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This clock strikes the hours and half-hours on a heavy coil gong. The case is 17 1/8 inches wide and 9 3/4 inches tall. The dial’s minute track is 4 3/8  inch diameter, and the minute hand is 2 1/4 inches from center to tip. The video below shows the clock striking:

When the clock arrived in my shop, the finish had been stripped from the case. I stained it with brown mahogany gel stain, and finished it with spray semi-gloss Deft lacquer.

This movement is a good example of an American clock movement with weak mainsprings. The springs are open (no barrel), 3/4 inch wide, 0.014 inch thick, and about 8 feet long. Many American movements have stronger springs (0.0165 – 0.018 inch thick). A 0.018 inch thick mainspring provides over twice the force of a 0.014 inch thick spring (because the force is proportional to the thickness cubed).

This movement has a strip deadbeat escapement with a very small escape arc (the minimum swing needed for the clock to tick). The running arc is over 3 times the escape arc, showing that the thin springs provide plenty of power for this movement. Unfortunately, it is difficult to find weak enough springs if replacements are necessary. Springs that are too strong will cause wear. The video below shows a closeup of the escapement, and shows the amount of pendulum swing, starting from the minimum:

Repair job 5675.

Here is how to identify this late style 7 Baby Ben:

• The base is plastic, with number 58056 on the bottom. It is the same as the plastic base used on late style 8 Baby Ben alarm clocks.
• The bezel has a matte or sand blasted finish.
• The key and knobs are plastic.
• The minute hand does not have a metal cap in the center.

This clock has been seen in boxes labeled “Special Baby Ben Buy!” It uses the aluminum movement that late style 8 clocks use.

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Repair job 5647. 0.0024 inch Horolovar suspension spring. Horolovar back plate no. 1010A.

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Job 5650. Horolovar back plate 1287. 0.004 inch thick suspension spring.

I cleaned the movement, polished the pivots, and installed 13 bushings. The pendulum rod and pendulum bob were previous replacements. The clock was losing time, so I shortened the pendulum rod by 3/8 inch.

I replaced the time mainspring because it was causing wear to the mainwheel teeth. I intended to keep the original strike mainspring, but it broke after cleaning and lubrication, as I was winding it into the clamp for re-assembly. The original mainsprings have the following measurements:

Time: 3/4 wide by 0.0185 inch thick (thicker than usual for a Seth Thomas No. 89 movement)

Strike: 3/4 inch by  0.017 to 0.0172 inch thick).

The replacement mainsprings are no. 280-19-003 from Colonial Clock Co., and have the following measurements:

Time: 3/4 inch wide by 0.0158 – 0.016 inch thick by 120 inches long

Strike: 3/4 inch wide by 0.0162 inch thick by 120 inches long.

The movement is a variation on the basic No. 89 having bim-bam strike. It was made before Seth Thomas started giving different model number to variations on the basic movement.

Here is a video showing the pendulum motion and the striking:

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Repair job 5640.

North is at the top of this image. The factory covers 4 city blocks from east to west.. Just across the street (north)  from the factory is the old Westclox administration building (just above the yellow marker).

I don’t know how much of the factory survived the fire. For a view of the outside from 4 years ago, see my post A Walk Around the Old Westclox Factory, Peru, Illinois.

Peru assistant fire chief Jim Duncan said the middle building portion of the Westclox complex was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. “The fire was just out of control when we found it,” Duncan said. As Duncan explained, the Westclox complex includes three buildings, with some separation between each. Those small distances — and a firewall — helped firefighters contain the blaze to the building in which it originated. Duncan said businesses including Bakery Machinery and Fabrication, in the southernmost building, as well as those visible from U.S. 6 — including a bridal shop, a photographer, a salon, Curves and Total Environmental Service Technologies — were spared damage from the flames, though they may have smoke damage.

The News Tribune

My wife and I photographed the outside in 2007, does anyone have more photos, especially of the inside, that I may display on my ClockHistory.com web site?

The movement is the 5-pillar Ansonia 8 day time and strike, with plate dimensions 5 7/8 by 3 5/8 inches. Repairs included polishing the pivots and replacing improper bushings (3 Rathbun and 2 screw-in) with KWM-sized American system bushings. I replaced the strike click rivet.

I retained the original strike mainspring, which measured 3/4 x 0.0175 – 0.0185 inch. The original time spring was very thick (0.019 inch) and causing mainwheel tooth wear, so I replaced it with a 3/4 x 0.016 x 120 inch mainspring, part no. 280-19-003 from Colonial Clock Shop.

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Repair job 5634.

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Repair job 5631. Horolovar back plate no. 1407B. Suspension unit 3C, 0.0032 inch thick suspension spring.

The movement has thick brass plates and hard steel pivots. The escapement is the Graham deadbeat, there is maintaining power to keep the clock going during winding, and stopworks to limit the amount of winding. The 7 pound weight is hangs on a pulley, and there is a pulley at the top right of the case so that the weight descends at the right side of the case. There is a tie-down at the bottom to secure the pendulum while the clock is being transported.

When the clock came in for repair, one pulley was missing. There was significant wear to the pivots and pivot holes. I believe that the clock was run for years with only the top right pulley, resulting in twice the driving force applied to the movement. This could explain the wear, which seemed abnormally high.

Having the weight hang on a pulley reduces the driving force by 50%. The pendulum has a lot of overswing (supplementary arc), and would probably run on 30% less weight and still have good overswing.

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Repair job 5281.