NFS (yet) - Antique Oak Eight-Day Clock

Case is almost done and the repaired movement installed

When I bought this clock from the Fort Myer's VA thrift shop several months ago, I received an above normal amount of resistance from my wife.   I don't think she was overly concerned over the price or that it was just a bunch of pieces in a box and that I couldn't get it working again.  At the time, I had a dozen or so ongoing projects and I'm guessing she was thinking it would be in the box a long time.  She also may have been concerned about setting a precedence (I've restored 23 antique sewing machines) and that I'd start filling our home with clocks.

Restoring the case was fairly easy.  All the pieces were there and repairs to the broken ones turned out well.  I'll probably go back later and put some more work into the brass encasement holding the glass cover.  I'm still looking for appropriate hardware to replace the two small modern bolts I added to hold the two ends of the band together.

Fixing the movement was challenging and took quite a bit more time.  Before starting to take it apart, I identified the maker first (Ingraham) to see if I could get parts (or in the worst case a replacement). When I found the exact same movement for $30 on eBay, I lost all apprehension about taking apart the one I already had.  Over the years, I've learned to be methodical when taking apart mechanical items.  Taking notes and pictures, labeling items, and keeping everything together (plastic baggies in this case) makes getting everything put back together much easier.

Fixing the chimes was simple.  Straightening a bent piece so that the strike hit the chime correctly was all that was required.  The only problem with the movement was a gear that'd slightly bent and bound with another.  It actually took me considerably longer to put it back together than to repair it.  I'd gotten up early on a Saturday morning to work on it and finished before my wife got up.  Feeling good about myself, I brought a cup of coffee upstairs to my wife who was still in bed.  "Here's a cup of coffee sweetheart, and by the way the clock is repaired :)"

The clock now occupies a prominent place at the bottom of the stairs near the front door.  I've gotten attached to hearing the hourly chime and can sometimes hear it ticking on a quiet night.  I've used to routinely winding it every Sunday morning and after constant tinkering with the pendulum length it is only gaining less than a minute a week.

I believe my sweetheart's original apprehension was justified.  Broken clock number 2 is now sitting on a shelf in our living room.  I haven't taken it apart yet, but I'm relatively certain the spring is broken or has just come unattached.  When I keep the pendulum moving it keeps time.