Expert: Martin Meyer - 6/14/2009

Question
I found this Phinney-Walker at a Goodwill store and it worked perfectly...until I got curious about how a wind up worked. I took the backing off and then the back plate, and all the pieces flew everywhere. Now I'm trying to put the thing back together and I have no clue what it was supposed to look like at the beginning. If you have any pictures or know a site that has pictures of the inner-workings of the clock, I would deeply appreciate it.

Answer
Hi Jamie,

Finding a cutaway or internal diagram of a travel alarm will probably prove very difficult, and one of this particular clock probably impossible. Travel alarms are not often repaired, because the repair cost almost always exceeds the value of the clock. Additionally, mechanical travel alarms have been almost entirely replaced by quartz/battery clocks.

Your best chance of finding any internal illustrations at all will probably be in clock repair books. A wide selection of these is available from clock supply houses like Timesavers (www.timesavers.com) or Merritts Antiques (www.merritts.com). You will also be able to find generic illustrations of the gear trains of clocks on the Net.

Bear in mind that what you want to do is not just a matter of putting the right parts in the right places, but is actually a full-scale clock overhaul. There are numerous operations and adjustments in addition to simply putting the gears in the right holes.

Finally, I would also suggest a slightly different approach: travel alarm clocks are extremely common at second-hand shops and garage sales, and all are quite similar in design. You could probably find another very inexpensive similar clock, and use that as a guide in assembling the original one.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com