Herschede model 515

[wow]

Where can I find a model chart that tells me info on this clock? It’s a 515 floor clock.
Thanks,
Will

 

[new2clocks]

Where can I find a model chart that tells me info on this clock? It’s a 515 floor clock.
Thanks,
Will

Will,

The following site - Abbey Clocks - may be of assistance:

Herschede Clock Company

The site has some catalogs of Herschede clocks, along with serial numbers and years of manufacture.

Regards.

 

[wow]

I picked it up Saturday and here’s what it looks like. Anybody know dates etc? It’s gummed up badly so a complete cleaning, polishing pivots, etc is about to begin. Are there any particular things I need to watch for? Thanks.
Will

 

[wow]

Question: the cables on the movement are 1.5 mm. The chime cable should be the same size? Do you guys/gals put a heavier cable on that heavy weight? I have a good 2.0 mm

 

[J. A. Olson]

I believe the serial number corresponds to 1953-1955, and the style of nametag would match clocks from the 1950's period.
Herschede still upheld great production quality throughout the 1950's, it's certainly a clock worthy of restoration. No mechanical nuances compared to any other 5 tube Herschede movement. The case is much smaller so the movement and tubes will be a tighter fit.

You can try replacing the cable if you want, but I'd keep it as close to factory specs as possible.

Now lately I've seen blatant misinformation about Herschede being spewed out by ignorant Youtubers without any real experience in horology, so I wanted to take a short dive into Herschede's history during one of its more obscure periods. Herschede was a great company but like any other longstanding manufacturer, they had their ups and downs.



The postwar years up through the 1950's was an intermediate era for Herschede: they began producing tubular bell hall clocks again alongside smaller windup and electric clocks. Herschede had also been exploring other ventures including the manufacture of parking meters. The Panocular Corporation, which Herschede established during the second world war to produce observation instruments for the government, was reinstated for the Korean war.

While Herschede's quality control was consistent, financial troubles began to stack up. In 1946 the company's first union contract was signed. A twenty percent excise tax had been imposed on "luxury items" which included clocks, and competition became so severe in the parking meter industry that prices were forced down to levels which left little if any margin for profit. Smaller mantel and wall clocks used imported Junghans springwind movements from 1952 to 1960, but the tubular bell chime hall clocks always used Herschede's own movements made in Cincinnati. Electric clocks in all sizes also used Herschede-made movements.



Not much is said of the Junghans movements. They were never as substantial as the Model 10s of years gone by, but they were dependable and decent compared to the Erhard Jauch movements which followed later on.



The models of hall clocks offered did not change very much from what had been produced in the early 1940's. Some of the more popular mainstays included the 294 'Haverford', 276 'Virginia', and your own Petite sized No. 515. While solid Mahogany cases were still the norm for Herschede, they also dabbled with painted cases to suit 'modern' decor of the 1950's. Smaller mantel and wall clocks were a mix of new and old designs alike.



While Herschede's quality control was consistent during the 1950's, their financial stability took a turn for the worse. The union was expensive to uphold, considering company profits were being eaten away by the aforementioned tax and overhead expenses. There was also a rise in competition from companies such as Gravely Furniture and Howard Miller, which had begun to introduce a variety of new clocks that cost far less compared to their Herschede equivalents.

In 1959, the Rookwood Pottery Company was purchased by Herschede in another attempt to seek profitability beyond clocks. At one time, Rookwood Pottery had been the foremost art pottery in the county and Herschede management felt that Rookwood might make a suitable companion sales item for their hall clocks. This did not see any real success and the Rookwood company was closed off in 1967, to be revived under further ownership in later years.

In 1957, Herschede had contracted a deal to Cuban authorities for 10,000 parking meters. The meters were sent in 1959, but amid the rise of Fidel Castro, the payment to Herschede was never made. This was single-handedly a considerate financial loss for Herschede.

With so much financial trouble and facing the possibility of bankruptcy, Herschede made the move to Starkville, Mississippi in 1960 in the pursuit of keeping labor and overhead costs down.

 

[wow]

I have a thread going in General Clocks on this clock but I thought it may be good to post a video or two of the movement in action. I looked on the forum and could not find any videos that showed this movement in action. Hope this is helpful. A moderator may want to merge the threads here in the repair section?
Thanks for looking.
Will

 

[disciple_dan]

Hey, Will. I just ran across one of those yesterday. It was a mess. The cables are snarled and frayed. The hammers have been adjusted and damaged. You can see them at the right of the picture of the movement. The suspension spring is broken. It's all jacked up.
My base estimate was high so he said he would call me back to repair it when he could talk his wife into it. I hope he does. I'd love to get that one back to looking like the one you have there. Thanks for posting that. Danny

 

[wow]

Hey, Will. I just ran across one of those yesterday. It was a mess. The cables are snarled and frayed. The hammers have been adjusted and damaged. You can see them at the right of the picture of the movement. The suspension spring is broken. It's all jacked up.
My base estimate was high so he said he would call me back to repair it when he could talk his wife into it. I hope he does. I'd love to get that one back to looking like the one you have there. Thanks for posting that. Danny
View attachment 755945 View attachment 755946 View attachment 755947

Dan, what model number is yours? It’s slightly different from mine. Mine has the second bit arbor but the dial has no hole for it. Probably the same movement. Looks the same. That is a fine movement. I only had to install one bushing. The front escape wheel. The pivots were gummed up and needed polishing. Yea the cables tend to shread where they come out of the barrel. Let me know if I can help. Mine is going in my den. It’s a keeper.

 

[disciple_dan]

Hey, Will. I didn't get to look at it very well. It's a mess. He's been moving it around for years hoping to settle down somewhere and get it repaired. I hope he calls me when he's ready to repair it.
I didn't even move it away from the wall. It has stuff all around it. I'm not sure what model it is. I'll post it if he gives me the job.
Thanks, Danny

 

[J. A. Olson]

The case and dial look like a match for the No. 217 'Whittier', one of Herschede's models that was produced in Cincinnati and Starkville.
It's an 'inbetweener' size, larger than a Petite but smaller than the giant monsters Herschede produced in the early 1900's.

The No. 217 could be had with 9 tubes or 5 tubes. The Panama tag would suggest it was made before 1952, however if you get the chance to repair it then you should find a serial number on the back plate which can help ID the year of production.

Here we see the No. 217 in an early 1960 catalog, the listed model names tended to fluctuate in those older catalog listings and were not consistently used until after the move from Cincinnati to Starkville.

 

[wow]

This was inside: