The Clock Doc of Aiken added 6 new photos.The Clock Doc of Aiken added 4 new photos.Some shop work being done on an old tubular grandfather clock.The Clock Doc of Aiken added 4 new photos.400 day anniversary clock getting repaired.A very old triple chime tubular grandfather clock getting a makeover.The Clock Doc of Aiken added 5 new photos to the album: Somebody spilled the paint.what a mess someone made of this lovely old clock. But....then I got a hold of it.The Clock Doc of Aiken added 6 new photos to the album: Cuckoo needed a bath.Cuckoo clock that came into my shop earlier this week. Messy to magnificent...all in a days (well, more like a few days) work.The Clock Doc of AikenBusiness is good! Several grandfather clocks and older mantle clocks under repair at this time. Looking forward to helping you get your clocks ticking. Give me a call cause time should not stand still!!The Clock Doc of Aiken added 7 new photos to the album: Cuckoo clock under repair.One of the dirtiest clock mechanisms I have had the pleasure of working on.

The Clock Doc of Aiken updated their cover photo.The Clock Doc of Aiken added 7 new photos to the album: Ridgeway Triple Chime Grandfather clock movement under repair.The Clock Doc of Aiken added 9 new photos to the album: Large pendulum wall clock.very unique clock needs repairThe Clock Doc of Aiken added 4 new photos to the album: Gustav Becker Clock under repair.The Clock Doc of AikenIf I have repaired a clock or watch for you, and you are pleased with the results, please make comment on my page so others will see satisfied customer's comments. It helps when people are checking or searching for a repairman. The Clock Doc of Aiken added 4 new photos to the album: Ingraham clock repair.clock very old and needed much cleaning and repairing.The Clock Doc of Aiken added 7 new photos from February 21, 2013 to the album: three more clocks under repair.The Clock Doc of AikenIf you haven't checked out my FB page, please do so and then "like" it to help me spread the word. The Clock Doc of Aiken added 5 new photos to the album: Clock repair work.lots of work being done on several clocks.

A German wall clock, a grandfather clock and a nice German Cuckoo Clock.The Clock Doc of AikenLet me take care of all your clock/watch repair needs. Free estimates and very reasonable rates. No job too big or too small. I also personalize watches (put photos of your loved ones on face). All I need is a photo (which shall be returned once I copy it) and a watch of your choice (you can pick from the ones I have or bring your own). ($15 if you use one of my watches).The Clock Doc of Aiken added 4 new photos to the album: Clock work being done! How We Restore A Clock Movement All Overhauls Are Not "Created" Equal Below is a description of the many steps involved in the restoration of an antique American clock movement. For the most part the same steps will apply to almost any type of clock.  I chose this clock movement as an example because it is the most common movement that most repair shops will encounter. All repairmen will clean and bush the clock mechanism, but many of them will leave out some of the finer details necessary for a proper repair.

Leaving out these details allow them to charge less but leaves you with an inferior repair. Although this is by no means a complete step-by-step description, we have included the most critical points. To avoid making this too long we have not included pictures of every small detail.Bullmastiff Puppies For Sale In Raleigh Nc If we have overhauled a clock for you in the past, you might find it interesting to know how much effort went into your repair. Cost Of 10x20 Storage UnitIf you are considering having a clock movement overhauled this will give you a good understanding of what will be done if we perform the work for you. Pitbull Pups For Sale In TorontoIf you are having it done somewhere else, you might use this information to make sure that you are receiving your money's worth.

Antique American Strike Movement This is what the clock mechanism looked like when it was removed from the customer's clock case. Since I have overhauled many of these clocks it is not necessary to draw a complete diagram of the movement but it is necessary to note the areas on paper which will require a bushing. The dots indicate the bearing surfaces. The arrows indicate those bearing surfaces which are worn badly. The direction the arrow points is an aid to help me maintain the bearing surfaces original center when installing the bushing. If this is not done the gearing will not align and mesh at a proper depth for most efficient operation and may even cause the clock to fail. The curls at the bottom indicate the direction of coil for the mainsprings. I show this drawing because many repairmen will scratch these notes directly on to the clock permanently marring the surface.  The small amount of extra effort this requires is worthwhile because it helps to preserve the plates.

After releasing the wound mainsprings using a let down key and mainspring clamps the clock is disassembled. Not including the nuts that hold the movement together there are 26 parts which make up the clock movement. Each of these parts will receive special attention before the job is complete. A quick examination of each part is made looking for bent teeth or arbors, badly worn pinions etc. The parts are then put into a wire mesh basket and submerged into the ultrasonic cleaning tank. This picture below shows the ultrasonic cleaning machine with the lid off. It is difficult to see here but the chemical degreaser is being agitated by ultrasonic sound waves. This process is called cavitation. The sound waves create millions of tiny bubbles which implode on the surfaces of the pieces being cleaned. These implosions "scrub" the pieces as they sit in the degreaser. After the parts are cleaned, they are rinsed with a drying agent and then hand dried. At this point I like to buff the parts on this buffing machine using a fine wire buffing wheel.

Although this step is not mechanically necessary, it gives the finished movement a much brighter, cleaner appearance. The picture below shows the right side of the clock's count wheel after buffing and the left side before buffing. Pivot Restoration - Drawing Before I show you actual pivots I thought it might be helpful to show a drawing of what you will see in the next frame. The pivot drawing in the middle illustrates what a pivot should look like. The sides are perfectly flat. The drawings above and below show deep ruts or grooves worn into the pivot surface. These pictures are extreme cases of badly worn pivots. Most of the pivots in a clock will not be this bad although almost all will still need some refinishing. Pivot Restoration - Actual Burnishing In The Lathe This picture shows how the above work was performed. The gear is mounted in the lathe and spun at high speed. As the pivot rotates a very fine file called a pivot file is pressed up against it and moved back and forth until all of the scarring is removed.

Next another "file" is used. This file has no real teeth. The surface of the "file" is prepared by stroking it sideways across a piece of 120 grit sandpaper. This creates a very fine file like surface used to further smooth the surface of the pivot. This is what is being used in the picture. The last step involves the use of the burnisher. It is a piece of steel like the one in the picture but is finished with up to 2000 grit sandpaper which creates a very smooth shiny surface. This surface is so smooth it does not cut against the surface of the pivot like the two previous steps but instead compresses the outer surface of the steel pivot making any fine scratches disappear. Bushing Installation Part Two This is another picture (above) showing a repaired bearing surface. The picture on the left not only shows a worn bearing surface but also shows an amateur attempt at repairing the wear. Looking closely you can see tiny punch marks around the outside of the hole. A "repairman" actually punched around the outside of the bearing surface with a prick punch trying to close the hole.

This is an extremely poor method and has been used more often than you might imagine. The picture on the right shows the same area with a bushing installed. Unfortunately, some of the prick marks are still visible even after the new bushing was installed. This might be hard to see but the in the picture below the vertical lever on right is worn on its tip and the horizontal lever with the 90 degree bend on the top left side has a rut worn across its surface on the part that is pointing down. Although this will not be their final state when installed in the clock, it gives me a fresh place to start when bending them into a proper working position. These are the mainwheels (below) that carry the mainsprings to power the clock. These gears contain the ratcheting system which holds the spring wound when the winding key is turned. The ratchet wheel (looks like a circular saw blade) in the center must be checked too see that none of the teeth are damaged and the clicks must be checked to see that their surfaces are still sound in order to engage the ratchet teeth properly.