Trying My Hand At A New Craft

   Several years ago, my brain suffered a "tock" when it should have "ticked".  Son and I were on the pier when I seemed to lose all ability to talk and even move.  His thoughts immediately turned to "Mom is having a stroke!"  Neither of us had our phones and he knew he could not leave me on the pier so he (somehow) managed to get me to the shore and up the hill to the Little Bayou House.  A trip to the ER and a brief hospital stay saw me hale and hardy again.  There were a few lingering problems that needed tending, however, so my kids kept after me.  Their therapy soon turned to "learn something new" which led to my current hobby of repairing antique clocks.  This was something that never crossed my mind before so it was definitely new territory!  Now, it has become almost a passion to seek out dilapidated clocks and restore them to their once regal state. 

  A few months ago, a "new" cuckoo clock was obtained and it met the broken standard to a T.  It was in shambles.  I was a bit intimidated, at first, but soon found myself tinkering with the mechanism.  That is always my beginning point.  Fix the inner workings then repair the housing.  Finally, the clock was ticking away and cuckooing halfway.  One bellows still needed to be repaired.  I started on the housing...the fun part!  Once the pieces were cleaned, hand-rubbed with polish and reattached, all seemed well...except...except that the pediment (top, decorative piece) was missing.  Simple!  I shall just buy a replacement!  Nope...none were to be found...anywhere.

  This brought me to my new craft!  Both of my sons prodded me to "make your own".  Well, I had never carved a thing before in my entire life but I decided to try.  Keep in mind that I have a very arthritic right hand (I am right-handed) and no fancy carving tools...still I was determined.  Armed with an Exacto knife and a rotary tool sander, I flipped through my stash of wood pieces.  None seemed to be even similar to the linden wood that the master woodcarvers used to create the original clocks.  Not to be daunted, I opted for some cedar simply because the color was similar.  Then...I carved.  

  This particular clock is supposed to have an owl seated among the leaves as a pediment.  I knew I could never replicate the detailed work of the master carvers, so I took a little creative leeway with my carving.  I still did four leaves, a cluster of grapes and an owl but they are vastly different that what should be on the clock.  My hand would often seize up and cause a delay and then would ache terribly at night but I refused to stop.  I WOULD carve something that resembled the original pediment...not copy...just resemble.  

  All in all, the attempt was not a dismal failure.  It is far from perfect but not terribly disappointing.  (I have, however, come to the realization that I shall never, ever become a master woodcarver!)  I learned a lot, found it interesting and created a pediment that worked.  Do I want to carve other pieces?  Maybe?  It could become a new hobby along with the myriad of other crafty doings.  I do need to give the hand a rest, however!  In the interim, I shall attempt to re-leather that silent bellows!  My cuckoo clock is coming along nicely and I am definitely learning.  (The only downside to all this clock repair is that I am running out of wall space to hang them!)

Back From the "Dead"?

   My interest in repairing antique clocks has taken on a new twist.  When I started as a sort of mental therapy to keep the brain "young", I chose key-wind clocks simply because of several inoperable old clocks that I loved due to family ties.  My kids prodded me to always learn so clocks were the "always learning tools".  The new twist came when Mark bought several broken cuckoo clocks.  Each of these were sold as "for parts only" or "nonrepairable".  I had no idea about the inner workings of a chain-driven clock so this was foreign territory but I was excited to give it a go.

  One of the clocks was in quite a state of disrepair.  The poor thing was missing parts of the facade, had no hands, the cuckoo (bird) was permanently stuck in the "in" position with the doors stuck closed, the bellows were torn and the chains were frozen to the point of absolutely no movement.  The entire housing was in need of refurbishing.  In short, the clock was in shambles and did, indeed, appear to be unrepairable. I was determined...and "keep learning something new" was rambling in the head.

 

  After weeks of tinkering with the mechanism, it was finally returned to working order!  The chains were actually installed backwards and were also off track.  Once those were set straight, the bellows were repaired which was a daunting task.  My fear was that I would glue the things together so they would never open!  New hands were installed and the whole wooden part of the clock received an overhaul.  Once a new header was purchased, the finish on the clock was done to match the new piece and the clock was complete!  My learning experience turned out a thing of beauty!  Since then, the other cuckoo clock has been repaired and the two birds chirp happily at their appointed times.  While the ticking, chiming and chirping of twenty-plus clocks in the living room would drive most folks mad, to me, it is euphonious.  Each tick is a reminder of a job well done and a symbol of the will to learn.  

