Your local horologist has come to the conclusion that, increasingly and of late, more interesting horological finds can be had on the dreaded Faceb... (that place) than via that long standing, but slowly devolving, stalwart Craigslist.
A few weeks ago Kelly posted for sale a "New Haven Banjo Wind-up Wall Clock."
Intriguing, as her photos of the beastie showed what was clearly marked as a Sessions clock with a very nicely intact back label.
A little research turned up a 1927 Sessions clock catalog entry.
Solid mahogany case? Hmm...
An inquiry was made. Yes still available and a date, location and time were set.
YLH was warmly greeted by Kelly at a local Starbucks.
She had little history of the clock nor understanding of its workings. It came from a client of hers.
The clock looked to be in very good shape overall, fully intact and with its key.
The bottom glass plate was in perfect condition displaying a charming historic scene of "Ye Upholsterer, Betsy Ross." Look closely and you'll see that she is holding a flag and speaking to what appears to be George Washington at her door.
And if you go to the image in the catalog you will see it is the same scene.
The eagle on top was original and clean. Same with the pendulum bob. The dial glass looks original.
The biggest issue for this potential buyer was the state of the movement. If the clock was 100 years old that movement could be in poor shape and that could be trouble. And very little can be determined without removing the dial.
And that was not going to happen at Starbucks.
Kelly was able to wind the clock. That's a good sign.
It looked really complete and in good shape otherwise.
Her price was fair and so...
The Yorkie made its way back to the shop.
The next day a quick inspection was made. Removing the dial only took a few minutes.
And in doing so we now could examine the movement.
Fresh out of the case the movement was quite clean overall. Some dirt in spots. A little too much oil on it but that means someone was trying to care for it and otherwise it looked good.
And here's where we erase any lingering doubt about its maker.
With a minimum of observation it was clear that the clock had been well cared for and serviced, likely regularly.
Note in the image below the large wheel with pointed teeth. That is the escape wheel and around its pivot (the grey steel center) there is a the layer of metal that is more orange in color. That is a bronze
bushing, used in the repair of a worn pivot hole, a common problem with mechanical clocks and especially rapidly turning escape wheels.
Clock bushings can come in brass or bronze. Bronze being the harder / more durable of the two types but clearly mismatched in color with the rest of the brass wheels and plates of the clock. It is a debated subject amongst clockmakers but probably the majority (including YLH) prefer brass, and not just for the aesthetics.
Jumping ahead briefly in time (during a later full disassembly), a couple other bronze bushings were more clearly visible.
Those bushings are the work of a skilled clockmaker. Speaks well to the overall condition of the clock.
OK rewind back to the movement being out of the case but still assembled.
Let's test the movement on a stand and see how it runs.
The movement ran pretty well on the test stand. Ticking and tocking away with power. Great.
But after a few minutes it became clear to YLH that the ticking was uneven, going in and out of beat over the course of any given minute of running.
Not good.
What does going "in and out of beat" mean?
Why is the clock doing that?
Why is that a problem?
What to do about it?
Tune in next Bat Time on this same Bat Channel!
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