Expert Antique Wall Clock Repair. Specializing in antique American "time only", and "time and strike" wall and regulator clocks, and some German brands and models (such as Junghans), that were made from about 1880 to about 1950.

Dedication. Full-service antique wall clock and regulator repair, full-time. Clock repair is not my hobby, not my sideline, and is not an afterthought at my shop. I offer expert clock repair, and have invested in the tools, equipment, parts inventory, and the shop facilities required to repair antique wall clocks and regulators properly.

Extensive inventory of replacement, and reproduction, parts. Brand new repair parts in stock for most wall clock models made since 1880, at all times. In fact I stock one of the largest inventories of parts and hardware for antique wall clock repair in the Boston area. In most cases, I will have all the parts needed to replace worn or damaged parts of your clock (new mainsprings, new cables, new bearings, new ratchet parts, new suspension springs, etc.), or, to replace missing parts (new pendulum, new hands, etc. if your clock is missing them) right at my shop, with no need to "special order" anything from suppliers.

Machine shop on site. Clock parts that are required for the repair, but that are no longer commercially available, can be custom-machined and fitted by me, using the extensive machine tooling I have acquired specifically for antique clock repair. If your clock needs something and it cannot be purchased by me commercially, chances are I can make it, fit it, and install it in your clock. Please see "about my shop".

Experience. In fact, a lifetime of experience in the clock business: I learned the business from my father as I grew up. In the 1970s and 1980s, while my young peers were watching television and playing video games (or worse), I was usually in the basement of our home, in my Dad's watch and clock shop, learning the clock repair business from him. Under my father's guidance, I was taking apart and reassembling antique American clocks, by myself, by the time I was about seven or eight years old. So I've literally been around the clock repair business since I was born. Please see "about me" for more details.

I want to repair your clock, and to do so properly. I welcome the opportunity to serve you. My experience, technical expertise, machine shop, and parts inventory for antique clocks are at your service.

Fast, dependable service. Wall clock repairs are generally repaired, completed, and tested, in a matter of several weeks, or at most, a few months. This period of time includes the repair time, and the testing time.

2-YEAR guarantee on complete repairs. The guarantee covers everything: parts and labor, for 2 years. In terms of time and all-inclusive coverage, my guarantee is the best guarantee on clock repair offered in the Boston area.

Reliability. Repaired clocks are as good as new, and they work properly. They don't "sort of work", and they don't "sometimes work", THEY WORK ... period! In fact, after I've repaired clocks, they do what they're supposed to do, and do it properly and consistently (as well as they did when they were new).

If you have ever paid a so-called "clock repair man" or a "jeweler" to try to "fix" your clock, and were disappointed in either him, or in the results he provided (or both), then please consider using my services. With the advent of the Internet and the exposure it provides, I am pleased to be able to offer my clock repair services more broadly than I was able to do prior.

Antique Wall clock repair, QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

• Are estimates/price quotes free? Yes.

• Before I bring or send the clock to you, can you tell me, in general, how much does a repair cost? This depends on the clock, the problems it has, and the amount of time that it requires to repair. I do not post prices on the Internet. Please call me, and I'd be most happy to present a general cost range to you for your clock. The shop phone number is on my "contact page". During the phone call, if you describe the clock to me, I will roughly quote you a price range as a courtesy (subject to revision upon my actual inspection of the clock), and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

• Can you repair my clock? I specialize in antique "time only" and "time and strike" wall clocks that contain American-made brass mechanisms, such as those that were manufactured in Connecticut, USA, from about 1880 onwards, until about 1950. I also repair some German models of the same vintage. If your clock is of these vintages and makes, then chances are, yes, I can repair it (see the list of brands I service at the top of this page). Just call or write if you're not sure what you own or if I can repair it, and I'll try to answer you as to its "repairability". Please see my "contact page".

• My clock was made before 1880. Can you repair it? Maybe. Please call, or write, and I'll be happy to determine with you whether or not I can repair what you have.

• I don't think my clock is an antique. Can you repair it? Probably. If your clock was made after 1950, or if you're not sure when it was made or what you own, please call and ask, or click here for information on modern wall clocks.

• What clocks won't you repair? Several types, but, I'll provide a few examples. Antique American-made chiming clocks, built before about 1940. These are clocks with 3 winders instead of 2, and that chime every 15 minutes and that, for the most part, were manufactured in the 19-teens, 1920s, and 1930s by Seth Thomas, New Haven, etc. Also, I don't repair antique cable-drive shelf clocks such as Pillar and Scroll styles, "Ogee" (O.G.) types, triple deckers, etc. from the mid-1800s. I also do not repair antique French or British clocks. And I do not repair antique wooden works clocks from the 1700s and 1800s, nor early banjo clocks such as those by Willard, Sawin, etc.

• Why won't you repair my clock? I thought you were "good" at clock repair! Because I can't do everything, nor be all things to all people. I used to try to repair "everything" that was presented to me, and I simply could not, and can not, do such repairs in a reasonable timeframe. These above-listed clocks (and others too numerous to list), although perhaps within my area of expertise, are simply not my current business focus, and detract me from the areas in which I do specialize, and this is why I refrain from accepting them for repair. I can't "do it all", and there are simply not enough hours in a month to try.
  
