Posted 12 years ago
glkd
(2 items)
Bruce99, here is the Seth Thomas we spoke about 5 months ago. I just got it back last week. Tick Tock Tony (Mission Viejo, CA) did an excellent job with the rebuild.
I also included my tall clock (no markings anywhere on the works). Someone has written "Made July 1818" inside the case but there is no way to verify the date that I know of. It is good condition and runs fine. It belonged to a friend of our family's and I used to get to wind it when we visited her (I had to get up on a stool to reach the key). That was about 65 years ago. She left it to me in her will.
Hi glkd!
Something told me to pop in today! :)
Thanks for following up with your new posting. The clocks look great! If you have an infrared or ultraviolet bulb around, you might try examining the dial in the dark. Sometimes you can reveal old maker's signatures that have faded, assuming that the dial has not been refinished. It's beautiful in any case. How often do you need to wind it in order to keep it running?
Regards,
Bruce
Just to make sure that I was clear; I was suggesting that you could use infrared or ultraviolet light in a darkened room to examine the tall case clock's face. Some early clock makers actually hand signed their clocks. If you could reveal a faded a maker's signature, you might be able to come up with a better idea of general location and date of manufacture.
Good timing on checking the forum and thanks for the comments!
The Seth Thomas runs 14 days on a wind and the tall clock needs winding once a week.
I like the idea of the UV light inspection. Unfortunately, the lady's home that contained the clock was damaged by a fire. The clock wasn't burned, but probably received some smoke damage. The "works" were cleaned up by a local jeweler (a reputable one) in Colorado Springs, CO and were boxed up and stored for about 10 years before I picked them up. The face has not been refinished but the cleaning may have removed any traces of a signature or other marks (if there ever were any). Maybe the UV light will still show something.
The case, which was in bad shape finish-wise from both age and smoke, was refinished by a shop in Midland, TX in 1970, which was when the clock was put back into service.
I'll let you know if I discover anything with further inspection.
That would be fantastic glkd. Please do. I really think that the clock's dial/face is your best accessible window into the clock's past. Those hands are unique and exquisite. Perfectly proportioned to the dial's minute and hour markings.