Steel Ansonia Mantle Clock

[Strict As]

Hello

I am new to this forum although I have read things here periodically over the last 6 months or so.

I recently inherited what I thought was a very dirty marble / slate Ansonia clock.

I'm kicking myself for not taking some before photos but basically everything other then the dial was black (read dirty) from old age.

Being in Covid lockdown I decided a nice project would be to pull it apart (it was not running terrible well) and give it a good clean.

Well lo and behold, clock turns out to be solid metal, the columns were in fact brass and while the ornate fixture above the dial turned out to be just rough cast it has come up nicely with some Rub N Buff.

Attached you will see nearly completed item.

But I have some questions that I could not really find any answer to.

1/ Would anyone know the name / period of the clock ?

2/ Having completely removed the existing coating and respraying I'm now pondering how to fill in the engraving below the dial ? I can't simply rub some gold in as it will mark the newly painted facade. Do I just use a metallic marker and prey for a steady hand ?

3/ The clock did not have a hand nut and although I've purchased a couple that were meant for American mantle clocks it has been to no avail. Any ideas on this ?

Thanks for any feedback provided.

 

[Jeremy Woodoff]

Your clock is the "Grenoble," shown in Ansonia's 1914 catalog. The ornaments are listed as "verde bronze," which probably means bronze color with faux green verdigris in the recesses. The original finish on these cases was a hard, glossy enamel. With that finish, you could paint the scrollwork and clean off any stray paint with a rubbing compound, like Novus Plastic Polish No. 2 or Howard's Restore-a-Shine. However, I think this would ruin the paint you have used. I would try gold paint with a tiny artist's brush. If it is a water soluble type, it might be possible to clean off any stray marks as you go with a damp cloth. Better than standard gold paint would be "shell gold," which is real gold paint that comes in a disc, like watercolors. It is water soluble. Probably the best way is to use gold leaf, painting the gold size in the recesses with a tiny brush and then applying the leaf.

 

[Strict As]

Your clock is the "Grenoble," shown in Ansonia's 1914 catalog. The ornaments are listed as "verde bronze," which probably means bronze color with faux green verdigris in the recesses. The original finish on these cases was a hard, glossy enamel. With that finish, you could paint the scrollwork and clean off any stray paint with a rubbing compound, like Novus Plastic Polish No. 2 or Howard's Restore-a-Shine. However, I think this would ruin the paint you have used. I would try gold paint with a tiny artist's brush. If it is a water soluble type, it might be possible to clean off any stray marks as you go with a damp cloth. Better than standard gold paint would be "shell gold," which is real gold paint that comes in a disc, like watercolors. It is water soluble. Probably the best way is to use gold leaf, painting the gold size in the recesses with a tiny brush and then applying the leaf.

Thanks Jeremy

Nice to know the actual model and rough manufacturing time.

I have used a satin enamel on the body but suspect any 'rubbing' to remove excess paint from the engraving using any type of compound will show unfortunately.

I might test a water soluble paint as you suggest and see if this wipes off on a test piece with water alone.

Thanks again.