Cast Iron Weight Repair - Ogee Weights

Here is a quick and easy repair job I did on two ogee clock weights. I bought this mismatched pair of weights this past weekend from an antiques place (for the bargain price of 5$ for the pair). Unfortunately, both weights had their top loops broken, basically making them useless. Fortunately I was able to add loops back onto them.

There are several ways that broken loops or weight hooks can be repaired. Some methods are better than others. Some methods are ugly, but functional, while some are downright risky. I have used a few different methods to attach loops to cast iron weights in the past. I believe I've done one with a tapped and threaded hole, which was fine, but left a rather large eye bolt for the loop (which wasn't the nicest looking). I have seen weights with large loops of bailing wire wrapped around them, and also some hooks held with poor solder joints (risky) and adhesives like epoxy (which can work well if the holes are cleanly drilled (free of oils) and if the proper epoxy is used.

This new repair (which I decided to try) used a tight friction fit only. These are pretty light weights (under 4lbs).

The new loops were made from old rusty wire to match the old rusty cast iron, and these are dropped into a hole drilled into the top of the weights. The holes are about 1/8" diameter or less, and about 3/8" deep.

The loops are held firmly into the holes with the addition of a taper pin. The taper pin is chosen for a tight interference fit, and it is trimmed so that it won't be too long, and it can be driven down into the hole. The shiny end of the pin can then be darkened with gun blue.

Here are the results.

Note: The two mismatched weights were paired with two other matching weights in my spare parts. You can see one weight with an original loop, and the one with the repair.





Here is what the new loops look like before they are installed:

Rosewood Seth Thomas (Thomaston) Ogee Clock - Part 3

I have yet to finish this series (as well as a few others). This is part 3, which covers some of the final details of the restoration.

Part 1: http://jcclocks.blogspot.ca/2016/02/rosewood-seth-thomas-thomaston-ogee.html
Part 2: http://jcclocks.blogspot.ca/2017/04/rosewood-seth-thomas-thomaston-ogee.html

In this part, I tacked an extremely unusual problem. For whatever reason, this ogee clock was NOT BUILT CORRECTLY. When I was finished working on the movement, I had trouble fitting it into the case properly, especially with respects to the dial. The hands would not clear the dial. This is a paper thin zinc sheet dial with a raised ring (which is standard on ALL older Seth Thomas clocks). The hands would not clear even in the centre (flat) portion of the dial.

I decided to take out the runners and set up the movement clearances correctly outside of the case.



In normal cases, the winding squares should be just a hair below the dial surface.

Playing around with tongue depressors (or popsickle sticks) I found that the movement would need to be raised at least 1/4 inch. HOWEVER, with the movement moved forward this far, the hand shaft would hit the glass, and you wouldn't be able to close the door.



Curiously, the seatboard had already been partially shimmed on the back side.



The real problem, however, was that the depth of the rails was wrong. I could see that the dial mounting tabs had actually gouged into the back of the door (the door was closing tightly onto the pins), because they were too far forward. Normally these rails are about 2 1/4" to 2 3/8" deep. These were almost 2 5/8". Nearly 3/8" too deep.





So the solution was simple. Trim the side rails (on the back) and reinstall them. I did not cut them down the full 3/8". I trimmed them only by how much I needed to shim-up the movement (the amount of popsickle sticks), so about 1/4 inch.

Once that was done, everything went back together just fine (I used old and new square nails), and the dial and movement fit perfectly, with proper clearance for the hands, and perfect clearance for the door (the door is no longer rubbing up onto the dial or pins).



I still need to post multiple photos of a half dozen restored or repainted dials. This was the fully repainted dial (before antiquing).



After antiquing:



Another case repair that I needed to do was to repair the worn out hole for the movement hold-down. The chip-out was puttied, and the area was colour-matched to hide the repair.



Hole patch from the interior. I used poplar for the plug since it will last a bit longer than pine (which is softer).





The final part will just be final photos and before and afters of the clock. Not too sure when I'll post those, but you can see most of the completed clock in Part 2.

Mirror Clock Project Part 5 - Weight, Pulleys, Pendulum, & Dial

With the case for the mirror clock mostly finished (Part 4) I now had the task of fitting the movement, and making/modifying all the accompanying parts to go with the clock.

