Before and After: Clock Cases
A Look at Our Clock Case Restorations
A Note Concerning How and Why We do What We do with Clock Cases
Many of our customers who have antique clocks ask us to not only repair the clock movement, but also to repair or enhance the look of their clock cases. different customers will want differing levels of work. some want only a basic cleaning, and some want a full case restoration and some, desire something in between.
Although we will often dust off a clock case and clean the glass for free, detailed case work is an additional expense. During the estimating process, when a customer requests it, we will offer different levels of case work to satisfy their desires.
Bottom line is that some people like that their clocks look old and damaged (it’ s part of their history they will say) and others like their clocks to look more like they did when they were new, and still others want them to look somewhere in between like an old but well cared for clock. We have occasionally been accused of going “too far” with some of our case work by people who view some of the examples we offer. But, of course, we are not making these decisions on our own. We serve our customer! Our customer is the one who decides what they want to have us do. We will do as much or as little as they desire. We do not try to push any customer to do “what we want”.
Below, you will see many examples of the type of work we can perform on clock cases when our customers ask us to provide this service.
First up, for your examination, we will show the difference between a more complete “restoration” of a case and another that is more limited.
The clocks used for this comparison are both clocks made by Seth Thomas, and they are both what are generically called “Black Mantels” and more specifically, “Adamantines”. Adamantine is a word that the Seth Thomas Company patented and is a reference to a wooden clock case with an early form of plastic veneer laid over the wood. The word “adamantine” was based on the word “adamant”, Synonyms for this word include, stubborn, steadfast and hardened. These words were a reference to the steadfast nature of the finish that the “Adamantine” veneer would give the clock.
The adamantine overlay was often black to simulate the much more expensive French clocks that were made of real black slate. Other forms of adamantine veneer simulated marble or even wood. The downside of this process of overlaying the thin plastic veneer is that the edges and corners could easily be chipped. The upside is that the veneer could be cleaned and polished to a high gloss, much like waxing a car.
Seth Thomas Adamantine with limited Restoration
For this customer, all the ornaments were removed, and hand cleaned with soap and water, but not repainted to look new. The adamantine finish was then cleaned and waxed, and the ornaments reinstalled. The cast brass bezel was polished, but the original dirty dial was left in place.
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After
Seth Thomas Adamantine with a more complete Restoration
For this customer, all the ornaments were removed, and hand cleaned with soap and water, and repainted to look new. The adamantine finish was then cleaned and waxed, and the ornaments reinstalled. The cast brass bezel was polished, and the original dirty dial was replaced with a reproduction.
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The appearance of both clocks were greatly enhanced. Individual preferences determine which clock looks best.
Another Seth Thomas Adamantine with a more complete Restoration
Another example of a more complete restoration. The columns were actually brass, so those were polished along with the cast brass bezel. The case was cleaned and polished, the non-brass ornaments were cleaned, primed and repainted. The big difference here was that the dial on the clock in the before photo was a non-original bright white dial which does not look very natural. We replaced the white dial with a more natural “antique ivory” dial. Like the other clocks above, we also use a toothpick along the engraved decorative lines to scrape out over 100 years of dirt that hides the white underneath.
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Non-Adamantine Black Mantels
Black Mantels made by other manufacturers were simply painted black, they did not have the adamantine veneer that Seth Thomas used since they patented that idea. Many of these clocks have been stored in barns and come to us extremely dirty. The owners often have no idea the transformation than can occur when cleaned properly. The clock on the left might appear to be unworthy of repair.
For this clock, after all the ornaments were removed and cleaned but not painted, the columns were removed, cleaned and painted green to match the original color, the case was then thoroughly cleaned and polished, the ornaments reinstalled, and the brass bezel polished. The black case has not been repainted, only cleaned! The dial was left as it was when we received it.
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black mantel with red accents
This one came to us with a loose damaged dial, so it is not in the before photo. The ornaments have been removed, cleaned, primed and a brass-colored finish reapplied. The case has been thoroughly cleaned, the ornaments remounted, the brass bezel polished and a replacement reproduction dial has been installed on the original dial pan.
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Eight Day American Spring Driven Clock with top Mounted Bell
This clock case is a bit unusual with the bell mounted on top instead of hidden inside the case. In forty-four years, this is the first one we had seen. You can see that cleaning the wooden part of the case really brought out the red in the case finish. The solid brass bell was hand polished and the other cheap metal ornaments were removed, cleaned, primed and a brass finish reapplied. The non original, bright white dial was replaced with a more appropriate cream-colored dial.
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French Black Iron Mantle Clock with Figure
This very nice, very decorative, French clock received quite the transformation, restoring its original beauty. Because the case is black and the dirt is difficult to see, most people would be surprised at how much dirt has actually accumulated. We often have to clean these types of cases ten times or more to get all the dirt off. Once clean, we will wax the painted case to bring out the shine. All the cheap metal ornaments were removed, cleaned, primed and a brass-colored finish reapplied.
