Phinney Wlaker Broadway Model Clock 1923 Buick

[Simnut]

Good evening y'all!

 

  Anyone had experiences with the clock mentioned in the title?  I've taken the three screws out and have taken the outer casing off and it looks pretty dang clean inside.  Now....would the proper oil loosen it up a bit?  The main spring works and I can wind it up and release the tension.  It's all brass inside and I don't wanna make too much of a mess of it myself LOL

 

  Any advice my knowledgeable fellow "Buickers"?

[capngrog]

I'm not familiar with that particular time piece; however, it appears to be more of a 'watch' than a 'clock'.  There is a big difference when it comes to maintenance and repair, and I would strongly suggest that you take it to a reputable clock/watch repair shop for service.  From your description of the condition of the time piece, it is in need of a professional cleaning.  Oiling it would probably do more harm than good.  Whatever you choose to do, I'd strongly suggest that you seek out an "expert" to assess the condition of your time piece.  From your description and the photo, it looks like you have a real 'jewel' there.  Let us know what you decide to do.

 

Cheers,

Grog

[Simnut]

3 minutes ago, capngrog said:

I'm not familiar with that particular time piece; however, it appears to be more of a 'watch' than a 'clock'.  There is a big difference when it comes to maintenance and repair, and I would strongly suggest that you take it to a reputable clock/watch repair shop for service.  From your description of the condition of the time piece, it is in need of a professional cleaning.  Oiling it would probably do more harm than good.  Whatever you choose to do, I'd strongly suggest that you seek out an "expert" to assess the condition of your time piece.  From your description and the photo, it looks like you have a real 'jewel' there.  Let us know what you decide to do.

 

Cheers,

Grog

 

Well, the size is about 2.5 - 3" in diameter and a good 3" deep.  It's wound and set by the rim.  All brass inside so nothing to really go bad , so to speak.  I will take your suggestion and take it to a proper clock repair person.  Thanks Grog!

[Spinneyhill]

Grog is correct. Clock oil dries out over time. The steel pivots run in holes in the brass plates. As they wear and as the oil dries out, they make grindings of brass and steel. Those grindings must be cleaned out before new oil is put in or you just make grinding paste. The usual way to do this by hand is with peg wood = wooden pegs, like tooth picks. If the pivots are rough, they are often burnished. Any worn pivot holes are bushed. These days, dirty parts are often cleaned using an ultrasound bath.

 

When one oils a clock, one uses a fine point to put one drop of oil at a time in the reservoir around the pivot hole. I use the eye of a needle. If you put too much oil in, it runs down the plate, pulling all the oil out of the pivot hole by surface tension. There will be insufficient lubrication.

 

Ask around the clock and watch shops to find a good, qualified clock maker and repairer. What is the professional association for clock makers in the USA? In this country and in UK, one can only join those organisations as a member if one is appropriately qualified.

[C Carl]

Glad you are taking 'grogs advice. I have had my '20s Cadillac 8 day clocks professionaliy examined, cleaned and lubed. It was rather inexpensive, and can prevent damage, as 'grog says. Yours will come back with acceptable accuracy. However, by regulating and logging your cleaned clock yourself,  you may  even  be able to get the thing within a minute a week or so. Overshooting, undershooting, getting closer over ever longer periods takes some time, but very little effort. Log it in a vertical position. I have not seen a difference as I change it from vertical to on its back. Refrigerated,  neither. But I don't know about yours. Let us know how accurate It is  if you do decide to play with it.   -  Carl 

[C Carl]

I see my posting crossed that of our great friend Spinneyhill who really does know more about more things, certainly than I do. Spinney, do you know how accurate these not particularly bejeweled old clocks can be ? When I get to a minute a week, I consider myself quite lucky. It seems impossible to regulate even to this level other than by splitting hairs, over and undershooting, and finally good fortune dictates you stand pat.  -   Carl 

[Curti]

I have a similar Phinney Walker rim wind clock in my 31 Auburn.  I have a good friend that can make them go tick-tock.  If you want his phone number, PM me. 

Bob Spillers

13727 Greenway Drive Sugar Land, TX 77498

clocks

bobspil@comcast.net

[capngrog]

As C Carl pointed out in his Post #5 above, it can be great fun fooling around with and old time piece to adjust it to its best accuracy.  As I said before, I'm not familiar with the Phinney Walker car clocks; however, the automobile environment (large temperature ranges, motion, shock etc.) is not conducive to great accuracy in any escapement-controlled time piece, regardless of the quality of the time piece itself.  You may be able to adjust it to a decent degree of accuracy in a static, temperature-controlled environment, but don't expect the same accuracy once installed in the dashboard of an automobile (or truck etc.).

 

Back in the day before GPS, we had Loran, but even Loran coverage could be spotty in certain areas of the world; consequently, some degree of expertise in celestial navigation was required when at sea.  To establish one's longitude required an accurate time piece (chronometer) which was mounted in its own gimbaled case and accessible only to a very few select crew members.  These chronometers were wound the same amount every day at the same time, and attempts were made to keep them in a friendly environment.  The best one could hope for from these coddled time pieces was a consistent "rate" of error that could be predicted.    Having said that, if one had the luxury of an excellent short wave receiver, one could get a "time hack" from WWV (Fort Collins, Colorado) and establish longitude with merely a decent stop watch.  At least that's my recollection of the process that I was involved with 40+ years ago.

 

I apologize for rambling on here.  The point I had hoped to make is that even the finest mechanical time pieces, when subjected to a harsh/inconsistent environment, are subject to error to varying degrees.

 

Cheers,

Grog

[Simnut]

I can fully understand that.  My first goal is to have the clock running.  Accuracy will be the next goal......but if unattainable, hey....the clock works!

[ron hausmann]

All - Pheeny Walker made dozens of different sized “rim-wind-clocks” including their popular Broadway model in this post. But they do, as previous posts suggest, get old and in need of TLC. I tried fiddling with my 1918 car which had a PW Broadway as standard but ended up having it serviced by a professional clock guy for small dollars. 

Btw, Pheey Walker rims are made of pot-metal which can easily break. So be careful when removing!

ron