Gentelmen: I have a nice not too old Hershede floor, hall, or grandfather clock My question is how do I care for the wood and brass both on the outside and inside???? Thanks for any help...

James R. Hurst

Jim,

If this is as you say "not too old" any good furniture oil like "Old English" or even their Scratch Cover would suffice and keep it looking good for many years to come. After all the case is fine furniture and deserves to be treated as such. As with any good wood, you'll want to avoid anything abrasive, is water-based, that dries the wood, and steer clear of silicone-based spray cleaners.

For the brass trim on the outside, just keep it clean, a good glass cleaner on a clean cloth removes your skin oils which can attack the brass. In my opinion, the more careful you are in preservation the better. Don't laugh, but some diligent owners obsess over care and cleanliness to the point of wearing soft cotton gloves when opening doors and winding their clocks.

On the inside, keep it clean and dust-free. The weights and pendulum can also be carefully cleaned wth a good glass cleaner on a soft, lint-free cloth. These clocks do require periodic cleaning, oiling and adjustment of the movement. Synthetic lubricants are the best, and they hold wear to a minimum. Every two years you'd be wise to have the clock professionally attended to. As a warning sign of much-needed service the chiming rate will slow, and the clock may even seem to run a little faster just before it finally stops. Don't wait until that happens.

It is my personal practice to wind our 8-day clocks mid-week and Sunday. This twice a week habit is especially important for spring-driven movements, and will keep a weight-driven clock from running down should you forget occasionally. Always wind slowly and never force, stop winding as meet resistance.

Locate your clock away from heat or air conditioning vents. Keep it away from any extremes, heat, cold, direct sunlight all are highly detrimental. Be certain it is sitting perfectly level, carefully shim it if need be. Don't move it any more than you must.

I personally like a tall-case clock placed in a corner where it has maximum ease of viewing, there it essentially "commands" the room as well as a great deal of attention!

You're dealing with a family heirloom, whether it be from the past, the present or especially if you're making memories for the future. By all means enjoy it, lavish care upon it and show it with great pride.



Lindell V. Riddle, Interim President
NAWCC Internet Horology Chapter

NAWCC Life Member# 253-150074
Member of Chapters 10, 28, 37 and 174
Proud Charter Member# 003 of the NAWCC-IHC

nawcc-ihc@adelphia.net

Phone: (440) 461-0167

Lindell, 

I can't tell  you how happy I am that you took the time to answer my question.    Thanks so much  

I plan on giving the clock to my son in Georgia soon. He was here over Christmas and we talked about getting the clock there from our home in Texas.

I would like to do this while I'm still alive to know that it has been set up correctly and cared for properly.     

I would like to put together  some material about the clock, How and why I came to buy such a thing.  I was not making very much and I went home and told my wife Ann I had just paid  $5,000 for a clock!!!    She said..."just how do you plan to pay for it?"    Today, she has come to love the clock just as I do.  

The clock was advertised in the Smithsonian Magazine for $7,900 The store where I bought it had a tag of $6,500 I paid five thousand and thought I had a bargain.   Well it doesn't sound like so much now, we have had it since 1978. 

It is time for my son, the next owner to begin to look after it for a few years. I would like to see it go always to a Hurst, but that may not always be possible.

I would like to put together  some information about the care and feeding off a fine old clock.  To try to make things go a little smoother with my wife in 1978, I said if my grandfather had bought a good clock I would not of had to, but he didn't so I had to! That somehow made my wife feel a little better.  

I printed your fine information, and plan on putting it in an envelope that I hope will stay with the clock for a long time. 

If you are interested my clock is just called "The Clock". It's a Hershede model 250, they built them from 1938 to about 1983.   

Nine tubes, three weights, three chimes and strikes the hour.  In this little house we live in now it is too much clock. My son Jim has a nice home and it should be there for a long time.  

Thanks again Lindell,

James R. Hurst

.

It is great to see your are passing information along with the clock. So many times people who inherit items of value have little or no information about those items.
In my opinion, a clock or watch is a great item to pass on down the family line.

Be sure the clock is properly readied for shipping. The obvious removal of weights and pendulum. Keep careful track of the weights, they are not all the same. The heaviest goes on the chime train. Some weight cases are marked on the bottom with a "R" or "L". If it has chains supporting the weights, then be sure the chains are secured. Take a twist tie and connect the two sides of the chain so it can't slip off the barrel. The remainder of the chain can be put in a zip lock bag and with a twist tie secured as close as possible to the seat board.

If it is cable wound, then a block of styrofoam between the pulley and the seat board can be secured by winding the cable until snug.

If it has chime rods they need to be secured. A thin piece of styrofoam pushed up from the bottom of the rods will do a good job holding them. Cardboard can also be used.

The hammers also need to be secured so they don't bounce around during transport.

Some models have a lockdown for the pendulum crutch. A piece of tape will work also.

I'm sure your son will enjoy and treasure the clock.

Have a happy new year!!

NAWCC #41293
Internet Horology Chapter #104
Interim Exec. V.P. of IHC

Tom,
Without having to take my clocks down off the wall, the chime chain is what, Left or Right?

Are pine cone weights marked?

Mike, The norm is that as you face the clock, the chime train is on the right, the strike train on the left and the time train in the center.

Pine cone weights I associate with cuckoo clocks. They have their own rules. The location of the trains is usually reversed from pattern described above. I have not seen pine cone weights marked. That doesn't mean that none are.

NAWCC #41293
Internet Horology Chapter #104
Interim Exec. V.P. of IHC