Clocks, Watches/suspension spring

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Expert: - 11/21/2009


Question
Hi John! Im from the Philippines... in Butuan City to be exact.
The suspension spring of my pearl grandfathers clock broke recently during a magnitude 6 earthquake we had here. Do you sell spares or know where I can get a few. Thanks. Here's the details of my clock(I copied everything from the back):

81
Pearl Grandfathers Clock
Memphis, Tenn.
No(0)Jewels
unadjusted
made in West Germany
451-050H
114cm
60.JC

Thanks a lot... Hope to hear from you soon.
Terence

Answer
Terrance, I certainly hope not to much damage or injury was caused by the earthquake.  Thanks for the good information you supplied on the movement.  I will suggest some suppliers in the U.S., but if you cannot obtain any from them I will be glad to sell you some.  The suppliers are Hermle Black Forest Clocks, Black Forest Imports and Timesavers, all of which can be found by Googling their names.  

The Hermle movements did have some revision changes over the years and there were a couple of different suspension springs used.  For reference on your model and year, I have a Hermle listing of the suspension springs for 1983 and prior as being the 21-6/B.  The Black Forest Imports number is HS0062, and the Timesavers number is 20802.

To verify, can you send me a clear photo of the two broken pieces together and the measurements of the overall piece.  It should be 5/16" (8mm) X 11/16" (17.5mm) and 1/2" (12.5mm) between the pin and hole.

If you have trouble getting shipments from these suppliers, contact me at my shop email address below and I will see what I can do.

John Newman
THE VILLAGE CLOCKSMITH
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama
klokdok@juno.com

(Due to the number of Allexperts questions and
the workload I have at my clock shop, I regret
that I cannot answer personal email questions on a timely basis
other than Allexperts follow ups.)  

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John Newman

Expertise

As much as I would like to offer values of clocks, I am not a certified appraiser and will not venture into giving an unresearched guess. There is very little published information on what I consider to be the value of "modern production clocks". Considerations are what the clock originally sold for, the condition of the case and movement, and particularly the area in which you live, the demand and the economy. ALSO, WATCHES ARE NOT MY FIELD. However, I can advise the clock owner on proper maintenance of a clock to keep it running, small corrections and adjustments and how to move a clock without damaging it. I can also advise on obtaining parts for clocks. It helps if you can send any information on the clock movement which is usually found on the back plate of the movement. I have been a clockmaker for about 35 years and was plant engineer in the mid 90's and later operations and engineering consultant at Emperor Clock Company in Fairhope, Alabama. I now have my own clock shop.

Experience

One of my greatest accomplishments was traveling to China to assist a clock factory in building clocks to the standards which we required. With the proper specifications and quality control, some beautiful clock cases were built. The factory people from the wood carvers to the plant manager were very congenial, friendly and I left a lot of wonderful friends when I returned from my trips.

Organizations
Chamber of Commerce Small Business Committee

Publications
Horological Times, a publication of the American Watch and Clockmakers Instute. Collaberated column author, with Photos and ideas for clock movement conversion article.

Education/Credentials
Associate of Science Mechanical Engineering Technology Emperor Introductory Clock Repair (Eventually taught a portion of the class after becoming employee)

Awards and Honors
Small Business of the Quarter (Prattville, Alabama) Leadership Class of 2009 (Autauga County, Alabama)

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