Mantle Clocks

[carl]

I am a new member and new to clock cleaning and repair. Can someone give me an idea as to the tools I need to buy first?
I was forced into this venture both because I really enjoy antique clocks and now that I have retired and have so many clocks and my repairman passed away last week leaving me 3 clocks that need repaired.
I have searched around here to find a reliable repairman and so far have not been able to find anyone.
I have always wanted to try it but was afraid I would ruin them movement beyond any repair at all.
I have got the online repair sessions and have learned a lot so far, I’m ready to tear into my first movement but I really need to know what the basic tools I should get first

[123clockman]

Along with the normal small tools, tweezers, pliers, etc., for my shop, the 3 most used, most important tools I have is a Mainspring Winder, Bushing Tool, and a lathe. Probably the most important is a lathe, as nearly all clocks will need to have the pivots polished, sometimes a pivot will need replaced, and these are almost impossible to do without a lathe. Bushings also can be turned on the lathe, though I use mostly manufactured bushings, but the holes in the plates need to be reamed to correct size, and doing so by hand can easily cause the new bushing to be inserted at an angle, making it very difficult to broach to fit the pivots. Mainsprings can be wound by hand, but will almost always end up cupped, which takes away power, so either the clock won’t run, or it will shorten the time the clock will run. If you’re looking to buy a mainspring winder, the Ollie Baker Style winder is the safest and one of the easiest to use. Which ever way you go, be VERY CAREFUL when working with mainspring…they have a LOT of power and one slip and they can damage your body and clear your work bench of all tools and parts…(from experience).

If you’re really interested, I suggest you first go through Bob’s Clock courses, there you will get a good idea of the tools he uses, then also join Clocksgroup at Clocksgroup.com where there are several hundred clock members who are either just interested, or actual clockmakers and can give you a lot of help. Also, contact Timesavers.com and get a catalog for clock parts. It will be a great resource for parts and tools. Also go to websites like Ronnell Clock Co. Empire Clocks, PM Clocks, Blackforest imports. You can also do a search for “clock parts” and come up with a bunch more sources.

This is brief but is at least a start, as time goes by, you will probably find a ton of tools you want.

Art Fish

[Author]

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