I went to an auction. I didn't need an old clock or even have anywhere to put an old clock. Therefore - I bought an old clock. Feel free to insert a rolling eye emoji here. Here's how that little escapade turned out.
And that right there is how you get a post on the dangers of auctions AND how to fix an antique clock. Let me explain a little bit about how small town auctions work.
They all start the same. There's a bunch of garbage that somebody else didn't want in a room.
You enter the auction hall, in this case a community centre, and you walk around. You might see something that you remember from when you were a kid. Or a strange kitchen tool that your grandmother used. At this point you start to soften to the garbage a little bit. It's not so bad. It's fun to just look at if nothing else.
You then get further into the garbage, picking through stuff and auction fever washes over you like the plague. Say goodbye to your normal personality of easy breezy, happy go lucky gal - you are now a born killer with a pathological desire to win at all costs. Yes. To win the garbage.
To be fair, at this point suddenly it isn't garbage anymore, it's gold.
You cannot BELIEVE your good luck at stumbling upon all of this junk that some idiot didn't want. Within the first pass of all the auction contents your heart is racing, you've registered to bid and you're ready to gouge the eyes out of anyone else who dares to bid on the slightly chipped, incomplete service of plastic dishes that are inexplicably covered in in Disney stickers. They're a pretty colour. You like them.
You're worked up but you've promised yourself you won't go over the price you set in your mind for any of the items on your list.
Hahahahahahahaha!
Of course you go over. You have auction fever you idiot. The number one symptom is loss of self control.
That's basically how I ended up with an 1852 Seth Thomas wall clock.
I had seen the clock immediately among the hundreds of other clocks at this auction. There were fancy clocks, old clocks, new clocks, clocks with dancing ladies ... just a veritable flock of clocks.
But I liked this clock. It was plain, in good condition and obviously old.
The only problem was I had no idea if it worked. No one knew if any of the clocks worked. That's the MAGIC of an auction.
YOU JUST DON'T KNOW.
Some higher end auctions, where they don't sell old porn and rusty medical devices would actually put the clocks together and test them. But that takes ALL the fun out of it and it's why I like auctions like this.
It's basically gambling but you don't know if you won or lost until you get home.
I bought my clock for $40. Which was $5 more than I had planned to pay. The clock was disassembled for transport, so when I got it home I started putting it back together to see if the $40 clock (I didn't need or have any place for) was going to work.
Antique Clock Repair (for beginners)
- For travelling, weight driven clocks need their weights and pendulum taken off. That means once you get your clock home you need to replace those things after you hang it.
- Hang your clock (before putting the weights or pendulum back on.)
- Replace the weights on their hooks. This is literally just a matter of hooking the weights on hooks. I also noticed that the string holding one of the weights was off its pulley so I put it back on.
- Now put your pendulum bob on (that's the round thing at the bottom of the pendulum.)
5. Make sure your clock is level on the top ...
... and the side.
6. Now wind the clock. With a 2 hole clock like this one the right hole winds to the right, to lift the right weight. The left hole winds to the left to lift the left weight.
7. You can now gently push the pendulum to get it running and see if it works.
If it runs but the ticking doesn't sound even try pushing the clock from left to right from the bottom of the clock. It the ticking sounds better when you've pushed the clock (and therefore it isn't level) then you need to get your pendulum in beat.
If your clock sounds better when you tilt the right side of it up, that means you need to gently push on your pendulum a little bit to the right to help it get into the proper beat. You might feel a bit of resistance. Go just a bit further past that. Then test the clock again to see if it sounds right. If not, repeat. If you go too far then you might have to readjust it by pushing the pendulum in the opposite direction.
You should be able to hear the difference between the clock ticking properly and ticking off beat in this video.
K. Is your clock running and keeping an even beat?
If it is GREAT. But hold on a few minutes before you skip down the street screaming at all the suckers in the world who didn't buy this great deal of a clock that WORKS. Because it still might not work.
8. Check after half a day to see if it's keeping the right time. Chances are it'll be running either too fast or too slow.
The speed of the clock is adjusted by the pendulum bob. The lower it is, the slower the clock will run. Therefore the higher it is the faster the clock will run.
An easy way to remember how to adjust the speed on a pendulum clock is you want to speed UP and slow DOWN. To speed it up the pendulum goes up, to slow it down, the pendulum goes down.
9. To change the speed there will be a nut on the bottom of the pendulum. You can adjust the nut by turning it to move it up or down in order to speed up or slow down the clock. Just turn the screw a few times so the bob either rises up or down.
This is what the bob would look like if you wanted to slow down the clock a LOT.
And this is what it would look like if you wanted to speed up the clock a lot.
You just have to play around with the pendulum until it keeps time properly. It took me 4 days or so until I got it just right.
striker too close to wire
10. Adjusting the gong. The clock makes it's "gong" sound on the hour by a striker hitting a wire or bell. In this case it's hitting a wire. The striker should be around ⅛th of an inch from the wire (or bell) for it to have a nice clean sound. If it's too close the gong will sound dull and more like a thump. You won't hear the ringing, just a bang.
striker just right
You can gently bend the striker wire by hand to pull it into a proper position. (⅛th of an inch away from the wire) Now it should give off a nice gong sound that rings instead of thuds.
