In The Novice’s recent article Timekeeping When the Grid is Down, he asked for someone with a better knowledge to write an article for TEOTWAWKI clock and watch repair. While we’re waiting for that person to step up to the plate, and I hope they do, I thought that I’d offer some of the clock-repair basics I’ve learned in the past eight months.
I’ve always loved any kind of windup time piece. Some combination of the beauty, intricacies, and the mechanical aspects of clocks captured my imagination at a young age. Once I used my birthday money to buy $2.50 pocket watch. I soon had the back open to examine the marvels beneath the cover, watch the mainspring dancing about, and eventually ruined the spring by accidentally sticking a needle into it while poking around the gears. This is how one learns to be a mechanic.
At an auction last year was a grandmother clock (a small “grandfather” clock) which the auctioneer almost couldn’t give away. Anyone who frequents auctions knows that auction clocks never work. He finally talked one of the auction regulars into taking it for $30, although begrudgingly. When I got home, I couldn’t stop thinking about that clock. Wow, $30, what a treasure if it were running. I wondered just how difficult it could be to repair clocks in case I ever saw another deal like that.
My biggest concern was just exactly how they got all those tiny gears in place between the two brass plates which held it all together. Even now I still wonder. So the thought of trying to learn clock repair with my nine thumbs made me shudder. A week later I finally decided to man up and research clock repair to see just what it entailed. I quickly discovered I’d been making some dumb assumptions all along. Once I figured out the secret I realized, “Wow, I can do that.”
With a brain wired for a mechanical things and problem solving, fixing clocks soon became a fun challenge for me. In the past eight months I’ve been able to repair seven of the eight clocks I’ve attempted including wall clocks, mantle clocks, an anniversary clock (so named because it only needs to be wound once a year), and a cuckoo clock which is a little trickier. I have three more clocks (and counting) to work on as soon as I have time, maybe when I put the garden to bed and fire up the woodstove.
Not only have I learned a cool new skill, but I’ve learned many fascinating things along the journey. Like how exactly cuckoo clocks cuckoo. It’s ingenious! And how their pine-cone weights remove the need for mainsprings inside the clock.Continue reading“Basic Clock Repair and Few Thoughts on Time, by St. Funogas”
I have osteo-arthritis in my lower back, as well as my hands, the right hand is much worse than the left and is now deformed – fingers are turning sideways and misshaped as well – and painful – not a good thing for someone who does a lot of typing on a daily basis. Osteo-arthritis is caused, or so I’m informed, by wear and tear in the joints – makes sense. And, there is no such thing as a “cure” for this ailment, only some various types of treatments. Treatments are usually in the form of some kind of pain pills to one degree or another, and of course OTC spray-on, or rub-in creams and lotions. However, everything is only temporary, and the pain comes back in short order.
