John Birge & Co. 1848 Column & Cornice Clock - The Finished Restoration

This post shows the completed restoration after nearly 2 years working on the clock on and off. For all the previous posts relating to this project, please refer to the following links:

New Purchase - John Birge & Co. 1848 Column & Cornice Clock
John Birge & Co. 1848 Column & Cornice Clock - Before Photos
John Birge & Co. 1848 Column & Cornice Clock - Movement Restoration
John Birge & Co. 1848 Column & Cornice Clock - Case Restoration

For comparison, I would urge you to take a quick look at the "Before Photos" post above to refresh you memory before viewing all the finished results.









I still need to locate an old dial grommet.

















Black stain removed.

















Some of the small chips along the base were simply filled with wood filler, and painted to match. They are visible if you know where to look.



There are 4 veneer patches in this photo. Top corner of the sleigh curve (inside near the door), top corner of the lower door, bottom of the vertical divider strip next to the upper door, and the bottom corner of the main (upper) door.





Teeny little veneer patch on the corner.



Lots of hidden repairs in this photo. Most are cracks within the wood. New veneer along the base. Broken corner at the back fixed. Do note, however, that I did not fix the "crushed" front corner. I decided to leave that alone.













This "door stop block" was missing.



The original pendulum wire was kept (no rating nut) and an old spare bob was found.



Lastly, this is the repaired tip of the minute hand. This was fixed with a taper pin that was filed to shape.







I'm very happy with the results. I'd love to hear your comments and questions.

W. Allan Longcase Clock - Finished Photos (Reveal) + Video

After 10 months of work, the clock was finally finished, and ticking happily. What a beautiful clock. I am extremely pleased with the finished results, and I think it turned out even better than I would have thought (considering the extent of the damage).



BEFORE:





Top right corner:



Top left corner:



Dial before repairs:



Now:









Here is a video showing the clock on the test stand striking 9 o'clock. Warning: the bell striking is very loud in the recording.



And finally, here you can see the clock in its home at my friend's parents' place in their dining room.



I sincerely hope that you all enjoyed this extensive restoration. I surely did not charge enough, but it was still a fun and challenging project to work on. It helped that the owners are some of the most wonderful people you could ever hope to meet.

For reference, the clock is around 86-87" to the top of the swan neck mouldings. I believe he may also want to order some finials for the clock at a later date.