# First Clock, Smiths



## Edb1984 (Jan 11, 2013)

Just a quick post to show everyone my Smiths clock.

i picked it up with lots of superficial damage to the varnish, hands and also it was not striking the hours, it was only striking once for half an hour and would sometimes strike once for the hour but it was intermittent.

i got it from a local charity shop for Â£29.99 (not sure if i paid too much? but it went to charity so who cares!)

i bought it more for a little project than for the fact that i wanted a clock and realy enjoyed taking the case apart and tinkering with it.

i have dismantled the woodwork and stripped all the scratched and marked varnish, found the problem with the striker and oiled the movement (with the correct oils) and removed the lacquer that had reacted with the hands and hour markers and re coated with a UV hardened resin, also staining the wood and varnishing with 15 layers of varnish, rubbed back every time giving thin glass like finish. had issues trying to clean the clock face backing as it was badly marked (and also had the hand position faded into it at 10 past 10 (where i presume it stopped for the final time before sitting in a damp house.

the striker issue was that the leaver that moves from the cam on the back of the hour pin had been bent too much and was only just striking by a "nats pube", thus the reason it was intermittent. (have marked the arm that had bent in the photo)

Obviously i understand that it suppose to be bent to allow free movement.

If anyone has any ideas about where and when this clock is from or any other interesting information then please let me know.


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## Micky (Apr 2, 2009)

Great job, well done. Looks very presentable now. I have a bit of a soft spot for Smiths stuff including the clocks. My first clock was a Smiths. Bought for Â£20.00 non running.


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

Nice clock and lovely job done on the case

The lifting pins and the warning arm are of different heights and is designed to only lift "by a nats pube" for the half hour strike, on the hour strike the other pin will lift the lever arm much higher causing the rack to drop onto the hour snail and also "warning" the movement ( it spins up ready ) so when it comes to the hour it the lifts the rack one strike at a time......... hope that helps


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## Edb1984 (Jan 11, 2013)

harryblakes7 said:


> Nice clock and lovely job done on the case
> 
> The lifting pins and the warning arm are of different heights and is designed to only lift "by a nats pube" for the half hour strike, on the hour strike the other pin will lift the lever arm much higher causing the rack to drop onto the hour snail and also "warning" the movement ( it spins up ready ) so when it comes to the hour it the lifts the rack one strike at a time......... hope that helps


Thanks for the info!, i gathered that while i was watching it run, but hour marker lifted it literally a hairs breadth too low so it didn't drop the rack down to the cam that allows it to gage and strike the hour - so a small bend of the tip with needle nose pliers remedied the issue

Please bear with me until i read a few books, i have some books and broken clocks on the way from ebay so hopefully my knowledge and use of correct clock terminology will improve.


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## AVO (Nov 18, 2012)

Possibly a tad expensive but as you say it's a charity shop and it has cleaned up a treat. The dial looks to me as though it could be late 50s to early 60s but that's a guess.

I bought an Enfield, probably 1940s, for Â£30 last week. Working perfectly and I've been tweaking the adjusting screw - it's gained half a minute in the last 2 days.

I wouldn't mind having a go at a cheap old clock - a bit meatier to work with than watches, for which I know I'm just too ham-fisted!

Anyway - great job, well done!


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

Hi, have just loaded a small video on clock striking which should give you a few pointers, if you look at tinkerers corner it is on there,

All the best

Harry


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