"My Grandfathers clock was too big for the shelf, so it stood 90 years on the floor" - - - The opening line of the old song "My Grandfathers Clock" - - -
"My Grandfathers clock was too big for the shelf, so it stood 90 years on the floor" - - - The opening line of the old song "My Grandfathers Clock"
This line has always had a deeper meaning for me, because I have been involved in clock repair for the last 40 years. The significant part of that line is "90 years" - - - most of the clocks I get in my workshop are in a very sorry state. Some of them have not been serviced or repaired in any way in a lifetime, and boy does it show!
In fact, many people bring in a clock and say " This clock belonged to my Father, he had it for 50 years, I have owned it for twenty years, and it has never been touched!"
At this point I usually ask how often they have their car serviced, and the reply is "at least once a year" - - - A clock is a delicate mechanical instrument, this sort of neglect results in severe wear on the moving parts, many of which have to be replaced in order to get the clock running properly again.
Of course, this is not as easily done as a car repair, there are no spare parts available "off the shelf" for a clock which can be anywhere from 100 to 300 years old! This is reflected in the repair price, I can spend as long as 5 hours making a new wheel or other part, then the clock repair and service is on top of that - - -
I have read on several sites that you can clean your own clock by dunking the whole thing in a bucket of petrol or Kerosene or whatever, PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS - - -you will just wash all the dust and dirt into the moving parts, where it forms a grinding paste and your clock will grind too - - - to a stop very soon after this "cleaning". Again in the words of the old song, "never to go again"
So what I suggest to anyone who has the privilege of owning and looking after one of these lovely old antique clocks is this - Have it serviced, cleaned and oiled every 5 years AT LEAST, every two years would be better. That way you can pass the clock on to the next generation in good original condition and working order, instead of gifting someone with a huge repair bill!
It also has to be considered that in years to come there may not be anyone around with the required skills to carry out the repairs at any price!
I was walking past a clock shop a few years ago, and two people were looking in the window, one said "this is a clockmakers shop", and the other said "Oh, I thought they were all dead now!"
That true story is actually not far off the mark, so have your valuable old clock repaired while you still can!
Some of my work can be seen on my website, if you are interested in clocks take a few minutes to look round it, I'm sure you will find it interesting in terms of what can still be made by hand.
Andrew.
A Very Short History of the Pendulum Clock Part Two
In part one we traced the development of the pendulum clock from early beginnings. Now we can take a look at English clockmaking up to the point where the grandfather or longcase clock as we recognise it today appeared.
How to Date Your Grandfather Clock
You can find out the age of your grandfather clock by looking at the dial. If you know what to look for it is possible to date a clock to the nearest five to ten years.
A Very Short History Of The Pendulum Clock Part One
The story of the development of the clock, and in particular the pendulum which swings and controls the clock, is almost an epic tale in itself, with lots of brilliant minds, some real characters and a few charlatans thrown in for good measure - - - - come with me, as we go back almost a thousand years to it’s beginning - - -
