Hi Greg: My own opinion,judging from the quality of that soldering job as posted in your pictures I would say that it was done by someone with a great deal of soldering experience,very clean and neat.Looks factory to me.In my own humble opinion most clocksmiths although competant at soldering would have a tough time achieving that level of application.There again this is just my own opinion. Your Friend,Bob Fullerton
Posts: 181 | Location: New Castle, Delaware U.S.A. | Registered: December 15, 2004
I have seen this bushing style in steel plated clocks. Not soldered but machine swedged in place. Must have been a brass shortage at the time it was made as this has to be a more expensive manufacturing method.
Just did a waterbury with steel plates and this style brass bushings. Still required 3 replacement bushes. If there were no brass bushes, it probably would not have survived this long because someone would have said it cost too much to re-bush the whole clock (steel on steel would only make maybe 15 or 20 years even under ideal lubrication).
J. Bruce is correct,and if you look close at your plates you will find they are actually steel,I have one of these in for a customer right now.What an ugly mess they did on the one I am working on,if I didn't know it was factory I would be disappointed with the previous repairman.The plates seem all warped from the process, at least on mine.Really don't even want to put my name on this one in fear of someone thinking I did that mess later down the road.Movement is from the same era as yours,came out of a kitchen clock.Just my opinion,Tin