Recommended Clock Maker in the North East?

[OldTechFan96]

This may be a bit off topic for this forum, but I thought I might as well ask.

My Grandma has a Smiths K6A mantle clock that was a wedding present from when my Grandma and Grandad were married in 1955. Unfortunately it it stopped out of the blue in December. It was wound weekly by Grandad until he died in 2010, now Grandma winds it.

It was apparently last serviced before my brother and I were born so that has to be more than 22 years ago. This was carried out by a man from Seaton Delaval who was elderly at the time, so it is likely he has passed on.

Can anybody recommend a good clock maker?

[stitch1]

I took my Grandfather's clock to their Alnwick shop to be repaired/serviced and they were very good but that was over 20 years ago.

http://www.caris-clocks.co.uk/

John

[captainpugwash]

Good evening,

Probably a bit far for you, but we have had a few things repaired,most recently my Omega watch.

Entering the shop is like a step back in time.

Anyway, the shop is Bowrons in Bondgate,Darlington.

I have seen a similar shop in Hexham in St Mary’s Chare just off the town centre. I cannot remember the name though.

Kind regards,

David

[paulsherwin]

It probably just needs a clean and relube to get it going again, but if it needs a full professional service and say a new mainspring then that is going to be very expensive - certainly over £150. You should be very suspicious of anyone who promises to fully service it for much less.

[AndiiT]

Hi, there's a chap near me in Loftus, East Cleveland (Between Saltburn and Whitby) He repaired a clock for us a while ago and comes highly recommended.
It may be a bit farther than you would like to travel though and he is only open a few days a week now due to being semi - retired.

I doubt that he has a Web Site, I'm sure I could get you his contact details though feel free to PM me if you want them.

Regards

Andrew

[SiriusHardware]

OldtechFan96, This any good to you?

http://robertetaylorandson.com/home/1967869

I've never used them, no personal connection, but seems like the sort of outfit you are looking for and local so the clock would not have to get too stressed out by being bounced around in a car for too long.

Clocks occasionally stop simply because they have been overwound, but again, that would be a job for a knowledgable person to sort out.

[Mike Phelan]

Hi,
The K6 will probably need three new mainsprings; even if one is not actually broken, they are notorious for the outer hole starting to split.
Of course, it will need a complete strip and clean; the entire job would take a few hours, so what Paul says is unfortunately true.
Beware of spraying WD40 or anything like it all over the movement!

[Mike Phelan]

Clocks occasionally stop simply because they have been overwound, but again, that would be a job for a knowledgable person to sort out.

There's no such thing as 'overwound' - if it stops when fully wound it will be because the spring is full of congealed goo.

[OldTechFan96]

Thank you for all of your advice and recommendations! I'll see what exactly what Grandma wants to do and I will make some phone calls.

[D.Finney]

Contact the British Horological Institute via their website, they might know of a clock repairer in you area who could help.

[paulsherwin]

Originally Posted by Mike Phelan

Hi,
The K6 will probably need three new mainsprings; even if one is actually broken, they are notorious for the outer hole starting to split.
Of course, it will need a complete strip and clean; the entire job would take a few hours, so what Paul says is unfortunately true.
Beware of spraying WD40 or anything like it all over the movement!

If the clock has been running more or less continuously for 60 years then it's extremely likely to have a lot of wear, particularly as it hasn't been cleaned and relubed regularly. We don't even know the quality of the last 'service' all those years ago - this could have been anything from a complete professional stripdown to a quick slosh of the movement in a bowl of white spirit to remove accumulated gunge.

[PJL]

Maybe the best option is to find a working clock and transplant the works?

It is quite possible for an amateur to clean and lubricate a clock but it takes time and the K6A has 3 trains and alot of bits to get muddled up!

[paulsherwin]

It can be done by a skilled amateur, but I wouldn't attempt it in this case and I do know a bit about clocks. It's a big job.

If the only alternative is chucking it in the bin, you could try bodging it. This involves removing the movement and dunking it in a bath of white spirit or turps substitute. Let it soak for half an hour sloshing it around periodically, then remove it and leave it to drain. Wipe it down with a rag, leave it to dry out for a few days, then apply a tiny drop of oil to all the wheel bearings and any other mating surfaces you can find. Reassemble, and you may find the clock will wind and run if you're extremely lucky.

Note that this is definitely a last resort and is not good practice. It won't work if something has actually broken, such as a mainspring.

Another alternative which will horrify the real horologists here is to replace the movement with a quartz movement from another clock. This will obviously cause the striking function to be lost, but if it keeps an old lady happy it's not an unreasonable thing to do.

I am with Paul on this one, the "dunk dry and lubricate" option won't do any real harm, do use proper clock oil though and only a weeny bit, a dressmakers pin tips worth is more than enough.

I use http://www.m-p.co.uk/ for my bits.

[SiriusHardware]

Originally Posted by Mike Phelan

There's no such thing as 'overwound' - if it stops when fully wound it will be because the spring is full of congealed goo.

A myth, then, albeit one with a reasonable explanation. Growing up in a house full of clockwork clocks when young, it was always impressed on me that they should never be wound up right to the physical limit.

I suppose it did no harm, other than having to wind them slightly more often than necessary.

[Mike Phelan]

Indeed it's just better to wind a clock till just fully wound, as those with gorilla-type arms can split the holes in the mainsprings.

Maybe the best option is to find a working clock and transplant the works?

It is quite possible for an amateur to clean and lubricate a clock but it takes time and the K6A has 3 trains and alot of bits to get muddled up!

Indeed! Even as an interested amateur, a chiming clock isn't the best to start on.
Problem with finding a working clock movement is that it's probably in the same state as your existing clock.
Paul's quick fix won't do any harm and might just get it going. Proper lubrication would need two sorts of oil and grease for the springs; unless you become an amateur horologist, will be expensive for only using a tiny bit.
Please feel free to PM me if you want to discuss this further.

As for putting a quartz movement in, hmmm .....

Just going to glue a Formica top on my Chippendale table

[kalee99]

My Grandad used to have a chiming 8 day clock on the mantle shelf and when it used to stop and get irregular, he would say to grandma get the big pan out. He would remove the works and boil them in a pan of water for several hours then dry them off for a week in the airing cupboard
Upon re assembly the clock would always be working fine again.
I am not by any means recommending this procedure. Just remembering how it used to be. Grandad & grandma had no money for fancy clock repairers and the clock was won as a prize by grandad at the local leek show.
Happy days


Paul.

[paulsherwin]

Originally Posted by kalee99

My Grandad used to have a chiming 8 day clock on the mantle shelf and when it used to stop and get irregular, he would say to grandma get the big pan out. He would remove the works and boil them in a pan of water for several hours then dry them off for a week in the airing cupboard
Upon re assembly the clock would always be working fine again.

That isn't completely crazy. It should cause the oily, gummy gunk to soften and be carried away by the boiling water. The big problem will be that the clock will be left without any lubrication at all, and will wear quickly if run dry like that.

Lots of ordinary people were given these clocks as wedding presents. Proper clock servicing has always been a skilled, expensive job, so there was usually a local handyman who would 'get it working' by some unspecified means.

[M0FYA Andy]

Originally Posted by Mike Phelan

As for putting a quartz movement in, hmmm .....

Just going to glue a Formica top on my Chippendale table

I'm totally with you on that one, Mike!

Andy

[paulsherwin]

I did say that horologists wouldn't like it. A knackered old Smiths mantel clock from the 50s is hardly a Chippendale table though.