Myers Park Clock Company

R013

Unsigned English 8 Day Time & Strike Movement

Description:

THIS CLOCK WAS A RESTORATION PROJECT FOR A CLIENT, AND IS NOT FOR SALE.

I don't usually include work done on movements as "restorations", but this clock was an exception. When I picked this clock up from my customer, it looked like a run-of-the-mill cleaning, oiling, and adjusting job. Then I got the dial off.

The first thing I noticed was that the clock had no gathering pallet. The gathering pallet is the little cam which counts out the hours when the clock strikes. Not only was the gathering pallet missing, the shaft upon which it fits was twisted off (see photo).

The next thing I noticed was that the rack tail had been broken off (see photo). When the clock is ready to strike the hour, the rack tail falls against the correct "notch" on the snail, and the result is a correct hour count.

Then I noticed that some idiot had soldered additional wings on the fan. The fan, or fly controls the speed at which the clock strikes. The most recent "clockmaker" had slopped solder all over the fan (see photo), so it not only looked terrible, but definitely would put the fan out of balance.

Lastly, apparently the same idiot had "fixed" a broken crutch on the back of the movement (see photo). The crutch is the link between the pendulum and the escapement. If the crutch is faulty in any way, the clock will not run reliably.

So, in addition to the normal chores associated with the repair of a clock movement, I had to make a gathering pallet from a blank, re-pivot the broken gathering pallet arbor, make a new rack tail and adjust it to properly engage the snail, remove the additional "wings" on the fan and clean off the solder, and rebuild the crutch.

The result was a nicely "restored" 19th century English clock movement.

Caveats:

Specifications:

Price: NFS

Additional Images (click any image for a larger view)

back to list >>

©2003 Myers Park Clock Company - Contact Us