Talk to me about grandfather clocks

[JesasaurusRex]

Anyone purchase a new one before? Would really like to get one and it not be some made in china junk. I assume a nice one will be pretty expensive but i don't even know where to begin looking. Little googling shows the amish make them, which kinda makes sense.

Any experience?

 

[berth]

I wish I could help. Whenever I see GF clocks today they all look like the same, generic movement in a big pretty box.

And all I can do is lament that we lost the GF clock that my GF had. With the Westminster brass gongs and the moon dial. This thing was pushing 7-8 feet tall, and had huge weights to drive it.

What few I've see of todays just remind me of all those other modern battery powered clocks that have a generic black clock movement in the back that takes a AA battery and uses a small dial to set it. Something you can buy at Michaels for $4.

That's just how I feel about the movements. They have these little metal chimes, etc.

In contrast to a weighted pendulum, 4 feet long that just leisurely swayed back and forth. Tick...Tock...

It also helped that my GF was a clock nut. He built several clocks out of wood, so while we never discussed it per se, I have no doubt that this was a high quality clock.

But we lost it after he passed, and my father moved away, and the house basically sat unattended and got looted.

It was a dominant force in the house with the gongs and persistent tick.

THAT's my standard for a GF clock, and what I've seen in mall stores and what not just don't match it.

 

[afm199]

Once upon a time my Dad had four in the house that he kept "synchronized" to all bong more or less at the same time, including half hour single bongs.

I think my mom said something about "divorce," as after about three months of that, three of them stopped bonging, and eventually, the fourth.

The tick tock bong bong is kinda fun for a while, then it gets old as fuck.

 

[Blankpage]

Yep that noise would bug the shit out of me before the day was over

 

[GAJ]

We have had a mantle clock since we moved here in 1984.

Turns out they need maintenance every 5 years or the mechanism will eat itself slowly and fail.

Easy enough to service but I assume the cost to have someone come and service a Grandfather clock would be prohibitive.

A good clock shop will have some nicely serviced used Grandfather Clocks so that's where I'd shop.

We picked up a replacement clock used for less than half of msrp.

 

[afm199]

Yep that noise would bug the shit out of me before the day was over

Pop liked it, but when I heard four clocks going off a few seconds apart at 12 AM and PM, it did little for my peace of mind.

 

[byke]

Why J-Rex wants a new one while being concerned with quality? Gets an old one! Hop on CL and spend at least a grand and you should be gtg.

 

[auntiebling]

The movement and chime usually have separate power mechanisms be they springs or weights. It is plenty easy to just not w oooh nd the chime if it becomes annoying.

I would also look for a used one. There is an enormous portion of the population that doesnt even know how to read an analog clock, so the demand for a huge pie e of furniture that also keeps time has to be dwindling.

The National Association of Watch and Clock collectors might have some leads for you

https://www.nawcc.org/

You might be better off finding someone that will service it for you before acquiring one. Whomever you find might know of someone wanting to sell.

 

[afm199]

The movement and chime usually have separate power mechanisms be they springs or weights. It is plenty easy to just not w oooh nd the chime if it becomes annoying.

I would also look for a used one. There is an enormous portion of the population that doesnt even know how to read an analog clock, so the demand for a huge pie e of furniture that also keeps time has to be dwindling.

The National Association of Watch and Clock collectors might have some leads for you

https://www.nawcc.org/

You might be better off finding someone that will service it for you before acquiring one. Whomever you find might know of someone wanting to sell.

Correct, there are usually two separate winders. However, the tick tock does not go away unless the clock stops, and the movement on the old GF clocks is pretty loud.

 

[JesasaurusRex]

Why J-Rex wants a new one while being concerned with quality? Gets an old one! Hop on CL and spend at least a grand and you should be gtg.

i figured people didn't really get rid of them, responses in this thread has me second guessing that :laughing
def will look into the used market :thumbup

 

[berth]

Yep that noise would bug the shit out of me before the day was over

You get used to it.

I didn't live at my GFs house, but even I barely noticed it once there. If you stopped and thought about, then, yea, you could hear the clock. But even the quarter hours chimes just came and went unnoticed. For example it never stopped conversation in the room.

Whenever I slept over, I certainly wasn't woken up at midnight as the clock ceaselessly gonged.

I'm sure the folks that live near Big Ben barely notice it either.

 

[flips21]

Up in the north bay, the number of people who can service the old clocks is going down dramatically with a minimum of one month wait. We had a mantle clock in for repair with one person who sat on it for 4 months and kept on telling us that he wanted to buy it from us. We took it away from him.

The service every 5 years or they will eat themselves up sounds a little extreme. The mantel clock has been serviced probably 10 times in 140 years max with large gaps between some of those services. It has had some wear and tear, but I wouldn't call it being eaten up.

Our grandfather clock came from my mother's estate. 30 years ago, the brothers would have all been trying to keep it. Two years ago, no one wanted it. They are going out of favor. You should be able to find a used one with real clockworks, not some battery powered quartz crystal controlled knock off. Post your desire on Craigslist and one is likely to come out of the woodwork.

Flip

 

[afm199]

One of my dad's clocks he bought in Germany in 1960. The weight in the pendulum was pounds of cast lead bullets.

 

[lizard]

Sub-goddamn-scribed!

I don’t know anything about GF clocks but I have always thought they are tits!

A friend’s father collected them and had about 8-10 throughout their house. So cool!

I would really recommend learning about them and then hunt down an original
or correctly restored GF clock. That sonofabitch will be an heirloom piece.

 

[lizard]

OP, once you get the GF clock you’ll have get a pocket watch hehe

 

[Agent Orange]

Planning to install a secret passageway in your house OP?

 

[westie]

Horror of my childhood. Went off every hour on the sailors hour. After my dad died and we didn't maintain it, it went off randomly for about another year of my fractured childhood. Yeah suck my clock Steven King.

 

[GAJ]

The service every 5 years or they will eat themselves up sounds a little extreme. The mantel clock has been serviced probably 10 times in 140 years max with large gaps between some of those services. It has had some wear and tear, but I wouldn't call it being eaten up.


Flip

That's what Clocksmith Cyrus off Route 12 in Santa Rosa told us about modern movements like Howard Miller which was our original clock bought in the early 80s and not serviced for 20 years; we took it to him at year 34 after a couple of other folks had their hands on it.

It still works as a clock, just that the chiming mechanism has deteriorated over time due to lack of service.

He had a nice clock in their that he had repaired but the owner refused to pay so we bought that one and it works great.

 

[Johndicezx9]

Grandfather clocks are cuckoo....

 

[Caddywumpus]

I don’t know anything about GF but I have always thought they are tits!

A friend’s father collected them and had about 8-10 throughout their house. So cool!
.

Fixed