Internet Horology Club 185
HELP DATING THIS SETH THOMAS MOVEMENT?? pre 1900? Anglo American?

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May 18, 2015, 02:44
Roddy J. Brunton
HELP DATING THIS SETH THOMAS MOVEMENT?? pre 1900? Anglo American?
CAN ANYONE TELL ME ANY INFO ON THIS ST MOVEMENT & WHEN IT WAS MADE?
YES IT IS DIRTY, I HAVEN'T TAKEN IT OUT OF THE CASE YET.




Roddy JB
May 18, 2015, 21:19
Roddy J. Brunton
I think it is a pre 1900, Anglo American, trying to work out how much before 1900. It came from England.
There is no glass in it.




Roddy JB
May 19, 2015, 01:35
David E. Booth, Jr.
Looks like a standard Seth Thomas No 41 movement. They were made in two configurations; one used a drop pendulum like yours, and the other was configured slightly differently, to move the pendulum up behind the dial, for a round case. Here are photos of both types:

"Dirty #41"

May 19, 2015, 01:39
David E. Booth, Jr.
Here's the no 41 movement out of my Great Grandfather's store clock. I am not certain, but I believe he bought it in about 1924, when they moved the drug store from Govans to Catonsville.


May 19, 2015, 01:43
David E. Booth, Jr.
Here's he clock the second movement lives in. (The first one is a movement I bought at a yard sale for fifty cents)

The dial in this clock is 12" diameter. (And yes, I know that I am supposed to cut the pin to length, but I left it long on purpose, since it is my own clock. It is easier to extract and reinstall if left full length.)


May 19, 2015, 01:51
David E. Booth, Jr.
Forgot to mention: The difference between the two movements is the tooth count on the escape wheel, the location of the suspension spring mount, and of course the bend in the pendulum rod to clear the hour pipe.

After I cleaned up the first (long drop) movemet)I discovered it was much less finicky about staying in beat, or running even if a little bit out of beat. When the short drop pendulum is even slightly out of beat, the clock stops.

The suspension spring in your clock looks a little worse for wear. Were I you, I'd take it off, and tape it inside the clock case, and make a replacement suspension rod from a bicycle spoke.
May 19, 2015, 09:34
Dave Turner
quote:
and make a replacement suspension rod from a bicycle spoke.



Pretty ingenious David, I'd never thought of that!


Dave Turner
May 19, 2015, 14:05
John Willis
Hi: I think your clock was assembled in UK. Seth Thomas shipped the movement to UK where they were put in UK made cases. They were often mahogony. I think yours is typical of those, probably 1890's I think. Looks like a great dial. I have one very similar but your dial is better.
May 19, 2015, 21:33
David E. Booth, Jr.
Dave, there's a thread either in this forum or in the general clocks one in which I describe making a suspension rod from a bicycle spoke.
The only real trick is tempering the spring, but since spokes are inexpensive, making two or three to get the hang of it isn't a terribly expensive or time-consuming job.

Incidentally, because bicycle spokes are high carbon steel, they make handy, inexpensive material for making pivots, screwdrivers and gravers, too. Just be careful to tell the bike shop that you do not want oval spokes or stainless steel ones. (I buy used and bent ones from my local bike shop. They are happy to get money for them, and a couple dollars worth of spokes lasts a long time.)

Here is a photo of one I was in the process of making to replace one on a Hamburg-American Movement. I don't have any photos of the finished product, except one taken of the complete movement hanging on my test stand.

The other end was flattened and cross-pinned to take the pendulum bob and rating assembly.


August 24, 2015, 23:18
David E. Booth, Jr.
The other end.


August 24, 2015, 23:19
David E. Booth, Jr.
The completed movement, hanging on the test stand.