Early Long Case Clock Movement I D

[Ken Knox]

I have this movement in my shop for repairs. Is there any way to identify the maker and the place of origin by the movement alone? The dial is made by James Wilson (I am assuming).

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Thanks,

Kenny

 

[chasbaz]

As you can see, it is a very nice quality movement.
Maybe someone else has seen the semi-circular cutouts in the back plate before - they would be the best clue to the maker. The dial is Wilson, and the style puts it around 1790, so this is probably one of the earliest with a falseplate. Wilson dials have a variety of markings on the back which might help more with dating, btu not with the movement maker. Is there any trace of a name on the dial which can be seen in black light?

 

[Paul Regan]

Kenny, looks like an English made dial/false plate, painted in New England with movement of southern New England origin. I read something recently that emphasised those pillars. Cannot remember where though. Paul

 

[Ken Knox]

Great Idea about using a black light to see if there is a trace of any makers name on the dial chazbaz.
I tried that along with some colored filters under my stereo microscope and nothing showed up. It did show about a thousand old fingerprints however.

The owner of the clock said it has been in thier family since it was new and was told it was made in the states. He also has several family antiques from this period. I feel very honored to be able to get it running for them as it hasnt worked in three generations he said. I had it running in less than 5 minutes as all that was wrong with it was the pendulum rod had several bends in it making it out of balance and rubbing on the case. I gave it a complete service also and changed the cables. What a shame it was to have it sit idle for all those years when thats all it needed.

Paul
Yes the pillars could be good for determining the maker I bet. Also the lifting lever for the strike is shaped different than some I have seen.


Kenny

 

[Paul Regan]

Kenny, I have Parson's book on NH Makers and Katra's book on Maine Makers. Neither shed any light on this one. A lot of NH & Maine makers had cut out bottoms of the plates however the cut out was a single arch. Paul

PS. I think I was thinking of Daniel Burnap of E. Winsor, Conn. He did do bulbus pillars and if your bell is original in brass as it appears, he did do musical movements so a brass bell would be possible. Paul

 

[Ken Knox]

Thanks for the info Paul.

The bell looks to be nickel plated? Or solid nickel. I will be taking some pictures of the case soon. Maybe there will be some markings inside that will help identify the maker also

Kenny

 

[Ralph]

The case might give a big clue....

I've seen a number of movements with that style pillar.... all unsigned. I know of an Albany , NY clock with similar pillars, no rings turned.

The battison & Kane book, The American Clock, also has an Albany clock pictured, signed Bassett & Warford, with similar pillars.

Ralph

 

[jmclaugh]

The dial is typical of the period 1770-1800. James Wilson who made the dial and the fasleplate was working on his own from 1777 and died 1809. Birmingham dialmakers exported dials to the US as a rule to wholesalers so the end customer was very often unknown hence the dials bore no makers mark. Falseplates appeared pretty much at the outset of white dial LCs and were advertised by Osborne & Wilson as early as 1772. The pillars are of a style that dates from around 1800 onwards and the style of wheel collets from what I can see appear to be those of 1760 onwards. No way of knowing who made the movement and it could be US or English though the case may help to confirm.

 

[Ken Knox]

Here is some pics of the clock case. The finial has been broken off but all it needs is a bit of straightening and a new piece made for it to fit in. Not sure of what wood the clock is made of.The backboard is pine. The house was very dark so the pictures arnt the best quality

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[Gary Sullivan]

The case is cherry and is certainly American. It has a Connecticut or Western Mass. (Ct. River Valley) feeling to me. Nice clock.
Gary

 

[Lynne Gillette]

I am definitely not an expert on these but the case looks more like something from southeast Pennsylvania to me. That style movement is often found in many of the clocks from the area. While there were many dialmakers in the area, many clocks have the Wilson dials.
Lynne