  If you would like to see if I can repair your clock, or "if in doubt", always feel free to call or write.

• I thought clocks were supposed to "last forever". Do they? Unfortunately, no. They have a limited service life, and need repairs when the end of that life is reached. Antique wall clocks generally need repair because their mechanisms have years of dirt and old oil accumulated on them, as well as years of wear-and-tear.
  
  Over time, mainsprings (winding springs) weaken, or crack, or break; cables stretch, weaken, fray, and even break; barrels (the cylindrical containers that contain the mainsprings on some clocks) wear out; pivots (the "tips" of the arbors on which the wheels [gears] are mounted, and which run in the clock's front and rear bearings) become scored and become thinner; front and rear bearings (bushings) wear out; wheel teeth (gear teeth) and lantern wires become bent or broken; ratchets become worn down, deformed, or damaged; ratchet pawls, or "clicks", become worn out and loose.
  
  The above conditions are normal wear and tear for an old clock. These conditions cannot be avoided, and they combine to cause the clock not to run, or not to run properly.

• I had someone else repair the clock, and he charged a "reasonable fee", but the clock didn't really work right when I got it back. What did he do? That's difficult to say, but I can say that antique wall clocks are often, but not always, victims of several instances (across several decades) of poor quality repairs by "repairmen" who, for a cheap price or for free, "repaired" the clock. Often, these "repairmen", in their benevolent repair attempts, did more harm than good to the clock. Bringing your clock to an un-, or under-qualified repair shop, and having it perform worse when you got it back than when you brought it there, is NOT uncommon.
  
  Poor quality workmanship by prior repairmen will cause problems, and will either immediately (or eventually) cause old clocks to not run or run properly, and, will contribute greatly to the clock needing extensive repairs and rebuilding.
  
  For your clock's proper running, it should be important to you to have your antique mechanical clock repaired properly, thoroughly, and in a quality manner, by a shop that has the tools to do the job properly, and the dedication to do the entire job well. I am pleased to be able to offer you such a shop, and my services.

• What do you actually "do" to a clock to repair it? It's impractical to describe it all, but some of the steps taken by me to repair antique wall, regulator, schoolhouse, and banjo clocks include:
  1. Clock mechanism, or movement, is removed from the case and completely disassembled, part by part, right down to the wheels, springs, nuts, screws and washers.
  2. Each part is washed and dried completely, in order to remove dirt, grime, old oil, dust, WD-40 and other "spray" lubricants, kerosene residue, and all the other contaminants that are on the clock movement and its parts.
  3. When cleaned and dried, each component is examined for wear and tear, poor quality prior "repairs", existing problems, and potential problems. Prior poor-quality repairs are "un-done". For example, electrical solder or "epoxy" or "superglue" that were used in prior repairs are removed from the clock parts.
  4. Ratchets are replaced with lathe-turned, custom-machined replacements, if required. Ratchet pawls, or "clicks", are replaced if required as well.
  5. Pivots (axle tips) on the ends of the wheel (gear) arbors are replaced if required, and/or polished to a mirror finish in an Austrian-made pivot polishing machine.
  6. New bronze bearings (bushings) are installed throughout the clock, using either a German or American made bushing machine.
  7. Mainwheel bearings are replaced, if required. Mainwheel bearings are the large bearings for the clock's winding wheels. Front and rear mainwheel bearings are too large to use the standard bushings that the bushing machine installs, so replacements are custom-machined of bronze in the lathe, and installed in the clock.
  8. Barrels, if the clock has them for containing the mainspring, are rebuilt in the lathe. The barrel gear is gripped in the lathe, bored out, and receives a new lathe-turned bushing, custom machined and fitted; a new brass barrel cap is custom machined and fitted to the other end of the barrel.
  9. These machining operations to the barrel eliminate decades of wear and tear on the barrel; they bring the barrel back up to factory original specifications (or better); they prevent power loss from friction; they prevent poor running of the clock from lack of available power; and they also ensure that the barrel will not wear out again for many years. And if any teeth on the barrel are bent or broken, either a new barrel gear is machined and fitted to the barrel, or, an entire new barrel is custom-made.
  10. Damaged wheels (gears) and pinions, if any, are replaced with custom-made replacements.
  11. Mainsprings or cables are replaced with brand new ones.
  12. The clock's components are cleaned and dried again to remove oil, polishing grit, and other shop contaminants.
  13. The clock is reassembled and oiled, and the escapement (the part of the clock mechanism that causes the pendulum to oscillate or "tick" back and forth) is adjusted to function properly. If it does not, it is repaired or rebuilt. The clock is then tested in-shop for proper running, good performance, and of course, timekeeping adjustments.
  14. After testing on the bench, the clock is disassembled again; all its components are washed and dried a final time, and the clock is then reassembled, oiled, and placed in the case, and tested in the case for a week or more.

All of the above ensures that all problems are addressed and remedied, and ensures many years of trouble-free, proper operation of your clock.

If your question was not answered above, or if you have further questions or would like to bring or send your clock to me, please call me and I'd be happy to speak with you. See contact page for my telephone and fax numbers, and my e-mail address.

Thank you for looking.