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do you have any old wind-up clocks in your house?

Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:36 am
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
86699 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:36 am
i have 3 i inherited from my grandmother that have been following me around from location to location for the better part of 30 years. i couldn't bear to part with them but at the same time, they got knocked around so much i didn't think they would ever work again.

we have a room in our now with built-in bookshelves so i put all 3 out with the idea that 'someday' i would locate the winder keys and figure out what all the stuff was clunking around in the clock cases.

well lo and behold my son was over this weekend for christmas and bless his heart he decided to open all 3 and see what he could find. he got all 3 working and even playing the little 'big ben' tune on the hour.

they are what he considers 'barely' working and the movements definitely needs servicing/cleaning to make them healthier. i was just amazed after all this time all he had to do was reattach the weights (which is what we were hearing) and he found some obscure levers inside that sync up the hour w/ the tones and change the tune played.

tl;dr it makes CAD ridiculously happy to hear the clocks going off upstairs and when i walk into that room and hear all the ticking it soothes my soul and brings me back.
Posted by The Mick
Member since Oct 2010
44375 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:42 am to
Moms still has standup clock in her foyer... it's really cool actually.
Posted by madamsquirrel
The big somewhere out there
Member since Jul 2009
53433 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:43 am to
We have some kind of German clock in our attic in a box. Idk if it works or not.
Posted by Gaston
Dirty Coast
Member since Aug 2008
41016 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:46 am to
I got one from my folks. But I haven’t tried to get it working. Key is right past the German ornaments.



No idea how to get it running, does your son do house visits?
Posted by CocomoLSU
Inside your dome.
Member since Feb 2004
153657 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:47 am to
My dad has a grandfather clock that I will get when he passes, and I've always thought it was cool.

My grandmother (who is 101) has a cuckoo clock that is old as frick that my dad got her from Germany when he was in the service (early 70s). I suspect when she passes that will pass to him and then to me as well. That clock reminds me so much of my childhood. I love it.

It's basically this:

Posted by texn
Pronouns: Y'All/Y'All's
Member since Nov 2019
4005 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:50 am to
Send your son over to my house...I have 2 windup clocks that I inherited and they haven't worked in years. I can't bear to throw out because of sentimental reasons. I'll pay him $3.50 each to fix them.
Posted by adavis
North of I-10
Member since Aug 2007
5820 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:52 am to
My 13-year-old daughter loves old clocks and we just bought her one right before Christmas. We got it from Trenton Antiques at the very end of Antique Alley in West Monroe. We sat with the owner for about 30 minutes and just listened to him explain the workings of those old clocks. It’s pretty fascinating how they can still function flawlessly with just a little tlc. The one we bought our daughter is a 1920’s Seth Thomas mantle clock
Posted by Palomitz
Miami
Member since Oct 2009
2436 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:56 am to
I have one from 1965, stored in a closet, it needs some TLC. I inherited it from my parents and it's got sentimental value.
Posted by madamsquirrel
The big somewhere out there
Member since Jul 2009
53433 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:57 am to
quote:

a cuckoo clock that is old as frick that my dad got her from Germany when he was in the service (early 70s)
this is what we have also
Posted by Traveler
I'm not late-I'm early for tomorrow
Member since Sep 2003
25576 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:59 am to
My Mom & Dads Ansonia wall clock. 50? years old. Still keeps good time though the chimes and bell are loud.
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Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
86699 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 10:59 am to
Top keyhole is to adjust speed in case it's gaining or losing time.

The bottom left is likely the winder and bottom right is probably the chimes.

Not too much to it, open the back and make sure the weight is attached then gently move it with your hand if it's not moving.

As for the rest of it you would have to ask my son
Posted by Gaston
Dirty Coast
Member since Aug 2008
41016 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 11:02 am to
Wind clockwise? The Chimes wind separately?
Posted by Clames
Member since Oct 2010
17757 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 11:09 am to
We have a mantle clock that still works fine. Think it was something my parents bought in the 1980's from an Ethan Allen store. Has a German-made movement that just needs a tiny bit of oil every couple of years.
Posted by Major Dutch Schaefer
Location: Classified
Member since Nov 2011
35232 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 11:09 am to
A couple of Rolex's
Posted by Yewkindewit
Near Birmingham, Alabama
Member since Apr 2012
21051 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 11:10 am to
A friend and coworker back in the 80s had over 40 of the old clocks in various stages of repair or were fully functional. He tinkered on them in his spare time as a hobby of sorts. He said the ticking of the clocks was like music to him. He dedicated his basement to his clock repair and alone time.
Posted by 777Tiger
Member since Mar 2011
82735 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 11:12 am to
quote:

He said the ticking of the clocks was like music to him. He dedicated his basement to his clock repair and alone time.


did he also have a bunch of sewing equipment in his basement, and a dog named Precious?

afaf
Posted by CAD703X
Liberty Island
Member since Jul 2008
86699 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 11:32 am to
yes, clockwise. you can feel the tension as you go. generally impossible to 'overwind' as you'll feel it stop when you've wound it enough.

and yes, the chime is a separate winder. some clocks have quarter hour & half hour chimes as well. if you're manually moving the minute hand you'll hear the 'click' as you pass by those indicating there should be a chime.

also the chime may be controlled by a separate level inside the clock where it can be turned on and off so just because you don't hear a chime, doesn't mean anything is broken; you may just have to find the lever to turn it on.

eta plan on a ritual of winding them every night when you're turning the house down. the worst is to get a clock working and then forget about it for a month.

the 3 clocks ticking spaced around the room (stereo?) is awesome when you're reading a book or just chilling with a whisky.
This post was edited on 12/30/24 at 11:34 am
Posted by Broke
AKA Buttercup
Member since Sep 2006
65267 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 11:35 am to
This is a Black Forest region clock
Posted by windmill
Prairieville, La
Member since Dec 2005
7389 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 11:38 am to
I have an 8 day cuckoo and a 1 day cuckoo in my shop. I really enjoy them
Posted by 56lsu
jackson mich
Member since Dec 2005
7626 posts
Posted on 12/30/24 at 11:39 am to
one i got in germany when i was there. took it to a guy that works on antique clocks told me it was 103 yrs old in 72. he's cleaned it twice works like brand new.
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