Seth Thomas Gallery with a broken hinge

[tliette]

I just received a Seth Thomas Gallery clock and when I took it out of the box and opened the bezel, the bezel and convex glass came off in my hands. The seller claims it wasn't like that before shipping and of course he blamed the shipper. Anyhow would anyone have an idea how this could be repaired or would someone have a bezel with a solid hinge that they'd be willing to sell. The inside of the bezel measures is a 12" across.
I'd hate to send the clock back because I've never seen too many with this style of case

Thanks,
Ted

 

[JTD]

It looks as if it had been soldered before. I can well believe it was in order at the time of shipping but these poorly soldered joints often fail. Most clock makers would be able to repair it for you.

JTD

 

[mauleg]

JTD beat me to it...

 

[David S]

Without having it in my hands I can't tell from the pics how it was originally secured to the bezel. I don't see any sign of solder on the mating side of the bezel which is concerning. However having said this I am not sure I would trust soft solder ONLY for this application. I would try...if possible...to add two small brass rivets for mechanical security.

David

 

[THTanner]

It would be helpful to have a picture of the inside and outside of the bezel where the hinge gets soldered. It is sometimes possible to solder a supporting strip, extending past the length of the hinge, over the hinge after it has been soldered to the bezel making a more solid joint.

 

[Willie X]

A good repair would look something like this. Hinge work is best done with a regular soldering iron of about 100 to 125 watts, or a large soldering gun, like a Weller D-550. It's one of those 'get in & get out quick before you make a mess' things. Willie X

 

[THTanner]

It's one of those 'get in & get out quick before you make a mess' things. Willie X

I take the glass out first if it is not too difficult and make sure all the tabs for the glass are properly secured as well

 

[Uhralt]

Of course you would remove the bezel from the case first before you start soldering. Next it is very important to get both surfaces to be soldered very clean. Use some sandpaper to remove oxidation and make the surface a bit rough so that the solder will adhere to it nicely.

Uhralt

 

[Willie X]

Often there is adequate solder already there. I usually scrape away any ozidation, apply acid flux, and solder using just a bit of additional 50/50 wire solder. There are always 2 problems: one is getting the hinge positioned exactly right and the other is to not allow any solder to get sucked into the hinge joint !

If soldering is new to you, any jewelry repair person, or stained glass person, can do this job for you ... probably for pequeno dinero.

Willie X