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This Ansonia oak cased shelf clock is called the “Bedford” according to the label on the back. The 8-day movement strikes the hour and half-hour on a heavy wire or Cathedral gong. The case is 22 1/2 inches tall and 14 7/16 inches wide. The dial has a 4 7/8 inch minute track (outside diameter). The minute hand is just over 2 3/8 inches long from center to tip.

I first repaired this clock in 2004. The time mainspring recently broke, so my customer brought the clock back to me. I disassembled and cleaned the movement, and replaced both mainsprings (the strike spring was not broken but had a rough action that could indicate breakage in the near future). These Ansonia clock movements use thin mainsprings, so don’t let your clock repairer install the typical strong mainspring (this could cause undue wear).

Dimensions of the original mainsprings: Both are 3/4 inch wide and 0.015 inch thick.

Replacement mainsprings:

• Time: 3/4  by 0.0138 by 120 inches (Empire 280-19-009)
• Strike: 3/4 by 0.0147 by 120 inches (Empire 280-19-009)

Note: Empire is out of business and I have only a few of these springs left. I need to find another spring suitable for these Ansonia movements.

See more photos.

Repair job 5535.

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This Waterbury oak cased shelf (kitchen) clock was made around 1903 and is called “Amherst”. It is 21 3/4 inches tall (a small piece is is missing at the top, it should be 22 inches tall) and 15 inches wide. The hands are original Waterbury blackened brass Maltese style. The minute hand is 2 9/16 inches long from center to tip. The paper dial of this clock is original but worn.

The movement plates are 5 inches tall and 3 7/16 inches wide, and marked 5 3/8 (referring to the length of the pendulum). This movement is designed to use thin loop end mainsprings 3/4 inch wide. When the clock came into the shop, it had a strike mainspring 0.0142 inch thick, and a time mainspring 0 .0172 inch thick. The thicker time mainspring has caused significant wear to the time mainwheel teeth (the teeth on the time mainwheel are 20 % worn, which the strike mainwheel teeth are only 5% worn). The springs were slightly rusty, and I replaced them with Merritt’s Antiques part number P-1496 in the red and yellow package. I selected a spring 0.0156 inch thick for the striking, and 0.0158 inch thick for the time. The pendulum motion is excellent and the striking speed could actually be slower and still be reliable.

This was one of the most badly worn clock movements I have seen! It was very dirty when received. All of the pinion wires needed replacing. The pinion wires of the fan fly were over half way worn through! The movement must have been sprayed with something to keep it going without being cleaned for many years, and the dust adhering to the gear teeth acted as an abrasive, causing the wear to the pinions). All of the pivots needed polishing, and I installed 12 bushings. The pallets had deep wear grooves which I polished out.

The movement plates are steel (with brass plating for decoration), and brass bushings (they were made like this instead of solid brass for a few years – Gilbert also made some like this, so did Ingraham but  without the brass bushings!).

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Repair job 5487.

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This Sessions oak kitchen or shelf clock may have been made in the 1920s or 1930s. The case form has been simplified from earlier models. The label on the back says at the top:

Superior Assortment
Manufactured by
The Sessions Clock Co.,
Forestville, Conn, U. S. A.
Eight Day Half Hour Strike

A metal plate inside the clock says:

Sensenbrenner’s
“Watch Shop”
Circleville, Ohio

This clock has the usual Sessions 8-day time and strike movement. The pivots were rough, so I polished them. I replaced the brass wire click springs with steel wire for reliability.

The time mainspring was a replacement that was too strong. The end was labeled “Usibel France”. It was 3/4 inches wide by 0.018 inch thick. I replaced it with a mainspring 3/4 x 0.0165 by 96 inches from R & M Imports. The original strike mainspring of 3/4 by 0.0177 inch was retained in the clock.

See more photos.

Repair job 5455.

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Oak and oak veneer case 22 7/16 inches tall and 14 7/8 inches wide.

The movement is an earlier version of the no. 89 movement. It is marked “8 1/4″ on the front plate. It uses 11/16 inch wide loop end mainsprings (later examples use 3/4 inch wide springs. It can run reliably on thin, weak mainsprings, but was given quite strong springs originally. The original time mainspring was 0.0195 inch thick, the original strike spring was 0.0185 inch thick. The time mainspring was broken when the clock came in for repair. I replaced both mainsprings with thinner springs (time spring 0.0163 inch thick, strike spring 0.0168 inch thick). The mainsprings are part no. CML 175.3) from Mile Hi Clock Supplies.

This movement has a strip deadbeat escapement. The pendulum takes an excellent swing with this mainspring, and an even thinner time mainspring could be used (if it were available)! The video below shows the escapement motion when run down for 8 days, and fully wound:

The movie below shows the complete clock, the movement, and the clock striking the hour and half-hour:

See more photos.

Repair job 5179.

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I recently repaired this clock. The movement was ugly to start with, because a previous repairer had soldered bushings to the front and rear escape wheel pivot holes (see slide show below). The pivots were bent in the process.

I removed the unsightly bushings, removed the solder and straightened the bent pivots. The pivots were polished, the worn trundles on three pinions replaced, and the necessary bushings installed (I use KWM size American made bushings, friction fit). I made and installed new click rivets, and replaced the unreliable brass clicksprings with spring steel wire.

Time mainspring is quite thin at 0.0168 inches, yet the escapement takes great motion (in the escapement closeup movie the clock is 7 days run down).

Movie of escapement and movement in case:

Slide show of movement before and after repair:

Repair job 4772.

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I overhauled the movement of this clock recently. One of the teeth on the escape wheel was too short, so I inserted a new tooth.

Both mainsprings are original Seth Thomas mainsprings that measure 0.0165 inch thick. The strike speed is adequate, but I wouldn’t want the mainspring to be much weaker. The pendulum takes a fantastic swing, about three times the escape arc. The time mainspring could be quite a bit weaker and still have plenty of power.

This clock appears similar to the College Series “New York” with a different base and glass. It is also very similar to one of the “Capitol” series with a different base and glass.

My job 4526.

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This is a good looking Seth Thomas oak kitchen clock.

Date stamp on the back reads 7981 which translates to the year 1897.

Movement Before Repair

Front of movement showing two crudely soldered on “Rathbun” bushings (on pivots T3F and T5F). This type of work is done by someone who does not like to take the movement apart.

The “Rathbun” bushing on the back of the movement (on pivot T4B).

Movement After Repair

The movement after repair. The previous repairer had gouged the brass very deeply. I didn’t want to remove too much material, so the gouges are still visible.

Movement Assembly

Showing the relationship of the lift/warning lever to the j shaped turnback lever. The turnback lever is riveted to the back plate. Its function is to hold the warning lever in the correct resting position so that the minute hand may be turned back past the numeral “12″ without damaging the movement.

Partially assembled movement showing the gears and levers.

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This great looking clock has the original time and strike mainsprings, and only a small amount of mainwheel tooth wear (about 5%).

T: 3/4 wide x .0172 inch thick

S: 3/4 wide x .0172 inch thick

Label on back of case

The 8 day time and strike movement

Back of movement

My job no. 4501

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