Pulleys

Since this is an entirely custom made (and custom sized) creation, there are very few stock items available that would "look right". One of these parts which you might think would be easy to find are pulleys. Sadly the pulleys available from supply houses basically only cover the most basic styles, with most looking mass produced and much later than the period I'm aiming for (1900s vs 1830s). One of the only suitable pulley choices that would work fairly well without any modifications are standard Banjo clock pulleys. I found that they were a bit too large, so I opted to modify some existing "Seth Thomas Regulator" style pulleys.

First, let's have a look at some good examples of original mirror clock pulleys:







As you can see from the photos, a lot of these pulleys are very plain with flat metal saddles in either steel or brass. These are the pulleys I decided to modify. I would have preferred them without rings in them, but these were the size I wanted, and the motion works wheels on the movement also have rings, so it still matches.



Unfortunately I didn't really take any in-between photos, so I only have the finished product. All I did was remove the existing saddles, knock-out the centre pins, and broach the centre holes to remove the burred texture. Once that was done, I turned two small centres with projecting pins, and cut some brass saddles. The saddles were heated and bent, drilled, filed, hammered in place, and then the projecting pins were filed flat to the saddles. Quite a bit of work for just 2 pulleys, but I think they make a big impact on the overall project since they're very visible once the door is open.



Pendulum

The pendulum on this clock is more or less a standard Banjo pendulum, but shorter, and with a "block" top rather than a keyhole style. As-received, the pendulum top had been fabricated from round stock, so I decided to file it down into a rectangle. Once I had figured out the correct length for the pendulum, I filed a rough cast brass blank for the rating assembly and mounted it to the rod.





I wasn't happy with the threads on the rating "stem" and the brass was so soft that it twisted as I was cutting them. I decided to hack that off completely, and silver-solder a threaded steel stem to the rating assembly. The problem was that cast brass is much too soft and pliable, since it isn't work hardened. I really didn't think the threads would last long, so I opted for steel threads. Below is the completed pendulum with rating assembly. The brass bob is "new old stock".



Weight

This clock would need a custom weight to drive it. Both because it was driving a custom movement, and also because it needed to have a custom shape.

This was my very first time casting anything in lead. For years I've been saving lead scraps, fishing weights, and tire weights for use in clock weights. The large old pot below shows most of my current lead stock (about 45 Lbs). The bulk of this scrap comes from old fishing weights that I bought years ago at a yard sale.



If you are thinking about doing any lead casting yourself, please do your research on the subject, and work safely. Molten lead is VERY heavy, and in its liquid form is at least 600F. Work OUTDOORS, wear gloves, and avoid the fumes. I suggest watching several online videos, or reading about it from people who do a lot of bullet casting (there's lots of good info out there including where to look for free lead).

To cast lead weights for clocks, simple wooden boxes can be used, however they can only be used once.

For this particular movement, the driving weight needed to be just over 13Lbs.



When I was unmoulding the weight, I thought the wood had completely melted (burned) and that the weight was deformed, but the odd shape seen below is only from a thin little bit of rough projecting edges.



The top had to be chiseled free.





My original weight was done with a fancy curved top. Any rough edges can easily be shaved down with a coarse file. Note that the weight hook was set into the weight mould before pouring.





The bottom was quite rough.



I was very happy with the weight, and I even formed the hook, and antiqued the lead; not long after this, I discovered that I made a huge mistake. I forgot to allow enough space for the weight to fit around the dial.



This meant that the weight was useless as-is, and I had to re-melt it and cast it again in a new mould. The new mould was made without a fancy top, and with a simple notched corner to allow clearance for the dial. Here is the recast weight:





Note: the hook was placed in the centre, but I had to bend it back a bit so that the weight would hang down properly in the case.



The bottom of the weight turned out a lot nicer on this second casting.



Lead patina was applied and then everything was good to go!

A small side note: Most mirror clocks simply use one pulley, with the weight hanging down below the centre line of the dial (directly off the winding barrel). In those cases, the clocks are also taller than mine, so there's enough space for 8 days drop. In my clock, to get the full 8 days, I needed to have the weight travel vertically as much as possible. I had calculated that I would need about 35" of weight line, which added up to about 20" compounded with a pulley to drive the clock for 7 days. With my two pulleys and a 4 1/2" tall weight, I am able to get just over 8 days running time.



