This Gilbert tambour mantel clock does bim-bam strike on the hour and one single-note strike on the half-hour. The movement has “30″ stamped on the back, identifying the year of manufacture as 1930.
The case is 20 3/4 inches wide and 9 1/2 inches tall. The dial is made of aluminum with embossed numerals. The minute track is 5 7/16 inches in diameter, with a 2 5/8 inch minute hand.
Repair job 5710. Polished pivots, 15 bushings. The original time and strike mainsprings (0.0175 and 0.0181 inch thick respectively) were replaced with 3/4 x 0.016 by 120 inch mainsprings from Colonial Clock Co.
The front pivot hole of the second strike wheel was originally placed too high, causing wear to the very tips of the mainwheel teeth where they engaged the second pinion. I moved the hole down 0.4 mm when I installed its bushing.
Here’s an example of the Ingraham “Doric” shelf clock. Ingraham made this model for years, around the 1860s to 1880s. There is a patent date on the dial pan in which is lightly stamped and unreadable. The lower glass originally had a reverse painting.
The movement is 8-day and strikes the hours on a coil gong. The gong isn’t original, but is an old one I installed (the clock had a small cuckoo clock gong when it came in for repair).
The case is 15 15/16 inches tall and 9 inches wide. The paper dial’s minute track is 4 1/8 inches diameter, and the minute hand is 2 7/32 inches long. Someone has painted the brass dial pan with gold paint.
Repair job 5685. New strike ratchet gear installed. New click rivets installed. New mainsprings, Colonial Clock Shop 280-19-003 (3/4 by 120 inches, time spring 0.0155 inch thick, strike spring 0.0159 inch thick). Polished the pivots, installed 10 bushings, re-faced the verge, installed new pins in 3 pinions.
This Seth Thomas electric mantel clock plays Westminster chimes each quarter-hour, and strikes the hour. It has 4 chime rods mounted to a case iron base. This clock uses the General Time M4 motor, which was made from 1948 through the early 1960s.
The date code 11 49 is on the motor and 4913 is on the label (13th lunar month of 1949?).
The case is 24 inches wide and 8 5/8 inches tall. The minute hand is 2 3/8 inches long.
Repair job 5690. This clock had run so long without service that almost half of the first chime gear arbor was worn away by the rear pivot hole. Otherwise, it needed lots of pivot polishing, and 10 bushings. In this movement, the motor winds the mainsprings that drive the chime and strike.
This small round-top Seth Thomas mantel clock uses the no. 48-R round movement, 8-day time and strike with rack and snail striking (so it won’t get out of synchronization). The mahogany case is 10 3/8 inches tall and 7 3/16 inches wide. The white enamel dial has a 4 1/2 inch minute track, and the minute hand is 2 3/16 inches long.
This time-only long drop octagon clock by Ansonia Clock Co., has an oak case 31 3/8 inches tall and 17 1/4 inches wide. The minute hand is 5 9/16 inches long and the paper dial’s minute track is 11 inches outside diameter.
The movement is 8-day time only, and it is interesting that the pendulum is hung from the case backboard a couple of inches above the movement.
The original mainspring is 3/4 inches wide and 0.016 inch thick.
This Waterbury tambour mantel clock was made around 1920. The movement plates are steel that have been given a thin brass plating. Brass bushings were inserted in the plates so that the pivots (steel gear shafts) can turn in brass holes as usual (steel on steel would cause severe wear).
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:
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:
I just repaired this Ansonia “Queen Elizabeth” mahogany wall clock. The top piece to the case is not shown in the photo, but the catalog illustration below shows the complete clock. The overall height with the top is 37 inches, and the width is 13 5/8 inches. The dial in this example has a replacement paper face, and the minute hand is not original (but similar to the original).
The top piece to the case is not shown in this photo
Ansonia “Queen Elizabeth” wall clock as shown in the 1906 – 1907 Ansonia catalog.
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.
