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I recently repaired this clock, and replaced the mainsprings with longer, thinner ones to make the clock keep better time and reduce mainwheel tooth wear.

The dial and hands are original, unfortunately, part of the top of the case is broken off. The clock was made around 1880 – 1890. The E. N. Welch Mfg. Co. became The Sessions Clock Company in 1903. This type of clock is often called a shelf or “kitchen” clock, and was popular around 1880 – 1920.

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Repair job 5780. This movement had a lot of wear. I replaced the wires in 5 worn pinions, and reversed the wires in another. I polished the pivots and installed 14 bushings.

The new mainsprings are no. 77.303 from r & M Imports, having the following dimensions:

• Time: 3/4 x 0.0161 x 120 inches
• Strike: 3/4 x 0.0165 x 120 inches

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I recently repaired this walnut cased shelf clock, made in the 1880s – 1890s by E. N. Welch Manufacturing Co., Forestville, Connecticut. The movement is 8-day time and strike. The case is 23 3/8 inches tall and 14 5/16 inches wide. The original painted dial has a 4 7/8 inch time track. The hands are new replacements.

These old Welch movements are very solidly built, and this one is nice in having the extra feature of stopworks to limit the mainspring travel.

I polished the pivots and installed 16 bushings. The original mainsprings are 3/4 inch wide with loop ends. The time mainspring is about 0.0176 inch thick, and the strike mainspring measures from 0.017 to 0.0176 inch thick. These springs are good and were retained in the clock.

Repair job 5493.

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This drop octagon with simple calendar was made by E. N. Welch in Forestville, Connecticut. It has a walnut veneered case and a painted dial. The glass in the door is labeled “Lowery Insurance” which was an agency in Flora, Indiana. It was made around the 1870s – 1880s.

The movement is 8-day time and strike, and is the large, old type with 4 wheels in each gear train. The mainsprings are the originals with rolled loop ends, and are semi-smooth. The time mainspring is 11/16 x 0.0182 inches, and the strike mainspring is 11/16 x 0.0173 inches.

The most important repair was replacing the click rivets, which were about to fail (a click rivet that lets loose will let the key spin backwards during winding, possibly causing injury.) The pivots were polished and 6 bushings installed. Also, a missing calendar gear was replaced to make the calendar (which shows the day of the month) operational again. The calendar hand may not be original.

Repair job 5269.

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The “Verdi” drop octagon wall clock was made from 1877 to 1893. From 1877 to 1885 it was made with a Welch, Spring and Company label; after that it had an E. N. Welch Manufacturing Company label. The case is rosewood veneered, 31 inches long, 12 inch dial (11 inch minute track).

This example has an 8-day time only movement driven by two mainsprings. The mainsprings are the original thick, roughly finished springs. They are in good condition and provide plenty of power to operate the clock. They are narrower than standard 8-day mainsprings, only 3/8 inch wide. They are quite thick, 0.022 inch.

The escapement is a club tooth deadbeat (or semi-deadbeat, as there is slight recoil during locking). The escapement was patented by B. B. Lewis on August 31, 1870, patent number 106,843.

The dial on this example was repainted by The Dial House, Dallas, Georgia. The second hand is a replacement.

Besides cleaning, the movement needed the following repairs:

• Tighten the click rivets;
• Polish pivots;
• Install 7 bushings;
• Replace one bent pinion wire in the second pinion;
• Replace the pinion wires in the escape wheel;
• Increase the hand set tension.

Here is a video of the escapement:

Here is a video of the case:

Here is a slide show of the clock and movement:

Repair job 5023.

Historical reference: NAWCC Bulletin Supplement Number 12, February 1978, “The Welch, Spring and Company”, by Owen H. Burt and Jo Burt.

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I just serviced an E. N. Welch “Arditi” perpetual calendar clock. I disassembled the movement and cleaned it, but the only repair was replacing the click rivets, as the original brass rivets were coming loose.

This clock has a 27 3/8 inch tall walnut case, and was made in the 1880′s. The movement has very old mainsprings which appear to be original. They are thin (0.0153 inches thick for the strike spring and 0.0156 inches thick for the time spring) and do not seem very “springy”. Yet, they provide plenty of power and have no visible damage, and so I kept them in the clock. If a mainspring has lasted for over 120 years, it is likely to keep on working.

The video below shows how well this clock runs, even with the weak mainsprings (and it is run down several days, not fully wound).

Here is a slide show:

Repair job 4880

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