As it turns out I love my clock. That isn't always the case when you randomly bring stuff home from an auction. Oftentimes your auction fever breaks the instant you walk through your front door and you sit staring at the thing you bought wondering why it isn't glittering anymore.
At that point you either stick it straight in your basement or hide it under a bunch of other stuff in your garbage.
And then?
Then you go to another auction.
→Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←
Marilyn Meagher
Really lovely clock.
Karen
Thanks Marilyn! ~ karen
Karen
Thanks Marilyn! ~ karen!
Suzie Rials
I have a cheap replica of that type of clock, got so tired of having to wind it up...and couldn't tolerate the ticking. So now it is a medicine cabinet.
Cheryl Young
My in-laws have many, many antique clocks as my dad-in-law collected them. They also have a grandfather clock that was his pride and joy. He passed away in Sept 2017, and as he wasn't around to keep the clock ticking properly, it stopped chiming not long after he passed.
This past month, the chiming has returned, inexplicably. We are loving the quarterly chimes once more, and each time we hear them, we remember John.
Mim
OMG! THANK YOU! I inherited my mom’s grandfather clock and by the end of each week, it has gained about 7 minutes. I never knew I could adjust it. You have made me so happy.
Karen
That's great! Let me know how it goes. ~ karen!
Elissa Rioux
I love clocks too! Maybe now there is a chance of getting the one I inherited from my mom to work again! Thanks Karen 😘
canadamsel
Lovely clock! I have been going to auctions since I was 16. Now in my 60s and looking at moving. Downsizing is a challenge, but I have managed to divest myself of my clocks. Well... most of them. 😊
Suz
Now if only that would fix the mantel clock that didn't work for years and then suddenly started working when dd dusted it and continued wor king for 6 months and then stopped again.
shoshana leeder
Auction fever! you described it perfectly. And clocks! I am an official clock fanatic. Oh I know digital ones are all over everyones's house. but sorry. simply not the same as a ticking chiming clock. What a find. Here in Lancaster Pa we have many Amish clock makers. I would have sent it off to one of them. So cool you can do it for yourself. Did you know that in one of those palaces where Queen Elizabeth lives there is a guy whose job it is to wind all 300 and something clocks? I only have 3
Karen
I did not know that and I can't even imagine that being my job! He for sure has carpal tunnel syndrome. In fact he probably developed it his first week on the job. ~ karen!
Patty DeMaria
30 years go my husband and I did the rounds of auctions in rural Indiana in search of a dining table for our 1889 house. We wound up with an antique corner cupboard, a 9 foot tall Victorian secretary, a pump organ, and the skin of an unfortunate black bear.
Karen
Yep. Pretty much sums up going to an auction for a table, lol. ~ karen!
Marna
Gorgeous! Love old clocks. I have my dads old quarter hour chiming clock. It has three places to wind it up, it has a pendulum too. My husband bought an old WWII aged mantel clock, it chimes also. I would love to go to an auction, sounds fun, watch some on TV, but I can see how it would make a person go out of control with the fun of bidding! :)
Grammy
You needed that clock. Right by the front door. I’m so glad it found you. Beautiful piece, and your instructions are perfect, as usual.
M J Korbol
I love, love your “new” clock 🕰❣️ Will you please do us a favor & video it when it gongs❓ I so want to hear it GONG❣️❣️ Fabulous find Karen ~ you are the best shopper...eclectic❣️
Ann Marie
Wow just lovely...I am one of those people who keeps random stuff around just for the looks of it ( bakelight moonbean clock sitting on my buffet not working). The ticking would drive me slowly insane but your clock looks damn beautiful. You must tuck a secret note in there somewhere for the next owner to find for when you tire of it or die of a zombie attack or something.
Good to find your blog. I was one of those boy crazy teens that wrote in and dedicated a video to my crush decades ago I believe that was one of your shows...did not go over well...missed the episode that day and went to school the next day to be greeted by giggles and whispers. Thank god the internet had yet to happen...I hated high school. Looking forward to the next entry...do you mind me asking how old is your house?
Karen
My house was built around 1840. I really should figure out the exact year but ... 1840 is what I've been told so that's what I go with. :) ~ karen!
Linda
You got a Seth Thomas clock for next to nothing? Who cares if it works?
Jane Baker
It looks perfect, therefore you needed it. :-)
Kris Wilson
It looks perfect by your door! Turns out you did need it, maybe it found you!
Good tutorial too!
Kristin
I have clock envy!
Kristin
I have clock envy Karen!
And your floors look good too!
Karen
thx!! ~ karen
billy sharpstick
kewl looking clock! I would be too lazy or spaced out to wind it every day. Could you rig up an electric motor to wind it? Better yet, program an arduino to calculate the time and display it between the hands?
Karen
All good options .... or I could just look down at my cell phone. I'm to give them all some serious consideration! ~ karen
Paula
Wow! What a score. Inside my head at an auction-you described the emotions perfectly.