Preserving a reverse painted clock glass

[stevefitzwater]

OPPS, forgot to edit them… sorry they are laying down on the job!

So I went back to edit the images and rotate them.. on the screen they are standing up.. >sigh<

Guess I will start editing and downsizing the images… LOL

[bernie weishapl]

Just for info on your reverse painted glass. I just got one back from this gentleman and he did a beautiful job on it ($55) so I just sent a dial to be restored (painted) and a glass to be reversed painted to Tom Moberg. He quoted me $40 for the dial and $60 for the glass. Here is his phone # and address info if you want it. http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Moberg.Reverse.Painting.989-723-3112

He told me he wasn’t to busy with a 3 week turn around. So if you are still thinking about it give him a call and tell him what you have. He can give you a price.

[stevefitzwater]

There is a story behind this clock that I have not shared, but here is part of the story, the clock was found while clearing out a house belonging to my wife’s grandmother, she is in a nursing home and will not be returning home, following a stroke. So they are preparing the house for resale or rental. This clock was placed in a trash bin, and the wife found it, and brought it home to me to work on. So I started researching it, returned here to Bob’s forum and re-watched the videos.

As I found out some info, the wife shared with the family, something I warned her about it, this family has issues, there is one of her uncles family is more interested in the monetary value of an item versus the Family Heirloom value, once they found out about the clock, they started accusing me of stealing a family heirloom, and more. So I stopped working on it for awhile.

Finally I contacted them and gave them two options, either come get the clock in it’s unrepaired state or sign off on me fixing it, then I would let the children of the grandmother decide where it goes. They did not want it in it’s unrepaired state, no monetary value, and they all agreed to the second option. So I have fixed it, the and once I done adjusting it, I will turn It over to the children (uncles & aunt of my wife). Also I attached a bill for $250 covering the repair, for the parts and my labor, so whomever gets the clock will have to pay the bill. To be honest, if ANYONE other then the trouble makers get the clock, I will forgo the bill, they just peaved me off, the original plan was to completely restore the clock and then give it back. If I get the clock, I will be doing more work to it, including restoring the glass. The case needs a lot of attention, it has been neglected for decades, it needs to be rebuilt.

Families are great, but they can also be a major pain in the rear. From what research it I have done, it has way more heirloom value then monetary, and I will provide that research for the family, I imagine the issue will go away once they see that.

[stevefitzwater]

Opps.. forgot to say this… THANKS BERNIE!

[bernie weishapl]

Steve I would not forgo the charges for anyone. No matter who got that clock they would pay the bill or no clock. We had the same problem with my wife’s family. They were cleaning the house of her grandmother. They had a big wheat truck out front and anything going to the dump was thrown in the truck. They threw a big Atwater Kent antique radio in there. I took it out and put it in our pickup. I brought it home to rebuild it since I have been a electronic tech for some 48 yrs. To make a long story short I rebuilt the radio and it worked. It received all kinds of stations, dial worked and was rebuilt to new condition for a 1925 model. I rebuilt the case fixing all the broken pieces of veneer and refinished it. Took me a year to find parts and get it done. Well like you one of her children found out about it and decided they wanted it back so they could sell it now that it was completely restored. Radio is worth about $500 at about the max in value. Problem is I had about (if you sit down and figure my time and parts) $700 in it. So I put $800 repair bill on it. I told them hand me cash or if they gave me a check I would have to cash it first before I gave up the clock. They took me to court but the judge ruled in my favor. He basically told them pay the bill or shut up. Anyway they paid the bill so they got the clock. My wife’s sister says they still have the clock 3 yrs later trying to sell it but they want $1000 and there is no way on this earth they are going to get that. They won’t even get $800 out of it. Now they want to give it back to us for the $800. My wife told them basically to stuff it. We would take it if they gave it to us. 😆

So if it were me I would stick a $300 bill on that clock and they would get it when I had “cash in hand” no matter which family member got it. Period. If you are going to charge one you had better charge all of them because if they know you would just give it to another member they may use them to back door you. They may back down once they see the bill.

[stevefitzwater]

Yeah, I understand where your coming from, it has been such a pain since things started happening in that family, the grandmother put names on things people had gifted her over the years, we had given her a flat screen TV a couple years ago, that family took it, they removed the tag, and put it their truck, the wife was pissed. Then one of their kids was going through the jewelry, using his phone to search eBay for the values.. I mean how bad is that?

Oh well, I will take your advice, and make everyone pay.. your on the spot about what would happen if they found out.

[bernie weishapl]

I know Steve. It happens in every family. I have a sister and 2 brothers that would sell you down the river to get what they want. When my mom and dad passed away 9 and 7 yrs ago they ransacked the house in the middle of the night. Their are 7 of us and these three haven’t spoken to us four since then. The four of us didn’t get much. Mom had everything marked and it didn’t make a tinkers dang. If they wanted it they took it. I gave my mom a clock she had always wanted and a cuckoo clock he wished he had gotten when he was in WW II in Germany. They took them both. My lawyer contacted them and told them they would be due in court for a law suit. Well long story short I guess their lawyer told them they would lose so sometime during the night I went to go to work and they were sitting on my front porch. One lives in New Mexico about 7 hrs from here and one in Wichita over 5 hrs from here. 😆 😆 My sisters and I are just sick that they would do something like that but as I told them move on and forget about it. And what makes it bad is they have money. All 3 make as families over 100,000 a year. Go figure.

So Steve I fully understand. It just sucks. Like I said I would put $300 on the clock and would not let it go till cash in hand. I will almost bet when they find out it will be dropped after they figure out intimidation doesn’t work. Stick to your guns.

[stevefitzwater]

I have one sister like that, but I am able to handle her, she lives 6 hrs away and I see her once a year.. maybe.

Amen on the family, and enough on them..

Thanks again Bernie, your insight and knowledge helps a lot of the newbies..

and your not to far away for me to make a road trip to learn from ya.. LOL

[bernie weishapl]

I hear ya Steve. It is not worth letting them control your life. 2 of my sisters and one brother are very close and always have been. So we take comfort in that. Hope things work out for ya and hold your ground.

[charlie188]

Best to paint over with clear enamel not laquer, as if you paint with laquer over enamel you original paint will peel up and destroy the painting.

[stevefitzwater]

Thanks!

Since this thread was brought up again, I thought I would add that no one wanted to pay my bill!!!

So the clock is mine, and I will start to restore it even further!

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