The Learning Clock

  For over sixty years, a tiny carriage clock sat in the china cabinet being silent.  Nary a tick could be forced from the antique clock.  The little brass clock was "old" when Mom came to possess it (meaning we had no idea the age...just old).  Mom always wished it would be repaired but never had the money to pay a professional clocksmith to look at it.  Several kinfolks did attempt to get the clock working but to no avail.  The clock sat idle.  Occasionally, Mom would take the clock out of the cabinet, look at it longingly and, then, return it to the shelf.  

  Late in life, Mom gifted the little clock to me because, like her, I would keep the clock safe with hopes that it would eventually keep time.  Well, that was some 20 years ago and the clock was nothing more than a paperweight.  I was too intimidated to open it up and look at its innards.  Then, this clock repair craze hit me.  My kids were after me to "learn something new" to help the old brain stay active.  I was at a loss as to what to learn but I sure knew that math was out of the question!  "I want to learn clock repair!"  I had no idea where that came from but it spilled out of the mouth so here we are.  I am learning antique clock repair.  Over the past year, I have purchased over a dozen antique clocks that were in disrepair.  Most of these only needed cleaning and oiling which was a good way to start.  (Word of advice...never jump into a major thing...take baby steps.)  Now I was ready to attempt an actual repair job.  I eyed the little carriage clock.  I will be the first to admit that I was a tad nervous.  "What if I totally broke Mom's clock?"  Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

  Since the clock had been fiddled with by others, there were scratches and dents where scratches and dents did not need to be.  I opened the back and sat looking at the inner workings.  None of my other clocks looked like this.  So...big step into the unknown!  I tinkered!  It was then that I realized that the clock was not staying wound.  Ha!  That little doomaflatchy right there was the problem. (Yeah, I still do not know the name of the part.  Working on that.)  Since there was a screw holding the little thing in place, it should be a simple fix...only my screwdriver was too fat.  At that very moment, Son walked into the room.  Aha!  "Hey, I need a very, very flat screwdriver!"  He soon came back with a set and proceeded to loosen the screw for me.  (Arthritic hands need help now and again.) "So, it is loose.  What do you want me to do with it?"  I positioned the tiny part and told him to tighten the screw again.  

  After a good cleaning, oiling and winding, the clock is now in working order!  Why did the others not see that easy fix?  I have no idea but I am now one happy camper.  I am sure Mom is smiling at her little carriage clock.   Sometimes, it pays to hang onto things that are broken.   This one was a learning tool.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained...

   A sweet friend made mention of the adage "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." and I found it quite fitting for my day's activities.  After doing the morning chores, I settled in taking apart my newest acquisition.  This clock was a whole lot different than any of the other clocks I had repaired and I was a bit nervous about tackling the job.  Still, if I am to learn the repair and servicing of antique or any keywind clocks, I had to make the attempt.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained...kept going through my head.  Plus, this clock was purchased for only $15 so I would not be out too much if I totally ruined the mechanism.

  The first step was to get to the clockworks then I would see what was keeping it from working.  The clock's pendulum was not swinging continuously.  I jumped in with both feet, dismantled the clock, cleaned each piece then reassembled it.  The clock was oiled properly and the pendulum crutch was adjusted.  Success!  It was sure nice to hear that steady ticking!  

  Folks, sometimes we just have to jump right in to face challenges.  The things that scare us the most can often teach us volumes.  That first step begins the path to a broadened awareness.  Just go for it and keep thinking "Nothing ventured, nothing gained!"  

Still Learning...Its Good For The Brain!

  It is time to work the brain a bit!  Two of my grown kids keep after me to learn new things.  "You have to keep the brain active, Mom.  Don't let it stagnate or it will lead to other things."  Sorry, kids.  My brain is already there.  Still, I try hard to learn something new each day but some learning projects take longer than a single day.  Last year, I decided that I have a burning interest in antique, key-wind clocks.  My grandparents' clock sat idle on the mantel for years and years without ever a single tick so it was time to (ahem) "fix" that clock.  For the longest time, I sat and looked at the inner workings without ever touching a thing.  I wanted to see just where and how things were supposed to work.  Then, I started tinkering with the clock and after a couple of days...it worked!  My discovery was that it had been overwound and the pendulum arm had been bent.  Two minor repairs and the clock has been ticking away and chiming correctly since!  Success!  Then, the obsession grew!  More clocks were added to the collection.  Each had a small repair to be tended before it was happily ticking away.  This hobby is fulfilling to say the least.  I know that I will never be a professional clocksmith but the brain is challenged and that is a good thing.

