ClockInfo.com

This Seth Thomas mantel clock from about 1910 – 1920 has an Adamantine (celluloid) wood-grain finish. The movement is marked “89″ and has bim-bam striking on the hour and a single tone strike (the high note only) on the half-hour. The case is 19 7/8  inches wide and 9 1/2 inches tall. The dial is silvered brass with printed numerals and a 4 7/16 inch diameter minute track. The minute hand is 2 3/8 inches long.

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:

See more photos.

Repair job 5640.

Related posts:

1. Two Seth Thomas “Plymouth” Tambour Mantel Clocks, 1938 and 1945
2. Seth Thomas Tambour Mantel Clock
3. Late Seth Thomas Adamantine Mantel Clock, 1918
4. Gilbert Tambour Mantel Clock with Bim-Bam Striking
5. Seth Thomas Mahogany Adamantine Mantel Clock

This Seth Thomas tambour mantel clock has a heavy brass dial that is engraved and silver plated. It was made around 1910 – 1920. The hands are the modern “ST” style, with the minute hand having an “S” at the base and the hour hand having a “T”. A different style of ST hands were used back in the 1860s.

The case is 19 1/2 inches wide and 9 1/4 inches tall. The minute hand is 2 5/16 inches long. The movement is the no. 89J. It is similar to the standard no. 89, with the addition of a two-piece back plate.

See more photos.

I did limited repair on the movement, cleaning it, polishing a few pivots and installing 3 bushings. Three screw-in bushings had been installed in the past, these are not good to use, but some repairers use them because they could be installed without dismantling the movement. The screw-in bushings are large and ugly.

The original mansprings are the following sizes:

Time: 3/4 x 0.0165 inch

Strike: 3/4 by 0.0161 inch

The pendulum bob is gold painted lead, 1 3/4 inch diameter, weight 5.4 ounces.

Repair job 5586.

Related posts:

1. Seth Thomas Tambour Mantel Clock
2. Two Seth Thomas “Plymouth” Tambour Mantel Clocks, 1938 and 1945
3. Seth Thomas “Sentinel #10″ Tambour Mantel Clock
4. Seth Thomas “Plymouth” Tambour Mantel Clock
5. Seth Thomas Tambour No. 119 Mantel Clock

This Seth Thomas Adamantine mantel clock is dated June 1918 on the bottom of the case (date code 81F, where F represents the month, and 81 are the last two digits of the year reversed). I’ve seen many examples on earlier clocks where the date code has all 4 digits of the year, but this is the first time I’ve seen just 2 digits.

This later example of the Adamantine case has a simplified design with no pillars or Lion’s heads, and the dial is painted metal. See Seth Thomas Adele Adamantine Mantel Clock for an example of the earlier case design.

Case height 10 inches, width 12.5 inches, minute hand length 2 9/32 inches. The pendulum bob is lead with a brass cover on one side, weighs 5.4 ounces and is 45 mm in diameter.

The original mainsprings have the following measurements:

Time: 3/4 inch wide by 0.0175 inch thick

Strike: 3/4 inch wide by 0.0171 inch thick.

See more photos.

Job 5577. I did limited repair on the movement: cleaning, polished the worst pivots, installed 8 bushings (correcting 3 that were previously installed off-center), and tightened the strike click rivet.

Related posts:

1. Date Codes on Late 1940s Seth Thomas Electric Clocks
2. Seth Thomas Mahogany Adamantine Mantel Clock
3. Seth Thomas “Adele” Adamantine Mantel Clock
4. Seth Thomas Red & Black Adamantine Mantel Clock
5. Seth Thomas Green and Black Adamantine Mantel Clock, Rear Escapement

The model name of this Adamantine mantel clock is “Adele”. When it was new the case was deep red, but it has faded to red-orange. The clock is 11 1/2 inches tall and 12 1/2 inches wide at the feet. The minute hand is 2 1/8 inches long.

The movement is labeled “4 1/2″ on the back, but it is the same as the No. 89 movement. The name “Adele” is stamped in ink on the bottom of the case. There may be a date code as well, but it is very faint.

See more photos.

Repair job 5564. This clock has its  original mainsprings marked Seth Thomas. They are both 3/4 inches wide and 0.0175 inch thick.

Related posts:

1. Seth Thomas Red & Black Adamantine Mantel Clock
2. Seth Thomas Mahogany Adamantine Mantel Clock
3. Seth Thomas Mahogany Adamantine Mantel Clock
4. Seth Thomas Green and Black Adamantine Mantel Clock, Rear Escapement
5. Seth Thomas “Adamantine” Mantel Clock with “Ding Dong” Strike

Seth Thomas Sons & Co. was a division of the Seth Thomas Clock Co. from 1865 to 1879. Their figural clocks such as this one have a round time and strike movement loosely modeled after the round French clock movements. They are very good runners, but have a problem with the gear teeth bending too easily. I first repaired this clock over 10 years ago, and had to straighten some bent time mainspring barrel teeth about 7 years ago and again this month. Also there were 3 bent teeth on the strike second wheel, and the time ratchet gear has needed replacing twice.

The case is  17 3/8 inches tall and 13 inches wide. The dial’s minute track is 2 31/32 inches outside diameter.

See more photos.

Repair job 5550.

Related posts:

1. Seth Thomas Round Top Mantel Clock
2. Seth Thomas “Plymouth” Tambour Mantel Clock
3. Seth Thomas Tambour Mantel Clock
4. Seth Thomas Mahogany Adamantine Mantel Clock
5. Plymouth (by Seth Thomas) 1940s Mantel Clock

It is common to use a tapered pin to secure the hands on American antique clocks. Seth Thomas, however, originally used a straight pin with a pointed end to secure the hands on many of their clocks. Here are photos of the original pins, washers and hands to a Seth Thomas Adamantine mantel clock made in 1902.

The pin is 1.3 milimeter diameter steel wire with one pointed end, 9.5 mm long. It has 2 (sometimes 3) convex steel washers with square holes, 8.15 mm diameter, .3 mm thick, domed to 1.1 mm high.

Most antique clocks don’t have their original hand retaining pin, but I seen many Seth Thomas clocks over the years with pins and washers like those shown here.

Related posts:

1. Mainsprings for Seth Thomas Queen Anne, Time and Strike, with Second Hand
2. Seth Thomas Octagon Top Shelf Clock, 1860s.
3. Two Seth Thomas “Plymouth” Tambour Mantel Clocks, 1938 and 1945
4. Plymouth (by Seth Thomas) 1940s Mantel Clock
5. Seth Thomas Cottage Clock, Late Model

Cottage clocks (small simple spring driven shelf clocks) were popular starting around the 1850s. This is a much newer one, using the Seth Thomas no. 89A movement, and was probably made around the 1920s. The 89A movement is a variation on the basic no. 89 used in many Seth Thomas Adamantine mantel clocks. This clock has a veneered case that is 13 inches tall, 9 1/4 inches wide at the base, with a 5 1/2 inch dial (the dial is a replacement paper dial). It is interesting that they veneered the rear of the case as well! The pendulum bob is 2 13/16 inches in diameter.

This movement has the feature of stopworks (2 extra gears on the left and right of the front plate to limit the range of operation of the mainsprings).

This movement has about 35% wear on the time and strike mainwheel teeth, even though the mainsprings are not outrageously strong. The mainsprings are original, the time spring being around 0.0165 – 0.0172 inch thick, and the strike spring about 0.0172 inch thick. The movement needed many bushings, and most of the pivots needed polishing.

See more photos.

Repair job 5470.

Related posts:

1. Seth Thomas Cottage Clock with 8-Day Lyre Movement
2. Date Codes on Late 1940s Seth Thomas Electric Clocks
3. Seth Thomas Mahogany Adamantine Mantel Clock
4. Seth Thomas Octagon Top Shelf Clock, 1860s.
5. Seth Thomas Red & Black Adamantine Mantel Clock

This Seth Thomas Adamantine mantel clock is dated March 1901 on the case bottom (date code 1091C). The case is 12 1/8 inches tall, 17 5/8 inches wide at the feet, and the minute hand is 2 1/8 inches long from center to tip.

See more photos.

Adamantine is Seth Thomas’ patented process of applying colored celluloid to wood clock cases.

The movement has a recoil escapement located at the rear. (This is the first type of movement used in Adamantine clocks, and was phased out and replaced with the No. 89 movement around 1900 – 1901. March 1901 is the latest use of the rear-escapement movement that I have seen).

This clock has a metal dial with cutouts though which the numerals on a paper dial can be seen. The regulator is above the numeral “12″. (Clocks with No. 89 movement have the regulator below the center of the dial.)

This movement uses loop-end mainsprings that are 11/16 inches wide. This clock has the original mainsprings. The time spring is 0.018 inches thick, and the strike spring is 0.019 inches thick. If the springs needed  replacing, I would use 0.0165 inch thick springs. The original springs in this this clock were fine, so I cleaned and reinstalled them.

Here is a video of the escapement, and the clock striking:

Repair job 5369.

Related posts:

1. Seth Thomas Sparta Adamantine Mantel Clock
2. Seth Thomas Mahogany Adamantine Mantel Clock
3. Seth Thomas Mahogany Adamantine clock, 4830
4. Seth Thomas “Adamantine” Mantel Clock with “Ding Dong” Strike
5. Seth Thomas Adamantine Clock