The movement is a custom creation made for me by my good clockmaker friend Jim DuBois from Texas. It is made from a standard "Howard style" Banjo clock movement, and he fabricated new custom plates for it in a "D" style. To accommodate the difference in height for my case, Jim also modified one of the wheels/pinions to give me a 20" pendulum. The movement is mounted through the backboard with two large (custom) machine screws (also made by Jim). The top weight and pulley hooks are simple eye bolts with a small section cut away. The Maltese minute hand is only temporary.







The pine panel for the back of the mirror hasn't been trimmed to size or antiqued yet.



Also, the blocks on the wall are currently keeping the clock from swinging to the right under the weight, since I haven't yet screwed it to the wall.



Dial Blocks

To mount the dial, rough wooden blocks are typically used. These are not really my preferred method for mounting a dial, but all mirror clocks used similar blocks. Original examples usually include the use of 2 or 3 wooden blocks to affix the dial. These can be at 12 o'clock and 6 o'clock, in a T formation, or 3 blocks radiating outwards (roughly equally spaced).



Because of some clearance issues with the hands, the pendulum mounting stub, and other minor annoyances, I decided to dish the dial slightly. Most dials on mirror clocks are flat, but occasionally dials from this period were dished. To dish the dial, I made two wooden forms, which were simply clamped tightly over the dial to gently curve it.

The dial is one of the only "stock items" I used for the clock. It is a regular Banjo clock dial, and I have removed the existing silk-screened numerals.







The dial was fitted with 2 cut tacks (upholstery tacks) and 1 swiveling bottom nail. The dial edge has 3 notches that reference against these 3 points.







More soon.

Clock Haul - 4 New Acquisitions

Yesterday was quite a fun day for me. I woke up somewhat early (9ish?) and decided to check the online classifieds to see if there were any nearby yard sales (ones I could walk to). In the process, I noticed that one of the yard sales I had missed last week was being done again this weekend. The reason I wanted to go to this particular yard sale was that there were several antique clocks for sale! A whole shelf full! You can see some of them in this photo from the ad:



The sale was NOT nearby, though. Technically out of town. But it was within a 15 minute walk from the nearest bus stop, so I was still able to go.

When I got there, several had been sold (the Art Deco looking ones from the photo above), but many remained, and the asking prices were rock bottom. Most were either 25$ or 30$ each. At first, I was extremely excited, but when I started to look at them, I could see why they were so cheap. A bunch of the black mantle clocks on the shelf were missing bezels and glasses, had no back panels, a few were empty cases, and others had no hands. Still worth buying at 25$ each, but I have too many projects already, and black mantle clocks aren't really my favourites.

The ogee clocks (which I bought) were also basket cases so no one wanted to touch them.

While I was browsing, there was another couple browsing around, and the husband pointed to the ogee clocks, and looked to his wife saying "Remember those?" "God they were terrible timekeepers." This followed with a short conversation with one of the sellers (the owner's son), and he told him that he couldn't even get it to keep time to within 10 minutes a DAY.

I didn't say anything, but from my own experience, I've found that ogee clocks are some of the best timekeepers in my collection. They are weight driven, which automatically makes them superior to spring clocks, and most of mine run to an accuracy of 30 seconds per day or better. If I really tweak them with the seasons, I can generally get them accurate to within a minute a week.

This same yard sale browser also complained that they only run for 24 hours. While this is definitely true (24-30 hours), I don't find that it's a big deal to wind them daily. I understand why a lot of people are turned off by 30 hour clocks, and a lot of collectors completely avoid them, but that's their loss. Some of my nicest clocks are 30 hour ones. I currently have 6 clocks running that need daily winding, but back when I was still at the apartment, I had about a dozen. I just wound them right before bed every night. It took maybe 5 minutes, but it was part of my daily routine.

Anyhow, I was sifting through boxes filled with broken cuckoo clocks, small uninteresting wall clocks, and other miscellaneous items, and I eventually introduced myself to the clock collector when I spotted him coming out from the house. He was a nice friendly guy, and he also invited me inside to see some of his other clocks. He had a beautiful mahogany longcase clock: probably Scottish, with a period 3 dial (after 1800) in the living room. The rest of the house was very plain with modern decor, but his small room was something else entirely.

