r/clocks

I asked about this ~1887 clock a few weeks ago. Turns out it does actually run pretty well and I think with patience I could adjust the pendulum to get it to run a little more accurately.

According to my dad, it hasn't been run for 60 years (but that might be an understatement).

Before I put it into service, does this type of clock need maintenance beyond winding? Like lubrication? If so, is that something one has done professionally or is it a DIY-type thing?

Thanks!

Been a family heirloom since before anyone can remember would like to know bit of history on it any info appreciated

I had to follow the last ACME style TNT clock with a different approach. This one is more modern, digital. Both were quick and fun projects!

https://youtu.be/GNL9z40TSkg

Heyy so i recently bought this cuckoo clock from a thrift store and i want to get it in working order and learn more about it but im having some issues finding more pictures/videos of this exact clock as i want to eventually get it in working order, just need to find another pinecone weight and i believe some sort of pendulum? Im not entirely sure though.

This is what i know about it/what writing was inside the clock,

•The GM is 1884288-1692176

• it was made in Germany

• the name D Hones Titsee Neustadt

•synt-oil clock 859

Literally any advice/info would be super helpful 🙏

has no maker on it but a paper label on back with hangi instructions and warnings about temperature and such. It says email marywang@leyuanusa.com with questions I guess about how to hang/care for it. I did a google picture search but not really any matches. Anyone have a clue? It weighs a ton.

Hello everyone-I have two questions to ask. In the 1st foto, you can see a very dull hand retention knob and it doesn't clean up with water or brass. Any ideas how to restore the shine? In the 2nd, if you blow it up a little, you can see a pebbly finish on the metal rim. Any way to smooth and clean that without removing the 24k finish? Thanks for any advice!

Need some help identifying, any and all information is appreciated, thank you!

Clearing out my late grandfathers workshop… this is in the corner. No information or knowledge on how functional it is. I believe it to be missing some weights?

I’m thinking about giving it to someone who’d appreciate it more via facebook marketplace…

I found this amazing piece today, and I can't seem to find any information leading me to a model. Google comes back with 1880's-1910's, and the back is so messed up that I cant determine a year. Thanks for any help!

I bought this clock at a thrift store a few years ago and I know nothing about it other than it is battery operated. Does anyone know who made this or was it some sort of a high school woodshop / metal shop project kinda thing? Any information is appreciated.

I'm sorry the first photo is pretty terrible; I was having some trouble with the framing. Hey, this is my first post ever, ok?

i bought a house not long ago and with the house came 2 old clocks on the wall. they seem to be mechanically operated and doesn’t require batteries. one of them has weights in it and the other doesn’t. i’m guessing they require some kind of key to wind/set them. i’d love to have these clocks work in the home but i don’t know much about how to do that and i expect it would probably require a clockmaker or expert to do that. i also, don’t know if they’re in good shape to be used anymore or if they’re no use. so i thought i’d come here to ask if anyone knows where i should start in evaluating these and how to restore or repair them?

Im about to sell this clock and i want to know how much i could ask for it :)

Hello All!

I got this vintage Westclox alarm clock from an antique store and am trying to stop it from whirring so loudly. Heard that this can happen sometimes if the motor needs oil. I managed to get the plastic face off and got to the clocks innards but am unsure how to remove them without breaking something. Any ideas how to gut this thing?? Thanks so much!

The gears, the Fibonacci dials and the axles are all laser-cut from 4mm walnut plywood on a 10W laser. Designed in Illustrator, cut through LightBurn.

It runs on a single quartz movement — the same kind as a normal wall clock — so the whole gear train has to turn on very little torque. Getting the friction low enough was the hardest part.

In the video I'm turning the gears by hand. Adding two photos of the flat parts before assembly.

I finally followed through with a project idea I had as a child. I am sure this idea was born from watching Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote when I was young.

It is a very simple project requiring the minimum of wooden dowels, red paint, and a clock insert. The wires and fuse were just a little something extra.

https://youtu.be/mwzGmpdv1Iw

I bought a George Jensen clock, but there is an unusual orange logo on it. I can’t find any information online about what it is or what it means. There is only one photo of this exact clock on the internet, but nothing else. Maybe someone knows what this strange collaboration or logo is?

A wall-mounted version of the gear clocks I've been making. It's all walnut — the gears, the face and even the axles are laser-cut from 4mm walnut plywood and wooden rods on a 10W laser. Designed in Illustrator, cut through LightBurn.

The video is the full assembly. It runs on a normal quartz movement, so the gear train has to turn on very little torque — getting the wooden axles to spin freely enough was the fiddly part.

Happy to answer anything about the build.

This beautiful Gustav Becker wall clock has been in my family for generations. It originally belonged to my grandfather, who did some light restoration work on the wooden case and apparently tried tinkering with the mechanism. I never remember it actually running properly when I was a kid in fact I don’t think anyone in my family has ever seen it run. It was always just a striking decorative piece.
Inside the case I found a service label from Ralph G. Ecker, dated 9/85’. He was the longtime owner and operator of Ecker’s Clock & Watch Shop in Bethesda, Maryland — a well-known horology shop in the DC area for many decades.
The movement is a Gustav Becker P42 with the engraving “1592” on it. These appear to be the classic movements used in their “free swinger” (Freischwinger) wall clocks. I’ve only been able to find one very similar example of this exact ornate style online — it sold at Fontaine’s Auction a while back:
https://www.fontainesauction.com/auction-lot/gustav-becker-free-swinger-wall-clock_9a9409d967
Last week I decided to pull the inner workings and do a full restoration, first time ever working on a clock, but I’m very mechanically inclined. I completely disassembled and ultrasonic cleaned the movement, reassembled it and lubed with proper Moebius oil, replaced the leather hammer cords, and sourced a couple of parts from a spare P42 movement. After some careful adjustment of the crutch, I finally got a consistent 1-inch pendulum swing. It’s now running reliably for the first time in decades. Feels good to have finished what my grandfather started.
With the clock back in working order, I’m really hoping to learn more about its history and origins. A few things I’m curious about:

• Does anyone know what the “1592” marking on this P42 movements refers to?
• Any other examples of this specific case style (the carved details, upper finials, and lower gallery) with a P42 movement?
• Better ways to date Gustav Becker P42 clocks, since they often lack traditional serial numbers?
• Any additional history or stories about Ralph G. Ecker or Ecker’s Clock Shop in Bethesda?

I’d love to hear from anyone who knows these clocks well.