clock repaire

[sparkey0151]

Is there much call for more modern clock repair ? i dont mean ultra modern more like vintage, i do appreciate that few of these are craftsmen built like some grandfather clocks etc, but some of the modern movements i see seem pretty well made, its just that you see very little being said about the vintage clock which one day will be antiques themselves, just wondering , there does not seem to be many books rely but suppose thats because its tried and tested engineering and a clock is a clock, or is it ? but i would think they all have a few different problems which are common to a certain brand.

john

[Bernie Weishapl]

John I repair all kinds of clocks from wooden movements to todays modern clocks. At this point after over 30 yrs of doing clocks I would say I do 60% modern (from 1950 to todays clocks) and 40% antique from 1950 back to old wooden movements. I do not fix any quartz clocks as every time I give a estimate I get this wow I bought it at Wal Mart for $12.95. So I just quit. I do all types of clocks including Cuckoo, 400 day, antique and modern. So if you are talking modern clocks such as Hermle, Urgos, etc. yes there is good money in fixing those. You can buy replacement movements for those if you run across one that has been butchered by the repairman before you or is so worn it will be cheaper to replace than repair. I just got in a 451-050 85 cm pendulum that had ran for 38 yrs without anything being done to it except for the owner who kept spraying it with WD40 the last 10 yrs or so. WD40 IMHO is the worst thing you can do to a clock. It was going to take 9 bushings on the back plate and 10 on the front plus replacing 2 pivots that were extremely worn. I can replace the movement for about $75 less than the repair with a 3 yrs warranty. 90% of the modern movements I do repair though. So if I understand your question yes modern movements can be repaired plus parts are available at several supply houses and you can make decent money doing it. Also to me a clock is a clock antique or modern. The biggest thing is take pictures before the disassembly and study how the clock works. Run it thru it's paces to watch how and what takes place as it works. Hope this helps.

[willofiam]

Hey John, yes...there seems to be alot of call for the vintage movement repair. There are some features on the vintage / modern clock movements that can be different from the older clock movements, for instance the auto correction features, night shut offs, triple chimes, auto beats, floating balances, ect...ect...though many of the problems will be similar in all clocks, at least in concepts and theory. For instance cleaning, bushings, pivots, wear and tear, improper adjustments, and so on. If the clock movements your talking about are the Hermle, Urgos, Kieninger, Jauch and so on..there are alot of them out there. At http://learntimeonline.com/ there is a Hermle clock course that deals with the auto correction system of the chime mechanism for sale for the Hermle movement, why??? because that feature can really throw you for a loop if the concepts are not understood. That goes for any clock though..... Anyway I hope I have answered your question, Have a great day, William

[sparkey0151]

Thanks for the sound advice lads , just had a little look at the course mentioned, great value, 1 repair will pay for it, another great value course just like Bobs one


regards john