Clock Services
Below is a detailed guide to the clock repair services we offer our clients
Our standard repairs are broken up into two levels of repair, servicing and restoration.
Servicing
Servicing a clock is essential routine maintenance to keep the clock running as intended.
Clocks stop as the power from the spring or weight is no longer able to make its way through the gear train to the pendulum or balance wheel. The main cause of this loss of power is friction.
A service is designed to remove this friction.
First the clock is disassembled, making note of the areas where repair work is needed. The pivots of the wheels are polished, and wear to the holes the wheels turn in is removed by fitting new bushes. These bushes do two things; firstly they allow fresh and polished brass to be introduced where the pivots rotate, and secondly they bring the wheels back to mesh correctly with the next wheel. This is because as the holes wear the wheels walk away from each other, increasing the friction between the wheels.
The clock gets cleaned to remove the old dried oil and any contaminants which will accelerate wear should they remain.
New springs are fitted to the majority of clocks we service as standard. This is because old springs wear and loose their elasticity.
The escapement is checked from proper running and adjusted if needed.
Then once all areas of concern have been dealt with the clock is reassembled and tested to be as free from friction as possible.
When satisfied the clock is reassembled one final time, lubricated using high quality clock and watch oil, and tested for a minimum of two weeks, during which time it is regulated.
Before refitting the movement to the case, the case is cleaned and polished.
A typical striking clock takes approximately eight hours of work from beginning to end, and then has two weeks on test before being delivered and set up in the clients home.
Restoration
Restoration includes everything in a service, plus some optional extras to ensure your clock holds its value for years to come.
Once the bulk of the service is complete the cosmetic extras will be dealt with. Screws are refinished to remove any damage caused by previous repairers, and re-blued if appropriate.
Previous repairs that are functional but not finished in a way that’s in keeping with the clocks originality will be refinished.
If required dial restoration and case restoration can be completed.
As the work beyond a service is dependent on the condition of the clock and the quality of previous repairs, unlike a service its hard to estimate a price for this without seeing the clock first.
Other Repairs
Manufacturing Parts and Complex Repairs
We’re equipped to undertake major repair work where clocks have suffered significant damage as a result of accidents or neglect. We can manufacture the majority of parts needed to rebuild a clock from the ground up. This work is usually undertaken as part of a service or restoration. Some of the parts we’ve manufactured for clocks are; replacement wheels, pinions, hands, pallets, and pendulums.
Partial Repairs
Where a clock has been well maintained recently but has a fault that can be corrected without the need to service the clock, we can provide competitive estimates for the work required.
