French Longcase Clock?

[gerene]

In the same book I also found a picture of the pendulum attached to the clock you are interrested in.

The book gives following advice for transportation:
unhook the pendulum and weights (after winding them).
Take the movement out of the case and lay it flat on its back.
Close the case doors and string a rope around them so they can’t fall open.
The case weighs only 25 kg (aprox. 50 pounds) and is about 20 cm (9 inches) deep, so it is not too difficult to handle.

Jan

[achipo]

Jan,
Thank you so much! I closed the deal on the clock. Now just need to find time to pick it up. Will post some better pics when I get it.

Regards,
Evan

[gerene]

Congratulations!
Would love to see pictures when you get it!

Jan

[achipo]

Jan,
One other question. I understand these clocks were low-end farm house clocks. About how good do they keep time if properly serviced and adjusted?

Evan

[gerene]

Evan,

although they were “low cost” they are good timekeepers. The movement is good, sturdy and reasonably accurate. Yours has an anchorescapement, which has recoil and is not as accurate as a deadbeat escapement but still very acceptable.

Jan

[achipo]

Thanks!

[mahlon]

Hi Evan,
Nice clock. How tall is that one? The one I had was 8.5′. I aquired mine from a man here in Okla., about 10 years ago. It had tole painting all down the front, which you could not see untill it wa cleaned. My clock came from Chateauneuf France. Alot of them came to the U.S. at the end of WWII,withe returning soldiers. The man that got mine from had four of them in his warehouse. I did a repair job on a showcase for him for a $100.00, and he gave me my choise of cases and movements. I chose the 8.5′ case because, it was the only one that I could get in my house. The others are 9′ tall and 9.5′. the movements all had different hammered brass faces. I chose the one with the hunter and hounds scene. As far as moving them. I removed the weights and movement and layed it in theback of my pickup. I hauled from Okla. to Penn. without any problems. I did find that the best way to stand then, was to attach them to the wall about a quarter of an inch off the floor. By doing this,vibration from the floor did not effect the was it ran. I have been trying to buy the other clocks from this guy ever since, but after seeing what they are supposed to look like, He won’t sell. I guess I will have to wait for his estate sale.
Mahlon

[mahlon]

Evan, I forgto to mention, I was told when I had my clock, that the reason they are so har to find, is that the cases would fall apart. The movements along with the pendulum were then used as wag clocks. I have seen several of them is antique shops here in Okla.
mahlon

[achipo]

Mahlon,
This clock is about 8′ tall. Fortunately our foyer ceiling is 9.5′ so the height is not an issue. The cases are very thin and fragile, so it’s not surprising there are a lot of movements without cases.

This clock was imported by a guy in Chicago about 10 years ago or so. It was supposedly completely gone through by a clockmaker before the seller purchased it, but he’s only used it for decoration, so it hasn’t run since he purchased it.

Albi, where this clock appears to have been purchased originally, is in south-central France, not too far from the Spanish border.

Anyhow, now I just need to work out the logistics to pick it up. I’ve got a friend that’s passing through where it is with a covered trailor, but I’d like to inspect it myself before taking posession.

[gerene]

@ACHiPo wrote:

Mahlon,
The cases are very thin and fragile, so it’s not surprising there are a lot of movements without cases.

Not only that, but they were sold and used with and without case. The clocks were originally wall clocks. The practice of putting them in cases came later, the pine wood cases started around 1820. All comtoises are completely closed so they can be used as a wall clock. They come in an iron closed case with doors on each side. Before 1820 they were either used as wall clock or the local cabinetmaker made a case. Starting around 1820 they could be purchased in a case, movement and case build in the Morbier area. The movements and the cases were no longer hand made according to traditional methods, but a early form of industrialisation was used, lowering the price considerably. A movement with case was about 1/4 of the price of a completely hand made movement before. The second world war was the end of their production.

Jan

[achipo]

Jan,
Great information. Thanks!

Looks like I’ll be able to run up to Oregon weekend after next. Looking forward to seeing my new acquisition!

Evan

[gerene]

Success with the transport and looking forward to hear from you when it arrived at your home!

Jan

[achipo]

Well it was a long way to go in a weekend for a clock, and the weather was abysmal, but I think it was worth it. Case is in very good condition, works are in excellent condition. Trim pieces are in fair condition. Will post more pics when I get everything put back together.

The detailed decorations on the case are pretty amazing. Someone went to a lot of trouble to make it look inlayed–seems like it might have been just as easy to do the inlay?

[gerene]

Looks very nice indeed. Congratulations! Love to see more of it!

Jan

[achipo]

Update–Clock is ticking away, but not sure if everything is as it should be. I’ve been running it for a couple days without the pendulum mounted to completely unwind the weight spools, as the cables got twisted in transport.

The chime is a bit peculiar. It strikes the number of hours when the minute hand is on the 12, then again when the minute hand is on the 1. Is this normal, or could it be an artifact of running the works without a pendulum? It strikes once on the half hour. Also, the striker does not recoil on the last strike, so the chime is not particularly pleasing. Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated.

The decoration around the face is held on with 4 brass screws and nuts. Unfortunately there are only two complete sets, with a third nut. The screws are likely hand made. While not correct, how bad would it be to replace the other two sets with brass screws and nuts from the HW store? I’d like to get the thing put together, so I’d rather not wait until I have the time to make two more on the lathe and figure out how to “age” them so they’re not too shiny.

Thanks,
Evan

[Author]

Posts