, besides that, when trying to get work out and make some money after you have invested so much can be a real stress, you might start jumping from one thing to the next to the next and then to the next and nothing is working out the way you thought, at the same time the bills still keep on a rollin in, those around you start questioning what your doing, you start doubting yourself, and you want to rush things through, that overwhelming feeling starts to set in. Does that sound familiar? This is a very important issue that nobody really wants to talk about, so if any of that sounds familiar and you want, lets continue. William

[ewinrow]

OK will, I’m listening. Funny you should say, boat, one of my cars and almost all of my hunting gear and arms are almost gone. Almost swiping credit cards that say insufficient funds. Almost down to my gold, coin and stamp collection. LOL…… One thing though, I knew that clocks/watches wasn’t such a good seller when I involved myself in them. But at this point in time it has become an obsession instead of a hobby or a supplemental income. Better than drugging and drinking though. Everything is a gamble these days. Never the less, I still love doing what I’m doing. So what’cha got?

[willofiam]

Hey Ed, when your in the middle of all the action there are 2 things you can do, jump up and go out in a blaze of glory, or access the situation and reload, in other words either buy up more stuff and hope for the best or study and fix the ones you have, sell and build a strong knowledge base. I bet when you first started shooting the m-16 you were not as good as you are now, same concept here..practice, understand, practice more…I just thought of this. the acronym I used while teaching marksmanship was BRASS, breath, relax, aim squeeze, shoot (reminding me of the old days)

Go at it slow and methodical. Take notes, pictures, understand how it is functioning, do a complete disassemble and fix everything that needs fixin…..
I believe this forum and Bobs course’s want to promote proper repair techniques and as far as I am concerned I feel a great obligation to do the best job I can as I am just a short time steward of these clocks as they go thru my hands, especially when they are someones family heirloom, I am honored by the trust they have that I would do a proper job. I have been burned by some other guys quick fix for a clock and it hurts when I dont see the issue and buy it, I refuse to do that to someone else.
Reason I am saying this is, to get the howard miller or any other clock up and running and possibly resell it for someone to enjoy it for years to come you have to do a complete job….the best way is to learn how to completely take it apart, fix, and reassemble successfully.

First you have to get very familiar with and understand some of the simpler clocks, maybe your already there, I do not know. Take the easiest clock you have that is not running but complete, maybe a time only, maybe a time and strike American movement, do a complete overhaul (service) and work on it until you get it up and running perfectly….do not buy anything else or work on anything else until it is done.….sounds like a long process? yes, but in the end it will save you time, frustration and money.

With that knowledge base the next clock will build upon that knowledge and so on until your confident to repair all different types thoroughly and successfully. this is the solid foundation to grow a business upon. As you may know, word of mouth is either going to make or break a business, Just today a new customer said there is a guy 70 miles from here that everyone is saying “dont bring your clock to him” I didnt even ask why, all I knew was he was at my shop because of what someone else said to him about me….Remember that a clock that is properly repaired will increase the value!!!! But it will also increase YOUR value as a clock repairman. Then we can talk about the money.

What clock do you have that we can start on? what tools do you have for clock repair??? have you ever put in bushings? have you completely removed mainsprings? Are you having a good day??? I hope so, William

[ewinrow]

Good morn Will, I understand everything that you said. I have been tearing a couple of movements apart and putting them back together and yes they now run. But I keep tearing them down as to get the technic committed to memory. I’m doing very well with them. But more complicated movement’s I am working myself up to. That’s another reason I joined Bob’s course which I think is very informative. I have all the tools I need to do all of this, however I have yet to replace bushings. I am looking for a cheep staking set to get me along with that. I understand the concept and would have no real problems with that process. Many years ago I done machinist work but on parts that were most times as big as me. I have worked with lathes, horizontal boring mills etc.

I want a cheep staking set but complete and in good shape. I say cheep but nothing good is cheep. I am also looking into lathes but that will be down the road as I stated, I need a staking set 1st and foremost. Almost everything else needed I think I have. Dial calipers, outside micrometers, inside micrometers, dividers and know the applications for all of them. I do review Bob’s lathe course as well as his bushing repair knowing that one day I’ll have the equipment to do it and if nothing else the basics to make confident repairs.

Everything that I have ever worked on has been either stem winding wrist watches and key wound wall and mantel clocks. Now I have a couple of 3 chain wind clocks and with these I have never worked. Don’t really understand the third wheel concept and haven’t seen anything within the course to support my confidence. I really don’t want to start tearing into them and just wind-up with just extra parts. I paid decent money for these clocks and really want them running not just sitting around taking-up space and collecting dust. Almost everything I have worked I have had very good results with. I also have a couple of coo koo clocks in which one needs work. Again I never tore into them either, hence the one is still just hanging on my wall.

