BUNDY CLOCK
I have chosen to restore the Museum’s Bundy Clock, which this year has been erected adjacent to the Frankfurt tram. I felt perhaps that a few words on the project might be of interest to some members of BaMMOT.
Foremost, I became interested in clocks quite late in life; at that time a friend warned me that the horology was inclined to be infectious. This advice went unheeded and I was hooked. Since that time I have made two long case clocks, or grandfather clocks as they are more widely called. Both clocks were made entirely from raw materials, the only purchases being small wood screws and the gut lines on which the driving weights are suspended. This self styled apprenticeship, I feel, has given me the confidence and enough experience to do justice to the Museum’s Bundy Clock.
Initially, it was thought that the Bundy Clock was more or less complete, that is with the exception of the pendulum. It was therefore a disappointment to find that when the dial was removed the clock motion work had been sawn away to facilitate the fitting of a Quartz movement. The motion work being the twelve to one reduction gear fitted to the front of most clocks to operate the hour hand in relation to the minute hand. The Quartz movement case was also found to be cracked and beyond repair, the movement was therefore discarded.
One of the hinges on the clock housing was broken, this I removed and brazed together. The glass dial was also very badly scratched, possibly from the constant removal of graffiti during the clock’s past. This has been replaced and the hinge refitted. The mechanics inside the housing have also been removed and the inside cleaned and painted. A strong wire brush on my angle grinder got rid of much of the loose paintwork on the outside of the casing and Malcolm Keeley has since given the ironwork a much-needed protective coat of paint.
The restoration work on the clock movement is likely to be rather a long-term project; parts are not easily come by and will therefore have to be made. As a stopgap I decided to fit a new Quartz movement into the housing. This is a temporary measure just to keep the clock looking tidy. With the mechanical clock movement removed there was nothing to attach the dial holding the new Quartz movement to, so I have had to make some brackets to hold the dial in situ. My thoughts are that very cold temperatures seem to affect battery operated clocks out doors; therefore the Quartz movement has been enclosed in polystyrene. This appears to have had the desired affect and the clock has kept good time for the last two weeks.
Some parts have already been made for the Bundy Clock movement, but as I said earlier it is a drawn out project, I will therefore have keep members up to date as time goes on.
Dennis Herbert.
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
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