Leavenworth Tall Case

[Kevin Knauss]

I recently acquired a William Leavenworth & Sons tall case clock with wooden movement. The seller stated the clock did not work, it does. The problem is the crutch is hitting the back board. I know the clock has been repaired, I see some replaced teeth. I think the crutch wire is not original. Does the crutch wire look original? If no, what might be the most appropriate fix? Leave it in place and bend the wire to swing freely or replace with appropriate historical replica. There are condition issues with the case (broken glass, hood slats broken, lock won't work, etc.) but in overall good condition for a 150+ year old clock. Any info on the original condition for proper restoration would be much appreciated...I think someone painted the dial hands

silver.

 

[bruce linde]

hmm... thought i had responded to this. first off, lovely. congrats. second, someone obviously did a repair on the crutch rod. you could simply recreate the repair after making the crutch loop stick out half of what it is currently... or just try bending it downward a bit to see if you can get enough clearance w/ having to jack around w/ it.

 

[Kevin Knauss]

Thank you for the confirmation on the crutch rod. I will gingerly attempt to adjust or shorten. If it looks to tricky - as in I may break something - I'll take it to a professional.

 

[bruce linde]

hold the crutch rod with thumb and forefinger of one hand at the top arrow, and then apply force with the other hand at the second arrow to move the bottom of the crutch toward the back plate of the movement... you really just need to make sure it doesn't end up scraping there instead.

once you have that, grab the bottom of the crutch near where the second to bottom arrow is pointing and then bend the horizontal crutch slot piece up so it's level again.

if you do both of those carefully you should be good. if something breaks, it's an easy fix for a pro.

 

[Kevin Knauss]

Excellent! I appreciate the tutorial.

 

[MikeA]

Is that a chain attaching the weights? If so, you might want to change that to a non-metallic cord so as not to damage the wooden winding spools. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but don't think any maker used metal chains on wooden works clocks.

 

[bruce linde]

no chains is correct… but i’m seeing braided nylon cord, which should be fine

 

[Kevin Knauss]

It is just a nylon cord, almost looks chain-like on first glance.