His main clock/display room was about a 10'x10' study at the front of the house, and it was like walking into a Victorian fantasy. As you walked into the room from the left corner, there was a large oak roll-top desk directly in front, with a huge oak store regulator hanging above it.

Immediately to the left was a MASSIVE 1850's bonnet chest. I would try to link to a photo of a similar one off the web, but this one had a very unusual layout with deeply curved drawer fronts on the top row. It had beautiful bird's eye maple drawer fronts, while a lot of the other flat pieces (drawer/cabinet edges) were in curly maple. I think it had turned posts/legs but now I can't remember. I just remember it was gorgeous, and not quite like any others I've ever seen.

On top of this dresser, he had 3 clocks. 2 Eastlake/Victorian gingerbreads, and in the centre, a really nice (tall) Seth Thomas (Plymouth Hollow) column style #2 (the harder-to-find one with the squared narrow top mouldings similar to the column style #1, as opposed to the easy-to-find ones with the ogee top moulding). There were also some fantastically beautiful and very fancy glass oil lamps on this dresser with the clocks. They weren't brightly coloured, but the pressed glass patterns in them was very detailed, and (if I remember correctly) they were older 3-piece ones with the brass collars in the centre.

Side note: He had over a dozen plainer looking oil lamps for sale.

On the right side of the room was a window, and then in the corner next to the door, he had a tall oak barrister's bookcase, with (I think) a fancy black mantle clock, and another gingerbread, and another oil lamp or two.

The entire room just had this wonderful historic feel.

He also showed me a few of the other clocks he had downstairs on some shelves. He said they would also likely be for sale, but at around 125$ each (a bit more than I want to pay for some average looking gingerbreads). He told me that he had bought-out a jeweller/clock collector a while back, which is where most of these clocks had come from.

During all this, he said that he might want to have me clean several of them, because he's been looking for someone to do the work for quite a while. He didn't seem to know a huge deal about clocks (he had lots of them but none were working, and he also didn't know what the alarm mechanism was on one of the gingerbread clocks he had).

I ended up wanting to buy 2 of the ogee clocks, and he convinced me to get the third one, and knocked down the price to 20$. He also gave me a few of the spare parts (a few pendulums and loose hands). Apparently someone had beat me to a bunch of clock hands (a whole box full) which was sold for "something like 5$". Ugh. Oh well.

We exchanged numbers and info, and I planned to come back for the clocks Sunday (since I was on foot). I ended up returning that same evening because my Mom had plans today (Sunday), and she happened to be off yesterday.

When I returned, I ended up also buying one of the black mantle clocks. There was one in particular that I had been eyeing earlier that day, and I couldn't decide of I wanted it or not. It was only 25$, so I HAD TO. I liked it because it was marbled, and still had the original (and deeply crackled) finish.

All told, I bought 4 clocks for 105$, and also got a few odds and ends (which included a slightly damaged gingerbread clock pendulum which I can probably repair and use).



Clock #1 (30$) is a rather nice and typical ogee clock. This one is by Jerome/New Haven, and it has the original dial, tablet, bob, and finish. What I found that's really odd, however, is the veneer, but I'll get to that in a second.



The tablet is in pretty good shape, and it shows "Sailors Home Liverpool".



The dial is pretty faded, but won't be restored (possibly touched-up, but probably not).



The finish is original as far as I can tell. It looks super old, it's grimy, flaky, crackled, and chipped. What's odd, though, is that under the finish, it looks like pine? You can clearly see knots, and it has been finished to look like mahogany (or mahogany colour anyway).



Prior to having seen this case up-close and in person, I had always assumed that pine cases had been stripped of their veneer. Some of the times that's the case, but I suppose there are always exceptions. If you look at the photos, you can see that the edge banding and door veneer are veneered in typical "short grain" direction, but in pine. This just boggles my mind. I'm going to need to do a bit of research there and see what I turn up.

While this is the best clock in the bunch (as far as condition), the movement seems suspect. I will need to check this, but from what I can remember, the only maker who used curved wheel crossings like these is Gilbert. I've seen exceptions, but I don't think Jerome or any of the other major companies used this design. If it's a Gilbert movement, the clock is definitely a marriage, but I can likely find the right movement for pretty cheap if I want to.



The labels in all 3 ogees are quite deteriorated/damaged but it can clearly be identified as reading Chauncey Jerome New Haven, Conn. and it shows the factory.



The label is the same as this one:



Clock #2 (30$) is a Seth Thomas that I wanted strictly because of the stunning rosewood veneer case. The ogee mouldings are particularly deeply cut, and for the most part, the veneer is in good shape (rosewood is particularly prone to flaking, peeling, and chipping since it is an oily tropical wood that doesn't glue very well). This will also be the FIRST rosewood ogee in my collection.



The glass has a tag that identifies it as a Seth Thomas Plymouth piece, but that may or may not be entirely accurate.



The dial is a joke. I found it funny that my Mom said it was quite pretty, and then I told her it's a bad repaint job. It looks like the original embossed dial pan, but it's been completely stripped, spray painted, and repainted. Whoever did the numerals had some skill (with nice fine lines in the minute track) but the V numerals are too wide, and the floral corners are quite amateur.



I was pretty sure that the broken mirror was a replacement, but two points have me second guessing this. Point 1: this jeweller's label is from a jeweller in London Ontario, and dates to between 1866-1877 based on the info I was able to dig-up. Point 2: is that the glass is VERY thin. Thin mirrors are usually a good indication that they are old. This one is almost just 1/16" thick (which is super thin), there also doesn't seem to be any marks on the wood retaining strips that hold the glass in place. On the other hand, the mirror isn't wavy. Not even a little.

I will probably do a stencilled tablet though.



The movement is stamped Plymouth Hollow.



Lots of ugly solder, but otherwise, it doesn't look too bad. I didn't think Plymouth movements ever used screws for the plates... Hmmmm. More digging to do.



The label is Thomaston. This tells me that either the movement is wrong, or that the clock dates from right around 1865 when the town was renamed from Plymouth Hollow to Thomaston after Seth Thomas' death.



The label is the same as this one:



Clock #3 is the worst of the bunch, and the one I originally passed on, but was knocked down to 20$. It is also a New Haven, and it needs a lot of help.



The dial is just the worst. It is original, and the original paint is under this cartoon effort. The problem, though, is that the original paint is 60-70% flaked away. There's enough peeking through to get an idea of what it looked like though. It's a pretty plain/standard dial nearly identical to the first clock.





I think this is my first ogee clock with a detailed knob. All my others have a plain zinc one, or a bent brass wire type.



The movement seems to be in great shape except for the verge. The exit pallet has been re-soldered in place.



Oddly the best label of the 3. "American Extra ??? ment Clocks, New Haven Clock Company, New Haven, Conn. I always find it funny when the label designers don't take into consideration the large gong base that will cover it.



The main problem with this case are two large and terrible veneer repairs on the left side. If I can peel most of this off, it could potentially be a somewhat easy fix, but it looks truly awful. While I like some old repairs, they need to be well done to be worth keeping. There's a fine line between "charming" and hideous.

These two photos are actually a bit blurry and make it look "not that bad" but trust me, it's bad. The veneer isn't even the same thickness, and it's lifting in sections.





A last note about the ogees: I have 5/6 weights, 2 bobs, and 2 minute hands. There are 2 spade hour hands, but they don't belong to these clocks.

The last addition, clock #4 (25$), is a Waterbury Duane. I found this clock in my 1912-13 catalogue (p. 51) and right next to it is the Duluth, which I also have (a gift from my aunt, and sadly it was heavily refinished, and with bun feet since the cast feet are missing).

What drew me to this clock was the original finish. The finish is in what most people would consider "awful and unsalvageable" condition, but I love it. It's the original green marble paint, with a very thick layer of shellac or varnish that has become very crackled. There are some scratches, and I hope I can camouflage them.

I was not able to find any other examples of the Duane model (not that I necessarily need any).



The bezel and glass are missing, but since I have the Duluth, I can measure it and get an exact one to match (hopefully). I also noticed that the Duluth's existing bezel is horribly mangled from some kind of glass replacement botch job, so I may replace both.



I LOVE the lion head side pieces. I haven't seen these often. It looks like they might have been repainted, since I see paint smears on the edges.



Perfectly aged feet.



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The movement looks extensively rebushed, but in generally good shape. The back door and pendulum bob are missing (but I can copy the door from the Duluth, which is a very simple design)



So that's it for now. I'm not sure if I'll be working on any of these anytime soon, but you never know.