I started out on wristwatches/pocket watches and then wall clocks. But now that I’m getting into these grandfather/mother clocks confusion is setting in. I have been working in the field for about 2 yrs now and have made it a point to work on Elgin’s/Hamilton’s and Seth Thomas’s. I’m very confident with these watches/clocks. Also mostly everything that I have been doing has been my own, I’m slowly with concern branching out and repairing items for others. Everyone who I have done work for is extremely satisfied with the end results. As you stated, word of mouth is everything. I had to turn down a coo koo clock repair and was honest with the potential customer by stating to her, (I never worked with these as of yet.) I’d rather do a good job as opposed to pissing off anyone or going into my pocket to pay for a muck-up. Being smart I’m very cautious about what task I take and which ones I turn down. Well I think I have rambled on long enough for now and will get on a movement to wake-up. Awaiting your return message. RANGERS LEAD THE WAY. 😈 ❗ Ed.

P.S. My concern now is the Hermle I posted on this page, I have a lot of concerns and questions on it before I make any attempts to even pull the movement out.
Check it out and get back with me.

[mahlon]

He Ed, You have probably already figured out you Hermle, but if not I’ll give you my two cents. First the windings, the right side should be the Westminster chime side. It will have the heaviest weight. the center is the time and the left the strike. What I usually do first is to pic. the movement from all sides, just incase I have a senior moment and can’t remember where every thing went. next, put a little oil on all the pivots and the escape wheel. This should free it up enough to run for a while. If you can get it to run on the test stand before you tare it down, you will be able to scribe the exposed chime side parts. I try to get it to the point that it is set up to strike the hour, having just struck the 3/4 hour. them scribe the wheels on the back, so that when you first reassemble the movement your chime melody will be in the right order. I mark the chime barrel as well just to be sure. Also pay attention to where the warn pin is in relationship to the warn lock. By doing this way for me it seems to take a lot of the frustration out of it. It will have an automatic reset for the chime, but it can take several hours to reset, and that is only if it is set up correctly. The only other problem that I have had with them is in reassembly, the plates are heavy and can bend the pivots if they are not placed pretty lightly over the wheels. I hope this helps Mahlon

[chris mabbott]

Hiya Ed,

Ya lost me buddy when you said Clock 😆 That’s one obsession I haven’t ventured into yet as I shudder to think of the space that these “unfinished symphonies” would take up in my space ( not affiliated with the web site) as I start, then leave them lying around.

But I do feel you brother, I had the same thing today, I was looking at the many watches in my Pending pile, the ones I’m still looking/waiting for parts for. I keep telling myself that I will not acquire any more until all are running 😆 Yeah right..

The thing I find is that I either spend too much time or not enough, as my schedule is fairly unpredictable. I think if, as in Williams and others case, that if this was a business for me, it would suit me better to give myself a set working time, then, finished or not, walk away at quitting time, rather than spend the whole day, as I tend to do, trying to get something going, NOW Maybe you just need to change your rhythm ?

Try Uncle Larry, he has some very nice and reasonably priced staking sets, you don’t have to pay duty from Canada to the US on anything under $200. He also has a nice little starter lathe, looking at that myself as this is also another addiction… SOMEONE HELP ME 😈

These past three days have been successful though, I have completed/restored two PWs, back to their original shiny new condition, lovely, this is the best AND addictive part, that feeling of satisfaction.

Personally, I’m waiting for William to expand his operation and start hiring assistants, maybe I can set up a fly in fly out deal, 2 weeks in 2 weeks out 😆

Great time keepers by the way Ed, I’m partial to the blue travel clock, used to have blue hair at one point 🙄

[ewinrow]

Good morn to all, after an entire night out and now my wife giving me the 3rd degree I can’t even get any sleep. I was helping a friend with his newly brought home, but that’s not it. She HATES the only friend that I have. 👿 Her accusations are very demining and down right unpleasant. So I’m in the only place I find sanctuary. My man cave with my clocks. Mahlon, thanks for the advice and as of yet I haven’t figured it out. But now I have something to go by. When time allows I will change the weight order now that I have a better understanding. Also Chris thanks for the bit of info on acquiring needed tools and equipment.

My friend gave me two more clocks to add to my collection. Nothing fancy and both need work but I’m still growing. Now it’s the barter system. Works for me. I have put my Hermle aside until I get enough courage to tear into it, of course after trying Mahlon’s advice 1st. I’ve decided to tear down my coo koo clock that has been splashed with what seems to be old motor oil, cat hair, smoke and heavy dust everywhere and very thick. I soaked it over night after cleaning it in the ultrasonic yesterday. Out of everything I used the oily film still remains so I added more chemicals to the bath and will see if that helps me out anymore. My two new clocks one is a Regulator and the other is a Dunhaven, Both quartz wall clocks. Very nice cases but quartz movement sucks to me. I have always liked wind-ups. I may look into mechanical movements for both instead of going crazy with quartz. I want to put motors in them instead of battery operated plastic devices.

