seat boards and hand cut nails

[Bruce Barnes]

I am in the process of restoring a Terry Clock Co. clock and it's like working on an old house,"lots of surptises".
I know this information may have been posted before but I couldn't find it, and that is,........when did U.S. clock makers quit using seat boards,hand cut square nails and brass pinned movements?
Also the figure 8 door on this clock has hand finished brass cotter key hinges,the first I have seen,any idea on the date they went to the flat style hinge?
Now the really big surprise is, the "junk wood" they used is Walnut {maybe black?) and then veneered it with..........Walnut.
The front board is warped and I am in the process of taking the warp down to at least a liveable curve,they mounted the board with the grain running horizontal and then drilled weaking the grain and over the years the hide glue pulled loose and the board warped.
Any data will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bruce

 

[Bruce Barnes]

So it appears as though these questions are unanswerable.................oh well i'll keep researching.
Bruce

 

[Chris Radano]

So, the case is walnut veneer over a walnut carcass? Looks like rosewood veneer. Are you sure the carcass is not pine, or poplar? Poplar is notorious for warpage.

Some of my favorite jobs are to restore old, gnarled seat boards, and backboards. I try to keep original as possible, but many times I implement non-intrusive "improvements". Always takes time, patience, and brain power to figure the best way. Also my goal is to make a repair, that hopefully will be the last repair needed. Or, someone in the future would be able to easily repair my repair.

Your photo presents a nice image of the clock, I cannot see anything terrible from a distance. Maybe some more close-up shots?

 

[gvasale]

Without putting a date here, when makers stopped making OGs etc, and were fully into spring driven clocks, the seatboard had disappeared. This date could of course vary. Who can say when cut nails vanished? Probably when steel wire was made and someone invented a "heading" process to make nails. A quick web search on wire nail says they were invented in the 1850s, and gained "wide acceptance" after the civil war. Original used for small boxes and the like.

 

[Bruce Barnes]

Thank's gentlemen.....the front board is warped in three places and while it doesnt look to bad in the photo it is quite discernable. The base wood or junk wood is dark and has the grain appearance of walnut but my knowledge of woods especially that old and covered with a stain is woefully poor.
The main cause of the warpage I believe is exposure as the springs and plate posts also were rusty and the board itself was cut with the grain running horizontally and not vertically so straightening may be near impossible .I will soak the wood and see what happens,if the veneer lifts well so be it,I have the template for another board and the original veneer.
Regards,
Bruce

 

[Bruce Barnes]

Well so far I am lucky , the whole board soaked in a plastic kitty litter box ( sans litter ) for 20 hours and when I removed it , no evidence of veneer de-laminating and only one small wrinkle about 1/2 long.
all the areas are now clamped including those that had no warpage and it all appears to be flat.I will let it naturally dry for at least 24 hours before I consider removing the clamps.............Fingers Crossed !!
Bruce