  Today was a rainy day so to fill the time, I decided that another clock repair was in order.  This time, the clock worked but stopped occasionally and had to be restarted.  The springs were wound but the pendulum action would die out and the clock could not keep correct time.  I gingerly opened the little door on the back and peered inside.  Everything appeared to be in working order.  There were no broken springs, bent pendulum arms or even overwound springs.  There was, however, a good bit of goo on the inner workings.  It appeared that someone had decided to "oil" the clock with some type of spray lubricant.  Well, there was nothing to do but get to cleaning.  I am not yet comfortable with dismantling the entire clockworks so I did a "spot" clean.  Accessible parts were all gently cleaned of the bluish gunk and wiped with a lint-free cloth.  Suddenly, the clock started ticking without the pendulum even in place!  

  The plan is to let the clock fully "run down" before any further cleaning is attempted.  Afterward, the remaining goo will be removed, the clock oiled and the pendulum replaced.  Yet another addition to the ticking in the living room!  There are now ten working clocks with only one needing repair.  I shall wait for another rainy day to tackle that one.  Lesson of today's repair job...folks do not oil your antique clock with spray lubricant!  There are a number of oil sinks where the gear shafts sit in the clock plates (front and back).  ONE teeny, tiny droplet of oil in each sink does the job.  You do not want oil running everywhere AND make sure to use a quality clock oil...NOTHING ELSE! Ok...so I have you up-to-date on what I learned today.  The brain is working!

When The Sun Doesn't Come

  What happens when the sun doesn't come?  Of course, it rises in the east just as it does every morning but what happens when it doesn't come out to bring its warmth to the world?  Nope, this is not some deep, theoretical pondering nor is it some "end of the world" threat.  It is merely a question of what am I to do when the sun refuses to brighten the sky in the morning.  This morning was that morning just like so many other mornings of this summer.  This has to be the wettest summer on record for our area.   Truly...the number of rain-free days in the past month could have been counted on one hand and the number for the entire summer probably would not go far beyond counting on both hands.  Rain has been the rule for the entirety of the season.  It is a good thing I love rainy days and rainy nights!  But...what should I do with another rain-filled day.  There are only so many things one can find to do indoors when you are usually an outdoorsy type person.

  After Mr. PJ (the old dog) and I meandered about the hillside in the misting rain, a trip to the pier was in order.  With him back safely in his bed, my job was to clear the pier of any fishing gear and benches as we may be on the receiving end of a tropical storm this week. This chore was completed just as a torrential downpour started so, from that point onward, I was trapped indoors.  So...I clocked!

  My interest in repairing and otherwise restoring antique clocks is something I find fascinating but what do you do with numerous clocks?  Well, I will tell you!  You create a "clock wall"!  Years and years ago, a neighbor of ours took my oldest son into his garage to show him his clock collection.  Mr. Jone's collection fascinated me far more than it did my son.  The clocks were all set to chime one after another so it was a cacophony of chimes (but in a good sort of way.)  Mrs. Jones had insisted that the clocks did all of their tick-tocking out in the garage instead of the house but, to me, the sounds were almost magical. The memory of the clock wall brought smiles as my clocks were hung.  Tick-tock, tick-tock...ahh...sweet!

  Since I have yet to collect enough antique clocks, Son convinced me that it would be ok to include a few modern clocks on my wall.  As he was building shelves for the mantel clocks, I collected whatever timepieces I could find about the house.  There are still a few antique ones that have not been repaired so the newer ones will be replaced eventually.  A portrait of Edgar Allan Poe by Elizabeth and a purple raven sets the wall off nicely, if I do say so myself.

  So...when the sun refuses to come out and play and rain rules the day....do something fun.  Create a bit of whimsy and let the imagination free.  If anybody asks "Why?" merely turn the question on them and ask "Why not?" 

Project Time! My New Passion!

  I am not one that can sit back and not have several irons in the fire, so to speak.  My days usually see me jumping from project to project.  Right now, I am in the process of painting the beams in the living room, repotting the potted plants, ripping out old gardens, creating props for the Clue Hunt on the Bayou (in October) AND delving into my new found hobby...clock repair!  I have long despised these newfangled digital clocks and especially hate electric clocks (for obvious reasons...one burned our first house to the ground!)  The old style pendulum and spring wound clocks have fascinated me for years now so it is only natural that I want to own a few....or a few dozen!

