Helpful Articles

Burnishing Stones

Pivot Files

Cleaning Recipe

Restoring Clock Pivots

Video Series - An Introduction to Antique Clocks

• Alarms of American Mantel Clocks

  The basic setup and use of a typical "rattle" alarm as found on American mantel clocks.

• Breathing Technique

  Improve your skills by learning how to breathe during difficult clockmaking tasks.

• Burnishing

  To burnish or not to burnish? Herein lies an advanced method of pivot restoration.

• CAD in Clockmaking

  There are many uses for CAD in clockmaking...these are just a few.

• Determining Lift Angles on the Half-Deadbeat Anchor

  A simple method for finding and checking lift angles on a half-deadbeat anchor.

• Escape Wheel Problems

  Don't throw away that damaged escape wheel...restore it!

• French Clock Beat Rates

  Basic pendulum theory is used to derive a formula for finding French clock beat rates.

• Identifying a Missing Repeat Pull

  Ever had the feeling you were forgetting something?

• In the Can

  How to service a Telechron B rotor.

• Levers

  An in-depth discussion of the strike levers of American mantel clocks.

• Servicing a Platform

  The basics of cleaning and adjusting a platform as commonly found on carriage clocks.

• Waterbury Regulator Restoration

  A step-by-step description of the restoration of a Waterbury floor regulator #61. Includes care and maintenance instructions. (By Andrew E. LaBounty)

• What is it?

  Identifying a strange lever found on a Seth Thomas "hip" style movement.

• Whiteman's Pivot Analysis 1

  Bob Whiteman does a quick evaluation of surface finish of pivots

• Whiteman's Pivot Analysis 2

  Bob Whiteman takes a look at two pivots, serviced with differing techniques, under a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) in this followup article to "A Quick Evaluation of Surface Finish of Pivots".