Well my ultra sonic machine has stopped and my significant other has gone out as to make me upset. So 1st check on my clock parts and 2nd sleep. I ask her about breakfast and her reply was, (“EAT YOUR CLOCKS. ❗ ❗ ❗ “) It’s cool I cook also. Hey Chris, nice looking piece you posted, seems as though we both have so many projects in our vault that we get the chance to pick and choose. Oh and I also brought the posted Seth Thomas travel clock from my friend for a whopping price of only $15.00 Well got to go for now, clock parts need attention, food which is so badly needed at this point and a light snore desired. Oh and play “TAPS” on my harmonica for her since she made such a hasty departure without telling me where she intends on going,
but I already know. Her sisters house. LOL…..

[willofiam]

Hey Ed, working on your cuckoo clock is a great idea, I am assuming it is a rack and snail chime setup, these can be confusing at first getting them set right but they are alot easier to see what is going on with all the levers and such (remember a couple of rules in clock repair = dont bend something unless you know for sure the way you want to bend it, and dont take off metal unless absolutely necessary as it is difficult to put back on), plus the movements are not that expensive. O.K., to do bushings on a clock you do not need a staking set, all that is required is a small hammer, round file, block of some sort and some bushings. Take another look at Bobs videos on bushing a clock movement, I think he has a couple of ways of doing it. Take your time with it Ed. William

[arutha]

Ed,
I am going to throw in my two cents, it sounds like you have the same problem as me, its called being a magpie! You see a clock, its cheap, you buy it. The problem with this is you can end up with so many clocks it becomes a little overwhelming. I have had to stop looking at clocks on e-bay because each time I do I seem to end up with a new one. Not because I need it, but because it is cheap. I probably have somewhere in the region of 60-70 clocks. It is absurd if you stop to think about it, firstly where in the hell am I going to find time to repair and restore 60 clocks? Then there is the cost of the bits and pieces these clocks need. Do yourself a big favour and say ok, enough is enough, for every two clocks I get out the door I will just buy one new clock. That way you start cutting down on what you have knocking around, if you are strict about this it will also help give you the incentive to get the ones you already have done.
You mention also buying a staking set for bushing, you dont need a staking set for bushing, you need bushes, cutting broaches, smoothing broaches, a hammer and some anvils, small rat-tail needle files (for evening out the wear in the pivot hole so when the broach goes in it is cutting in the correct place) and something to cut the oil sink(Steel ball burrs work well for this and they are quite cheap). Anvils can be any bits of steel with flat faces, give them a polish so they dont mark the brass(I have also polished the face of my hammer so it doesn’t mark the brass plates). Work on an old movement and bush it, just keep doing it until you are happy that you are comfortable doing it, you can hardly see where the bush is and you dont move the centre of the hole. be brave and if you run into any problems we are here to help, just ask
Sometimes the daunting tasks turn out to be the easiest and you look back and wonder what all the fuss was about?
Paul.

[chris mabbott]

It’s true what our brothers are saying Ed, been there myself, and there is definitely a pattern to it.
eBay becomes a kind of anti-boredom crutch that starts an addiction, hell, I’ve found myself shaking my head and thinking WHY am I buying so many items, like what Paul mentioned. We begin to live for auctions, or like myself, I moved on from auctions, no patience, I went to the buy it RIGHT frigging now 😆
Then comes the search for parts which we never seem to find, so we move on to buy yet another watch/clock to keep feeding the hobby? addiction?

Like Paul, I caught myself one day, so I decided at that moment to not go on eBay during the weekend, I even let my saved auctions expire, on purpose, I thought, it isn’t going to get the better of me

Now for fun, I save items, then watch to see how they end, without bidding, just to watch the snipers. I want to buy, OH YES, but I can control it.
My self deal…. When I repair two watches, I will then hunt for another. I only buy a tool when I need it etc. I can look, but not buy until I meet my agreement 🙄

The daughters try to help us, but I and I are a little slow learnin’ only jah knows
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wiEjEUMaUA

[ewinrow]

Thanks gents, advice well taken. I have everything you all mentioned with the exception of a staking set. At least now I’ll save a couple of bucks not buying one. I will try doing it with the tools I already have. Will keep you all informed on my progress and ask questions if and when needed. Thanks, Ed.

[arutha]

Hi Ed,
good luck and please let us know how you get on. Take your time broaching out the holes so that the bush just starts to go in and then hammer it home. We are here to help whenever you need it

With the staking set, it is a useful tool and there are times when you will need it but you can often find other ways around things. If you see a good set come up cheap then grab it but at least now you can take your time and find a good one at a good price.
Paul.

[ewinrow]

Thanks Arutha, For right now I’m going to go without a staking set, now that I have a better understanding about the process. I have also been going over Bob’s video. I have all the files and tools to complete a task like that. I’ll pull out a couple of my old movement’s which need a bushing or two and practice on those plates. Once I check into them I’ll probably get with you guy’s here on the form if I have any questions or I stumble upon something that I do not know. You guy’s are a great help and inspiration, how could I go wrong? Thanks.

[ewinrow]

I finally sold one of my wall clocks for a decent penny. No I’m going to make another purchase with the money, I’ll fix one of my other clocks just sitting in my closet that’s looking for repair Maybe upon my 2nd sale I’ll buy something else.

[Author]

Posts