Base of 'closed' Bulle

[adrian]

I have recently come to own a wooden-cased Bulle clock, I think originally of the enclosed type. The base is a rather tatty piece of hardboard.

I imagine the base was intended to be removable so that the battery could be replaced, and has been lost.

Can anyone show me what the original base would have been like, so I can make a replacement please ?

The serial number is 58026. The case and dial look a little like 57470 but the movement looks more like 51540 on the pages at http://www.horologix.com/gallery_2.html

[John Hubby]

Adrian, first of all a big welcome to the NAWCC Message Board and thanks for posting your inquiry! It will help a lot if you could post photos of your clock. There are at least three different cases that all look similar to No. 57470 on Peter Smith's site but the bottoms and backs are all different. We can probably get photos of one like yours but will need to see yours first to be sure it's the same.

[adrian]

Hi John,

Thanks for the welcome.

I've had a good look around the board and some other sites - I gather from your list at the BHI that this clock was made around 1927, though from your comments here it might be a bit earlier. I can't see any markings on the clock to confirm that, though.

From the front, it looks in good condition. There appears to be nothing important missing and after a little work (repairing coil and suspension) it seems to run well. But I don't think that door in the back is original! Unless I'm wrong, I shall be looking for a way to tidy that up a bit.

What were the original batteries like in these clocks ? I've seen the cell made for a Eureka on Peter Smith's site, but it looks too big for this case.


Some pics are attached.

[Eckmill]

Good snapshots of your Bulle Clock case.

The movement assembly on a cast aluminum plate probably has the letter XA cast into the metal. These movements were supplied to clock case makers literally all over the world.

Apparently the maker of your example didn't include a holder for the dry cell.

However, some small Bulle clocks did have contacts underneath the case for a specially made dry cell with connecting "blades" extending to be latched to the terminals as shown in the photo attached.

Additionally, there were various dry cells made for the various case/cell connection arrangements as shown in the array of LeClanche cells made for the Bulle clock.

[John Hubby]

Adrian, thanks for posting the photos. To tell the exact age of the clock I need the serial number from the movement. It is stamped on the left side of the movement back plate, you should be able to see it clearly looking in from the back of the clock. My present data set does show clocks to be made earlier than the one posted on the BHI site. I am reworking all that and the update should be posted before long.

Regarding your case, what it looks like to me is that someone decided it needed a back door when none was there to begin with; then proceeded to massacre the beautiful burl finished back. The hardboard was used to cover what was originally an open bottom with no cover. The battery holder was mounted near the bottom at one side, screwed into the case.

To work on these clocks you had to loosen the mounting screws to the back (still there) and remove the assembled movement, pendulum, etc. through the dial opening in the front of the case. This is not an easy job so that probably resulted in the case "modification".

If you want to put it back to as close to original as possible, it will require installing glue strips to the inside of the case, then glue the "door" in place being careful to make it as level as possible to the back. The saw kerfs could then be filled with wood putty and finished smooth to the back of the case. A very close match to the original burl can be created using faux wood painting techniques (Google this or check in the Clock Case Repair and Restoration Forum).

Regarding the battery, Bulle clocks used relatively small rectangular or square section batteries, no longer available. I use a plastic 2-cell holder for "C" cells, rewired for parallel operation. This gives about 18 months to 2 years operation.

[adrian]

Originally Posted by Eckmill

However, some small Bulle clocks did have contacts underneath the case for a specially made dry cell with connecting "blades" extending to be latched to the terminals as shown in the photo attached.

Thanks! I think that's it ! There are holes for those latches (but no latches), the feet are the same and there's that screw as well.

So is the battery held in by the latches ? They don't look very sturdy. The screw, on the other hand is very strong, but I don't quite see how it engages with the battery, or how the other edge is held.
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Originally Posted by John Hubby

Adrian, thanks for posting the photos. To tell the exact age of the clock I need the serial number from the movement. It is stamped on the left side of the movement back plate, you should be able to see it clearly looking in from the back of the clock. My present data set does show clocks to be made earlier than the one posted on the BHI site. I am reworking all that and the update should be posted before long.

It's serial number 58026.

The dial says
BULLE-CLOCK

(smaller letters)
BREVETE S.G.D.G
PATENTED

(at the bottom)
FRANCE

An oval brass tag on the right hand side has a similar patent declaration.

Regarding your case, what it looks like to me is that someone decided it needed a back door when none was there to begin with; then proceeded to massacre the beautiful burl finished back. The hardboard was used to cover what was originally an open bottom with no cover.

Massacre's the word all right

And as badly planned as it was implemented - to open the door, you still have to remove the screws holding the dial, and because of the covered base you can't see where to locate them when putting it back !

But it's quite useful to have the door, and since it's already done and I will have difficulty hiding it, I thought I'd perhaps just veneer the edges so that when it's in place it has the same appearance as the light-dark-light strip on the front and sides.