Ridgeway Tempus Fugit Grandfather Clock (Gravely Furniture Co.)

[Gmarsz01]

Greetings All!

Please Help. New to the forum and just acquired this Grandfather Clock. I'm an Electronics Engineer by trade but appear to have been bitten and intrigued by wanting to restore this clock. :O I'm a newbie so please go easy on me.

There's absolutely no model info on this cabinet to be found anywhere. However, I've learned the movement's a Urgos 32/1 with a SN of 105771. I don't know how old this clock is and was hoping for some help to learn more about it to improve my research. The original damage likely occurred during transport (not me). Making things worse, parts are also missing. Only one 47LPF brass chain ~ 48" long on the clocks right. The other 2 weights are missing. The one I do have measured ~2kg. Correct? Seems light? Maybe I weighed it wrong, as I did use a digital bathroom scale...

So any help to ID missing part specs, which are: Pendulum leader (what type(s) can be used?), pendulum rate adjustment nut (original shape,thread/size?), two other weights (what masses should they actually be & placement?). Any images or diagrams greatly appreciated.

I've acquired this clock with 0 background. The good thing is it did have some paperwork inside (see attached photos). I can fully scan if this helps others build their library. Any and all help identifying its model/year and proper info on the missing parts would be HUGE to me.

 

[Willie X]

Nice old modern clock, probably from the 1960s.

The weights, from left to right, should weigh in at 4.5, 4.5, & 6.6 pounds. 5, 5 and 7 will be easier to remember.

You will probably have to buy a complete set of shells (new or used) to get the color to match. And expect to have serious restoration work done on the old movement.

Good luck, Willie X

 

[Gmarsz01]

Nice old modern clock, probably from the 1960s.

The weights, from left to right, should weigh in at 4.5, 4.5, & 6.6 pounds. 5, 5 and 7 will be easier to remember.

You will probably have to buy a complete set of shells (new or used) to get the color to match. And expect to have serious restoration work done on the old movement.

Good luck, Willie X

Thanks for your restoration well wishes and quick reply! Very much appreciated and yes I kind of expected it will/would require some considerable efforts to get this eventually going. I presume I now can reallocate the weight I already have over to the center to access the old movement for basic time keep function. Unless of course temporary operation without the chime weights is totally illadvised? This will allow me to access what I'm really up against!

Another friend of mine claims it's okay to soak the movement in mineral spirits for a through cleaning, then oil pivot points only with synthetic. However, before doing that, I will definitely need more than just his opinion on that one for sure. He claims to have done this numerous times to get rid of all old oils and residues.

Thanks Again for helping!

-Gary

 

[Mike Phelan]

Another friend of mine claims it's okay to soak the movement in mineral spirits for a through cleaning, then oil pivot points only with synthetic. However, before doing that, I will definitely need more than just his opinion on that one for sure. He claims to have done this numerous times to get rid of all old oils and residues.

Thanks Again for helping!

-Gary

Soaking a movement just rearranges the dirt! It needs dismantling to clean it properly.

 

[Gmarsz01]

Soaking a movement just rearranges the dirt! It needs dismantling to clean it properly.

Thanks Mike. What about ultrsonic cleaning? I just don't know if I'm comfortable enough to go with that effort at this stage. I would definately want to find an exploded assembly view. Newbie + No Documentation = Disaster. But if soaking doesn't work, then I have no choice.

 

[leeinv66]

Read post #268 in This Thread . While dunk & swish cleaning is not recommended, sometimes it can cause less damage than an inexperienced repairer. Especially when dealing with three train movement such as this. I am not recommending this method, but it may be of use to those looking for an interim measure.

 

[Gmarsz01]

Read post #268 in This Thread . While dunk & swish cleaning is not recommended, sometimes it can cause less damage than an inexperienced repairer. Especially when dealing with three train movement such as this. I am not recommending this method, but it may be of use to those looking for an interim measure.

Perfect! Thank you very much. This will help me "bridge the gap" for sure.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Greetings All!

Please Help. New to the forum and just acquired this Grandfather Clock. I'm an Electronics Engineer by trade but appear to have been bitten and intrigued by wanting to restore this clock. :O I'm a newbie so please go easy on me.

There's absolutely no model info on this cabinet to be found anywhere. However, I've learned the movement's a Urgos 32/1 with a SN of 105771. I don't know how old this clock is and was hoping for some help to learn more about it to improve my research. The original damage likely occurred during transport (not me). Making things worse, parts are also missing. Only one 47LPF brass chain ~ 48" long on the clocks right. The other 2 weights are missing. The one I do have measured ~2kg. Correct? Seems light? Maybe I weighed it wrong, as I did use a digital bathroom scale...

