I blogged about this clock shortly after receiving it in April. At that time, it had an incorrect picture in the door. Lee Davis painted a reproduction on old glass for me. I am extremely pleased with this clock. The case veneer needs some repair, but I can enjoy it as it is for now.
-
-
Early Seth Thomas 30 hour OG, ca. 1845. 26 inches tall, 15 11/16 inches wide
-
-
Replacement tablet, a reproduction of an original. Painted on old glass by Lee Davis.
-
-
-
Label, gong and hammer. Early style, crescent shaped hammer.
-
-
Front of movement, type 1.241, early.
-
-
The brass nameplate on on the dial. S. THOMAS PLYMOUTH CONN U S A
-
-
Dial: metal, two rings drawn around time track, dots for minute marks. Early features of dial: tapered numerals 3, 4 and 8, small winding holes (8.2 mm). Has an engraved brass nameplate, an unusual feature.
Posted in Seth Thomas | No Comments »
My parents gave me a 400 day clock for Christmas in 1968, when I was 13 years old. It is a Schatz miniature, dated 5 56 (May 1956) on the back, indicating that it is 13 months younger than I am. The clock came with a spare suspension unit, which I immediately installed, and the clock started working. The clock has been with me all these years. A few years ago, I took it apart for movement cleaning and bezel polishing, and a few days ago I polished and lacquered the outer part of the base to make it more photogenic. The separate base center cover has a nice patina so I left it alone. Thanks to this thoughtful gift from my parents, 400 day clocks are a favorite of mine, and a favorite part of my clock repair business is repairing these great clocks!
-
-
Schatz miniature 400 day clock dated 5 56 (May 1956) on the movement. The dome is plastic with two locking pins.
-
-
Clock with the dome off
-
-
Side view showing the gears
-
-
The back of the movement, showing the date code of 5 56 (May 1956)
-
-
Rear of clock
Posted in 400 Day | No Comments »
I just repaired this Seth Thomas mantel clock in a mahogany color Adamantine case. It has a No. 89 movement with a solid back plate. The case is 16 1/4 inches wide (including feet) and 11 inches tall. The bottom of the case has date code 81B (February 1918).
The escape wheel had two teeth that were too short due to damage by a previous repairer. The slide show below shows that the damaged teeth were removed, a brass plug inserted, and then 2 teeth filed to shape.
Both mainsprings were original Seth Thomas springs, one .0177 inch thick and the other .0165 inch thick. I don’t know for sure which one was originally on which side (time or strike). The .0177 inch thick spring was too strong. The thinner spring did not unwind smoothly. I replaced both with Merritt’s P-1956 springs 3/4 inch wide x 0.0165 inch thick x 96 inches long.
One thing strange about the case is that one end is mahogany Adamantine, but the other end is black! (see slide show below). It appears to have been made this way.
Repair job 4830
Posted in American Clock Mainsprings, American Clocks, Clock Repair | No Comments »