  Years ago, Pop gave me a Black Forest cuckoo clock that ran by weights.  He had said that the clock was around a hundred years old at the time.  That aforementioned house fire took that beautiful clock along with everything else we owned.  I was devastated.  Then, I inherited a mantle clock from my grandparents.  Glee once again reigned!  I was elated until suddenly, the clock stopped, never to run again...until last month when I finally worked up the courage to tinker with the thing.  It has been ticking along nicely!  Mark was given a pendulum wall clock that created the intense interest in the clocks.  I NEEDED to learn clock repair!  

  Fast forward to this week and my new additions.  I found a lovely pendulum clock that some folks were wishing to sell.   It was a bit steep in price since there were definitely some issues with the clock that would need attention.  I refused to pay the full $75!  So, the owners decided to "give" me a second clock that was not in working order.  Yep!  That was much better!  Two clocks for that price was doable even if they needed work.  I wanted something to practice on while learning and these fit the bill perfectly.

  After tinkering with the clocks, they are both ticking away happily.  Neither would chime when I first got them but that was remedied by flipping the chime spring around in the proper position.  Both clocks had the chime springs installed backwards!  Which is odd since both clocks were seen by a professional clock repair person who told the owners that they could not be fixed!! The clocks both need a good cleaning and oiling but that is easy enough.  Now, all that is left, is a few cosmetic repairs on one of the cases and I have two beautiful clocks for my collection!  The search is on for a few more "broken" clocks for me to use as practice pieces.  Hopefully, this is something I can learn and I will soon be able to restore clocks fully.  It is a great feeling...to learn something new and to bring something old back to life!  

Well, Its About Time!!!

  I suppose I am close to being a hoarder but some things are just hard for me to toss in the trash.  Lately, (at the urging of many kind folks) I have been sorting and discarding a lot of stuff that crammed every nook and cranny of the Little Bayou House.  It was nigh on exploding!  My brother once told me "You house may float away during a hurricane but it will never blow away.  It is too heavy!"  Although that is an interesting thought, he is probably right.  Or..was right at that time.  Now, things are thinning but, like I said, it is hard for me to toss certain items.  Clocks.  I am not sure why I like clocks so much but I do.  Not modern clocks but the old spring wound type or the weighted type.  These newfangled things are not for me.

  My obsession with clocks is sort of ironic as I am not a time oriented person.  In fact, most of the timepieces in the house are not even set accurately.  Time, in a sense, is meaningless when you spend your days strictly on the Bayou and are not bound to other folks' schedules.  So, it is not the time-keeping that attracts me.  It is the ticking and chiming of old time clocks.  I find it soothing.  That said, since I am redoing the living room, my clocks will have a place of importance.  I figure if I am going to part with a lot of my treasures, a few can stay and be focal points.  A wall of clocks is in the works.  While this is agreeably not for everyone, it suits me perfectly even though some of those clocks have not worked in years.

  One such clock is a mantel clock that came from my grandparents' house.  This fine piece in its beautiful wooden case used to keep perfect time then, through some mishap, it refused to tick even one click.  It sat on the shelf in silence.  While I missed the sounds of the clock, I knew clock repair was an expensive undertaking and I had better ways to spend the money.  Raising kids is not cheap!  Along the way, the clock was forgotten but with the inception of the wall of clocks, I, once again, thought of clock repair.  With the kids all successfully on their own, I delved into finding a reputable service.  None local were recommended.  So, I took a look at the timepiece and thought "I might as well try!"  Pop did not raise us to be afraid of trying new things.  Intimidation by a task is unheard of in our family. 

  I took the clock down from the mantel and opened the back.  Yep, there sure were a lot of gears in there...along with a bazillion other pieces.  Hmmm?  Flashlight in hand, I examined the inner workings of the clock.  I had no clue where to begin...except one piece looked a bit bent.  The pendulum swing bar was askew.  Well, there is a good place to start!  A few tools, a bright light and steady hand was all that was needed to mend that and the chime mechanism.  Then on to those gears!  

  For the past five hours, the old clock has been steadily ticking and the chime sounds amazing as it echoes on the hour and half hour!  The pendulum is swinging a bit fast but that will be adjusted tomorrow.  In the meantime, my confidence has been boosted enough to search for clock parts to start repairing two more non-working timepieces.  One will have to be gutted and rebuilt from the get go as it went through Hurricane Katrina and the inner workings are utterly destroyed.  The other needs small pine cone weights.  Hopefully, I will have the patience and knowledge to handle this meticulous work but, with one ticking happily after years of silence, I am encouraged!