Brad Nelson
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עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 18, 2021 9:27:24 GMT -8
 I’ve had this German Schatz anniversary clock sitting on my shelf since I inherited it. It had been sitting in a box in the attic of my mother’s old house for probably 50 years. I do remember as a child when this was decorating the top of the nice 1960’s Curtis Mathis console that my folks owned. These were nice pieces of furniture. It was this model:  Anyway, at some point the clock was put away, either because it stopped working or just for a change of decor. The clock as found in the attic had a broken mainspring. But that might have been caused by moving the clock or rough handling while in storage. The clock itself is rather nice looking, thus I had it on display even though it didn’t work. But I had it in my mind long-term to get it fixed. But how? Who? Your corner clocksmith is a thing of the past. Any attempt to find someone to repair it would likely mean sending it or making a long trip, both of which would have been expensive or inconvenient. But a guy comes in the other day and wants some clock faces printed out. His hobby is restoring and repairing old clocks. He spotted my anniversary clock and we talked about what it would take to repair it. In the end, he charged me basically just for parts ($60.00). He said it's not a premium model, but it's at least a good mid-range clock. That wasn’t the end of the fix because the task then was to get it to keep accurate time. In the midst of doing that, I found that the clock would stop. Sometimes it would run for hours and sometimes just for ten minutes. I have since found some help online and made some adjustments that might be the solution. The clock ran all last night and is still going. But it’s still running fast. I’ll let it run for a while before attempting any more adjustments.
I found a site online that has the exact same clock on sale for $395.00. |
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Post by artraveler on May 18, 2021 11:44:14 GMT -8
My second wife grandfather was Swiss and she inherited a clock very similar to that one. It kept close time but remembering to wind it was a pain. Working or not it is a great heirloom.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 18, 2021 12:47:36 GMT -8
The thing about these “anniversary” or “400 day clocks” is that you need wind them only once a year. I think I can handle that schedule. There’s a documentary on Amazon Prime called The Watchmaker’s Apprentice. It could be considered a little dull. But if you’re interested in old-style craftsmanship, this show has that in spades. The elder craftsman is George Daniels. You can view some of his creations here. Roger Smith is the apprentice. His wares can be found here. One of his watches has sold for a million pounds. I don’t see any immediate pricing on his other watches. I’m guessing it’s in the realm of “If you have to ask, you can’t afford it.” These two watchmakers bring anal retentiveness to a whole new level. But they are skilled artists, craftsmen, and outright inventors. The point is ultimately about either art or prestige, for you could buy a watch that keeps time as well, and does way more stuff, for $89.00 or less. These guys are anachronisms. But they also show the genius that some are capable of.
I'll take a better picture of the clock when the lighting in my room is right. But these things really don't like being moved.
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Post by kungfuzu on May 18, 2021 12:56:30 GMT -8
Nice old clock. Schatz means treasure in German. So the Schatz company was living up to its name.  |
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 18, 2021 13:00:08 GMT -8
Ahhh. As in “Mein Schatz,” I suppose.
Artler noted the heirloom aspect of it. Funny thing is, with both parents gone now, the connection as an heirloom really isn’t there for me. After all, I rescued this thing from the attic. It was unloved and unwanted.
It’s mine now. With the help of a good soul, it seems to be working. And it’s second life has begun. It may make no sense, but I hope that it doesn’t remind me of the past.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 18, 2021 13:12:14 GMT -8
The probable solution to the clock running down I found here in the second post down. I was almost certainly getting power. I surely had the clock level. But something was causing the pendulum to lose momentum. Included in what this guy wrote was: Okay, I did notice that the tooth clicking into the escape wheel was not balanced (occur at the same time) for both the clockwise and counterclockwise motions. This happened later in one direction than the other. So once I figured out what the “suspension spring saddle” was, I gave it a small turn. It’s a fairly loose screw, not like you’d think of a normal adjustment screw so I’m a bit dubious about the setting sticking. But I now do measure that the clicking of the escape wheel happens at about the same time in both the clockwise and counterclockwise turns of the pendulum. And so it seems clear that the spring inside the clock could not successfully impart full momentum to the pendulum when the two cycles were non synchronous, or nearly so. That makes sense now that I’ve tried it and it seems to work. The clock, although it had a broken wire-spring, was never abused. Nor was it likely used all that long. For all intents and purposes, it’s brand new. So it had to be something. But it mystified me for the longest time what it was. So you could most likely pick up one of these (or some other style) on eBay for less then $100.00 and with a little work get it functioning. If the main (winding) spring works and the clock hasn't been roughed up, there isn't much to go wrong. And although you need to consult a book to find the right piece of wire for any specific clock, installing that wire doesn't look particularly complicated at all. But I may wait a while before starting a collection. |
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Post by kungfuzu on May 18, 2021 13:34:24 GMT -8
You suppose correctly. If you want to get syrupy, you can use the diminutive Schatzi.  |
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Brad Nelson
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עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on May 19, 2021 7:28:54 GMT -8
Mein Flutzi, the anniversary clock was about 6 minutes fast over an 18-hour period. That’s better from where I started a few days ago. I usually turn the adjustment wheel about a quarter turn. And those turns have turned out to have a fairly small effect. That’s probably a good thing, in that making very small adjustments is doable. So I made about a half turn adjustment this morning and we’ll see how that goes. But at least the clock did not wind itself down overnight. That’s an improvement. Then comes the question of whether to spruce up the brass on this thing. I’ll likely leave that for another day, but it is an option. Regarding old clocks, maintaining the patina is apparently a 50-50 option in terms of “correct”. The other side is restoring the beauty that the clockmaker intended. Both, I’ve read, are legitimate points of view…for a clock. For other antiques, cleaning is often considered verboten.
If may never look like the below again, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad if it did. It's mainly the base that I would polish up if I polished anything at all.
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Brad Nelson
Administrator
עַבְדְּךָ֔ אֶת־ הַתְּשׁוּעָ֥ה הַגְּדֹלָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את
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Post by Brad Nelson on Sept 12, 2022 6:40:23 GMT -8
This guy makes watch repair fascinating to watch:
He also does some old pocket watches:
I watched four of these videos yesterday. It really makes you appreciate the technology and craftsmanship that goes into these. No, they don't tend to keep time as well as a "smart watch." But there's just something really cool about the mechanics of it all. Spinning gears. Levers, Springs. They are masterpieces, even the ones that aren't $50,000 Rolexes.
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