I was starving by the time I got home. It was leftovers from the dinner Friday: Pot roast, cole slaw, smashed potatoes, and the last of the onions & carrots. I was so full I needed a quick rest with Daggy before doing anything!
Earlier in the week I replaced the braided brass weight cables in my grandfather clock. I did the first restoration to that clock in the spring of 1972, which is when the cables I replaced were installed. I overhauled the clock movement with the help of friends when I was attending WatchmakingSchool in Lancaster, PA. Restoring that was pretty much a “class project”. My good friend Richard capped and turned down some of the worn pivots. I made him sign and date the inside of the door. I just checked and the date is; June 1972. Poor Richard, he ended up having a lot of mental problems and faded out of my life. I often wonder what became of him…. I’m almost afraid to know.
That type of Grandfather clock is generically known as a “painted dial English bell strike” among clock collectors. Container loads of those clocks were shipped and distributed through importers back in the early 1970’s. A friend at school was an Antique dealer. I was able to get that clock through his importer connections. After an absence of almost two months, it is so good to hear the steady ticking and the bell striking the hours again.
It is not a particularly rare or valuable clock, but it was built with integrity. The fact it is still keeping accurate time nearly 200 years after it was first assembled says a lot.
The grandfather clock ticking off the seconds here in Alabama.
My Seth Thomas eight day weight clock in the dining room snapped it’s time cable the day after I placed the order for the grandfather clock cables! I’m wondering if I’m cursed now! I found a source for the cable on E-bay so that got ordered yesterday afternoon. I missed having a clock in my dining room.
I pulled out the Daniel Pratt wooden works clock I’ve had in storage since I moved here. The Newspaper packing inside the clock was from June of 1996! This clock is a 30 hour clock which means it needs to be wound every day. UGH! This particular clock is quite late for a wooden works, with the label dating it at 1843. I had to clean and oil the few metal parts. A quick dusting and it took right off! These old wooden works clocks are sometimes called “groaners” as the wooden gears will make all kinds of noises not heard on conventional brass clocks. As the industrial revolution took hold in the early 1800’s and brass clocks became more common, the clock dial was designed so there was a large opening where the hands were. This allowed the brass plates of the movement to show: A subtle form of conspicuous consumption! I’ve missed this clock… I’m going to find a home for it so it can add to the cacophony of my life!
Here is a picture of the wooden works:
I was really annoyed this morning. It was nearly 50° when we assembled at the boat house at 5:30 a.m. We were short two people for taking out a boat. I’m up anyway, but was all set to get some rowing in.
Oh well. The extra time allowed me to get this entry out, and I’ll get to the Y early.
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