|
Other Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical Items For discussions about other vintage (over 25 years old) electrical and electromechanical household items. See the sticky thread for details. |
|
Thread Tools |
16th Jan 2013, 7:05 pm | #1 |
Hexode
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Manchester, UK.
Posts: 478
|
Smith Sectric Clocks
I've been asked to look out for a Smiths Sectric Clock for the Projection Box.
Looking on the eBay I was in disbelief of the prices, but there are some in need of repair at a lower price. So I'm asking you guys, would it be better to get one needing repairs? Are spares easy to obtain? Is it easy to maintain and repair? It would need to be a sensible Bakelite wall clock (not kitchen style) that is seen in offices and schools.
__________________
What have you bought now?? |
16th Jan 2013, 8:32 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Near Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Posts: 4,609
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
The "Sectric" name was used on many different models of synchronous electric clocks over the decades and prices vary from £0 to three figures!
New spares are unobtainable apart from obvious things like cable. The most common fault is the stator winding being O/C because of the clock living in a garden shed or attic; 47 SWG wire and verdigris do not mix! I've not done this yet, but there are some who put a low voltage winding fed from a wall wart (AC of course). This will be of interest. Next thing (even if it's reported as running OK) is that the movement will never have been serviced so will need a complete stripdown and lubrication with the correct oils. A lot of these have rotors that have lost some or all of their magnetism so either will not self-start or won't run at all.
__________________
Mike. Last edited by Mike Phelan; 17th Jan 2013 at 6:18 pm. Reason: Missing word corrected. |
16th Jan 2013, 10:15 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,843
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
Have you considered the modern replicas of the classic Smiths wall clocks, e.g. by Newgate?
http://www.newgateclocks.com/store/W...l44k.asp?sn=2& http://www.newgateclocks.com/store/W...d42k.asp?sn=2& Our local village hall has just put one up, and it really looks just the ticket. N. Last edited by Nickthedentist; 16th Jan 2013 at 10:32 pm. |
16th Jan 2013, 10:26 pm | #4 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Blackpool, Lancashire, UK.
Posts: 4,061
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
Given what the OP said about prices, I'd think £66 for what is in reality a modern quartz clock with a plastic case would be too much.
|
16th Jan 2013, 10:30 pm | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,843
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
Fair point, but they do turn up on eBay secondhand and there are other similar accurate replicas available from several High Street shops at much more realistic prices.
|
17th Jan 2013, 11:18 am | #6 |
Hexode
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Manchester, UK.
Posts: 478
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
Thanks Mike for that very useful information, I have printed it out.
Nick, thanks for the link, but I don't think they had quartz clocks in 1932. It will need to be more authentic as it's a English Heritage site. I was looking on the eBay and the prices were ranging from 80-250 for a fully working model! I'll keep looking, perhaps one will turn up. Please do NOT keep referring to eBay in derogatory terms. Check the forum rules.
__________________
What have you bought now?? |
17th Jan 2013, 8:35 pm | #7 |
Hexode
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Near Glasgow, UK.
Posts: 309
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
If it is of any help I have just rewound the coil in the clock of a Goblin Timespot S25 radio to run on low voltage AC from an adapted wall wart as Mike suggested above. I used 28swg enameled copper wire and made a very simple coil winder from meccano which allowed me to do it as neatly as possible by hand. I also used what I believed are Mike's instructions to dismantle, clean and re-lubricate the mechanism. If you could get a clock with an o/c coil cheaply enough I would certainly consider trying this.
Regards, Ken. |
17th Jan 2013, 9:11 pm | #8 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,843
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
That's good to hear, Ken. Did you take any pictures?
The trouble with non workers is that these command nearly as high a price in some cases as there are plenty of punters who'd rather have a nice modern quartz movement and don't care about authenticity in the slightest. N. |
17th Jan 2013, 10:19 pm | #9 |
Hexode
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Near Glasgow, UK.
Posts: 309
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
Hello Nick
I'm sorry but I am afraid I did not take any pictures. I still the have chassis out of its case but the clock is inside its cylinder and mounted in its position on the chassis. As I used the method of winding as many turns onto the existing former as possible I did have to do some experimentation with the lowest voltage that the clock would both start on and continue to run. This was aided by using a cheap switchable DC wall wart (3V,6V,7.5V,9V and 12V) as the "donor". I also had to spend some time in setting up the "auto switch on" mechanism. I did not realise that these clocks could be expensive even as non-workers. If the mechanisms are being replaced with quartz movements then presumably the originals are being thrown away. A bit of a shame really. Do people sell the non-working mechanisms? The actual cost of doing the rewind is low. I bought the wire from my local Maplin. I bought 250g at a cost of £8.99. The wall wart was £2.99 and I already had this. Regards, Ken. |
17th Jan 2013, 10:39 pm | #10 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,843
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
Thanks, Ken.
Quote:
N. P.S. when searching form Smiths clocks, don't just use the term Sectric as that was only coined later on. Also search for SEC, GEC (which it's often mis-read as), and Genalex. Last edited by Nickthedentist; 17th Jan 2013 at 10:47 pm. |
|
21st Jan 2013, 12:08 am | #11 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ellington, Northumberland, UK.
Posts: 815
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
Further to what Nick wrote, also search for Smith, no S. They used the Smiths name before 1936 and after 1948, Smith appeared on there between times.
I have many of these things now, I blame that chap Mike Phelan for getting me hooked! Don't despair if some examples that appear on eBay and in other venues seem expensive, the dealers have to make their keep somehow but I've had many perfectly decent examples for under a tenner including the cost of delivery. The point about the way in which they can become hard to start is a good one. Not every seller is aware of just how easy these can be to start but the walnut Bakelite example that came from one Mr Phelan of this parish, seen in the attached picture, never requires more than the intended push and release of the setting knob to make it run. An ostensibly similar Genalex example that I gave to Dad as an 80th birthday present requires the skill of Australia's fastest spin bowler to make it run, such is the wrist flicking that's needed, preferably without the letting go part. Fortunately, my parents have far fewer power cuts up at their place than I have here so it rarely needs to be started. This picture: Left - the walnut one as supplied by Mike Right - my green alarm clock. This one is self-starting and naturally both keep perfect average time over the course of a day. (And no, they're not eight minutes slow, that was how long it took to upload to flickR then resize the picture for use here).
__________________
John. Last edited by GJR 11L; 21st Jan 2013 at 12:13 am. |
1st May 2013, 5:22 pm | #12 |
Triode
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 36
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
|
1st May 2013, 6:58 pm | #13 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,843
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
Mike Phelan's (Moderator) guide is mentioned here:
https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...0&postcount=11 but sadly the link seems dead now. Maybe he can tell us where it's hosted now. Nick. |
1st May 2013, 7:29 pm | #14 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Near Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Posts: 4,609
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
I've edited the post that Nick refers to - the link no longer exists.
However, I still have the relevant .DOC and pics so PM me your email address if you want copies of this. Also, this might be of use.
__________________
Mike. |
6th May 2013, 9:53 pm | #15 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 1
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
Hello All,
I've recently got a Smith Sectric Clock. It's a wooden case (not brilliant condition) and what I think is a bakelite central unit (see photo of back). I guess it's a cord/mains powered clock, but there was no cord with it. I'm also concerned about using on mains power - jamming the positive and negative wires into the back of the clock sounds like a fire waiting to happen! I love the clock, and I realise it might well be collectable, but I'd also like to use it... Any tips on how to replace the mechanism with a battery-powered one? The screws on the back seem very strange - they look like a flathead screw, but with something sticking up through the middle? Any light anyone can shed is very much appreciated. D |
7th May 2013, 12:47 pm | #16 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Derby, UK.
Posts: 7,735
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
If you want a battery clock, buy a battery clock. This is a mains clock. It gets its timekeeping directly from the reversals of the mains.
The clock would originally have had a connector on its power lead to match the pins on the motor. If you have not got this, you may well have to fabricate something yourself, possibly using contact inserts liberated from other connectors. As long as your connections to the coil are sound, you will have nothing to worry about. The current flowing through the coil is minuscule, so the fire risk is next to non-existent.
__________________
If I have seen further than others, it is because I was standing on a pile of failed experiments. |
7th May 2013, 2:33 pm | #17 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Near Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Posts: 4,609
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
Replacing the clock isn't keeping it but scrapping it and using the case.
What's left will be zero collectable and will wear out in a few years! There must be many mains-powered in existence in the world, all working quite well; we've a few in the house here. Yours will obviously need the mains lead replacing and probably the movement overhauling. They are slotted nuts on the back, not screws, and need a screwdriver with a slot on the centre. This originally had a female plug to connect it, but as AJS said, replacing the lead directly isn't a problem. Yours looks like the Smiths "Darwin" ca 1935/36 with the "Bijou" movement.
__________________
Mike. |
12th Jul 2016, 5:19 pm | #18 |
Diode
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Posts: 3
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
Hello,
I'm new and thought I'd bring back this thread which I found when searching for information on Smith Sectric clocks. About a year ago I bought the following example, which as run flawlessly until today, when it stopped for no apparent reason, as there was no power outage in my home that I'm aware of. Pushing and releasing the knob on the back was enough to start the clock again, so I suspect there must be something wrong with the makeshift power cord it came with. It's fitted with a standard electrical connector and the wiring is a bit aged. What can I do to check whether the cord is the problem if it stops again? Thanks! Last edited by AC/HL; 12th Jul 2016 at 8:55 pm. Reason: Images uploaded |
12th Jul 2016, 9:42 pm | #19 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,843
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
Hello and welcome.
That's a handsome clock, and dates from the immediate pre-war years, at a guess. I have a very similar one, though mine is fitted with a slightly later, smaller, "Bijou" movement. I think mine's called the "Cambria". One of the commonest causes of stopping is indeed an intermittent mains connection, and the 2-pin connector is rather poor in that respect. This is easily checked if you have a multimeter. Set it to measure resistance, disconnect the clock from the mains, and connect it across the two pins of your mains plug. It should read a few thousand ohms and the reading should be steady. If it varies as you flex the lead or connectors, you have a poor connection which needs attending to. N. |
12th Jul 2016, 9:47 pm | #20 |
Nonode
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Cambridge, Cambs. UK.
Posts: 2,198
|
Re: Smith Sectric Clocks
I'd suggest first doing a mechanical check that the cord connections are sound at both ends. Then, with the clock running, bend and stress the cord at each end to see if that stops the clock. If so, you've found the dodgy connection.
Sectric clocks are very long-lived, but sometimes bearings (pivots in clock language) do wear and allow the gears to disengage. I have one that will only work upside down! Is your clock running sweetly, or is it noisy? If the latter, a drop of light oil on the rotor bearings will have a magical effect. Or the stoppage might be just one of those things, such as a momentary mains interruption which would require the clock to be manually restarted. Martin
__________________
BVWS Member |