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Early American Eight Day Black Iron Mantle
The American’s copied many clock case designs from Europe. This is the American version of the French clock shown above. Unlike the more complete restoration work done on the French clock above, this clock only received a thorough cleaning and waxing of the case. No attempt was made to repaint the many nicks and dings in the black paint or to put a brass finish back on the cheap metal ornamentation.
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Early American Seth Thomas Black Mantel with Floral accents
The customer that brought us this clock was heartbroken over the loss of the painted section below the dial. We were able to locate a professional artist willing to recreate the original painting using a photo of another similar clock. After restoring the clock movement, we also cleaned and polished the case, removed and cleaned all the ornaments and reapplied a brass-colored finish.
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Early American Tambour Clock
Lest you think all the clocks we work on are black, here is a wooden clock with a natural wood finish. Looking at the before photo you might think that this clock was only worthy of going in the trash. But alas, there was still hope, as evidenced by the very dramatic before and after photos. This case required refinishing, not just a cleaning. We also replaced the damaged dial.
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English Striking fusee Wall Clock
This family heirloom needed quite a bit of work. The case joints were loose, some of the trim was missing, the hole in the back of the case that it hung from was weak and the original bezel hinge was missing. We completely restored the double fusee movement, tightened up the case, had the missing trim pieces made, strengthened the mounting hole, polished the brass bezel, custom fit a new bezel hinge and performed a thorough cleaning of the case. It is so satisfying to see these jobs through to their conclusion. Pretty dramatic!
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International time Recorder Punch Clock
Prior to modern electric punch/time clocks, the old ones were fully mechanical. The quality of the movement and the beautiful wooden cases make them popular with collectors. You can see from the before photo that this clock was in pretty bad shape. it was necessary to completely strip the finish and re-stain the clock. We also rebuilt the clock movement and re-painted the metal lids covering the punch mechanism in the bottom third of the clock.
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Tubular Bell Tall Case Clock
This clock sat neglected in a sorority house on the OSU campus for many years. During a remodel of the home the decision was made to also restore the clock. We performed a thorough repair of the clock movement, had the dial restored, polished the tubes, refinished the brass weights and pendulum disc and cleaned the case.
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English Double Fusee Striking Mantel Clock
This family heirloom was shipped from England to the states and arrived in the condition seen in the before photo below. Many of the case pieces were also warped with age. We had to hire a professional wood worker to give us a hand with some of the case work to make everything lay flat again. The dial received a deep scratch as a result of the shipping damage, so we had to have the dial restored. Then we repaired the movement, polished the brass, replaced the damaged cloth and cleaned the case.
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Seth Thomas Tambour Clock
This is a fairly common eight day striking tambour clock. You can see in the before photo the clock is pretty dirty and has quite a few nicks and scratches. We cleaned the case thoroughly, touched up the nicks and scratches and polished the brass bezel.
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Dutch Wedding or Zaandam Clock
This unique clock was very important to its owner, and they wanted the case to look as new as possible after the mechanical repair was complete. The case was disassembled, and all the brass components were polished and re-lacquered. The case was then cleaned, and everything reassembled. We also disassembled the dial, polished all of its brass components and had the chapter ring re-silvered.
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Seth Thomas Crystal Regulator
These clocks are known for their beauty, but this one wasn’t feeling very beautiful when it came into our shop. We gave it a complete makeover! We completely disassembled the case, stripped the lacquer from all the brass pieces, polished everything, re-lacquered the brass and reassembled the case. We also had to replace the cracked beveled glass in the front of the clock. Quite a transformation!
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Ansonia Crystal Regulator with Brass and Onyx Case and Open Escapement
Another beautiful Crystal Regulator. This time with real onyx for the top and base. To properly clean and polish these cases they must be disassembled. This clock had a combination of real brass and cheap metal accents with a simulated brass finish. The brass was polished and re-lacquered, and the cheap metal decorative components were cleaned, primed and new brass like finish applied.
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Seth Thomas ship’s Bell Clock
Much like the Crystal Regulators shown above, Ship’s Bell Clocks are known for the beauty of their shiny brass cases. The before photo shows the less-than-ideal condition of the brass. The case had to be disassembled, all the lacquer stripped from the various pieces, polished, re-lacquered and reassembled. I think you will agree it came out beautifully.
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French Carriage Clock
Another beautiful brass cased clock style is the “Carriage Clock” shown below. Some customers want us to restore them to their original beauty. It is a very labor-intensive process but very satisfying when done.
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Because the clock movement can be seen through the glass sides, it is important that the movement also be polished. This often makes the movement as pretty as the case.
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Another French Carriage Clock
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Another French Carriage Clock
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