So any help to ID missing part specs, which are: Pendulum leader (what type(s) can be used?), pendulum rate adjustment nut (original shape,thread/size?), two other weights (what masses should they actually be & placement?). Any images or diagrams greatly appreciated.

I've acquired this clock with 0 background. The good thing is it did have some paperwork inside (see attached photos). I can fully scan if this helps others build their library. Any and all help identifying its model/year and proper info on the missing parts would be HUGE to me.

Hi, Gmarsz01

I have several old Ridgeway catalogs and try to come on here from time to time to help people identify theirs.

Your clock appears to be model #127, known as the "Lady Lexington." It appears in both my 1967 and 1977 catalogs, so your clock dates from somewhere around that period. (See attached images). In 1977 your clock's suggested retail price when new was between $569 and $639, but as one of the senior members of our forum has been fond of saying, new clocks are like new cars--they lose a significant portion or their value the moment they leave the showroom floor and can take many years to regain it as a collectible.

(Oh, and the "Tempus Fugit" mentioned on your clock is just Latin for "time flies." It has nothing to do with the name of your clock or anything).

Best of luck with your new acquisition!

Sincerely,
John

 

[Willie X]

I mean that Spiff is everywhere now!
Those Ridgeway request had really backed up in his absence.

Glad you're back ... Willie

 

[Robert Gift]

... soak the movement in mineral spirits for a through cleaning, then oil pivot points only with synthetic. ...
-Gary

How does one remove the mineral spirits? Dish soap?

Since I know not better and have nothing better, I would soak in very hot dish water, then thoroughly rinse with very hot water and quickly dryvith toilet paper. Then oil pivots with full synthetic oil. Then use toilet paper to wick the oil out and re oil.

(Why would the suspension spring break in transit if pendulum is not attached? Fortunately our garage sale Ridgeway large grandmother clock has thextra suspension spring.)

 

[Gmarsz01]

Hi, Gmarsz01

I have several old Ridgeway catalogs and try to come on here from time to time to help people identify theirs.

Your clock appears to be model #127, known as the "Lady Lexington." It appears in both my 1967 and 1977 catalogs, so your clock dates from somewhere around that period. (See attached images). In 1977 your clock's suggested retail price when new was between $569 and $639, but as one of the senior members of our forum has been fond of saying, new clocks are like new cars--they lose a significant portion or their value the moment they leave the showroom floor and can take many years to regain it as a collectible.

(Oh, and the "Tempus Fugit" mentioned on your clock is just Latin for "time flies." It has nothing to do with the name of your clock or anything).

Best of luck with your new acquisition!

Sincerely,
John

View attachment 738014 View attachment 738015 View attachment 738017

WOW! This is fantastic! Thank you for the info! I'm guessing my Lady Lexington is from the 70's, as mine also has those vertical ridges on its lower pannel! VERY COOL!!! Thank you so much!

 

[Gmarsz01]

How does one remove the mineral spirits? Dish soap?

Since I know not better and have nothing better, I would soak in very hot dish water, then thoroughly rinse with very hot water and quickly dryvith toilet paper. Then oil pivots with full synthetic oil. Then use toilet paper to wick the oil out and re oil.

(Why would the suspension spring break in transit if pendulum is not attached? Fortunately our garage sale Ridgeway large grandmother clock has thextra suspension spring.)

I still haven't decided my cleaning method yet but I'm favoring the "solder sucker" method of extracting the old gunk and oil from all the oil pot areas. Leeinv66 shared a link. Dabing electronic contact cleaner with a Q-tip into the oil pots was also suggested to help loosen up the old gunk before sucking it out with a solder sucker. If I were to try the mineral spirits dunk & swish approach, a soap and water rinse then compressed air blast before oiling seems reasonable. But definitely still researching all my cleaning options. A quick look at the movement shows no elongations in the oil pots and everything seems tight. So my plan is to clean and feed the chain I have into the center gear and use the 2 kg weight to see if the movement works after cleaning, then go from there.

The pendulum assembly was actually damaged and I've already restored it... Also missing was the suspension spring, pendulum leader, rate adjustment nut, plus the 2 other weights & chains. Luckily a spare suspension spring was in the envelope, which I placed on it when I took the picture. I already found a new pendulum leader that will work for $8.50 online.

 

[shutterbug]

The hard truth is that as clocks run, the pivot points wear grooves into them which eventually stop the clock. Yours is well past the expected life of the movement without intervention to fix the pivot points. Cleaning and oiling might get it running for a short time, but it won't be right until you either take it apart and repair it, or send it out to an experienced repairman.
If you lose a finger, a band-aide isn't going to help much