My grandad's clock

[Huge]

I have recently inherited my grandad's retirement clock. (Well, strictly, it's my wife's grandad's clock, but that's not material). It dates from

1950 and hasn't been cleaned for some time - likely decades. It's a dark wood mantel clock, with 3 winders, and chimes the quarters. It has a Westminster chime, which works fine and it keeps quite good time.

However, the case is vile, with decades of dirt. The wood seems to be unfinished and the dirt ingrained. Can anyone suggest (i) how I should clean it & (ii) how I should finish it once it's clean? I was thinking of a decent wax furniture polish.

The insides are just very dusty/cobwebby, so I was going to carefully blow out the crap with an air duster and otherwise leave them alone.

[fred]

I would not be inclined to blast air around the inside of the case. You'll do more harm than good. A small vacuum could be used. Traditionally, and I cannot vouch for this, a saucer of paraffin oil was left inside the case fo r a short period of time as a means of oiling the movement (The evaporating fumes allegdly did the job) Clean the case well with a proprietory cleaner on a damp cloth. Unless it never had a finish on it you will eventually get it clean.

If it was never finished then the dirt may be ingrained at which stage a li ght sanding might be in order.

Dont put wax on bare wood. You could buy a spray can of clear lacquer from one of the sheds and have a go with that but be sure and mask off the movem ent and the face.

After one or two coats of that a light rub with 0000 wirewool dipped in wax and then polished should give a nice finish.

[Dave Liquorice]

That was my thought as well, gawd knows where the dust will end up. Small soft paint brush (as in picture painting not skirting) to left the dust off, twizzle up the spiders webs, maybe with the aid of a low power vacuum.

Why not? Some of our locally made Ash furniture is wax on wood. Briwax mind not some supermarket furniture wax. It's a matt finish but I don't like gloss finishes on wood.

[larkim]

I thought the post was going to start:- "... was too tall for the shelf, so it stood ninety years on the floor"

And then ask about techniques for cutting down a clock and / or building a new shelf.

[fred]

l do more harm than good. A small vacuum could be used. Traditionally, and I cannot vouch for this, a saucer of paraffin oil was left inside the case for a short period of time as a means of oiling the movement (The evaporati ng fumes allegdly did the job)

t never had a finish on it you will eventually get it clean.

light sanding might be in order.

m one of the sheds and have a go with that but be sure and mask off the mov ement and

ax and then polished should give a nice finish.

[fred]

IME putting wax on to bare wood is a recipe for disaster. Wax on its own ha s very little protective properties. (No you are not feeding the wood, The wood is dead. More old wives tales are told about traditional hand waxed fi nishes. In ye old days they didn't have modern varnishes and lacquers so ha d to make do with what they had. No magic involved. All advertisers hype.

Commercial waxed finishes would normally have a sanding sealer (at least0 a pplied to the surface before applying the wax

[Jonathan]

to clean it make up a mix in equal quantities of:

Meths Vinegar Boiled linseed oil Turps

Apply with a very fine wire wool and wipe off the dirt with a rag.

To re-polish bare wood heat up Furniture polish with 30-40% boiled linseed oil and apply with a rag. This should soak into the wood and can be polished up 20 minutes later. This won't work if it already has a finish. The cleaning mix works on finished wood.

Jonathan

[Huge]

Thanks!

[John Rumm]

Wax over a coat of shellac would be ok though...

[Jonathan]

I never wax polished surfaces. I think it forms a sticky layer that collects dirt. I cannot persuade my wife of this though.

Jonathan

[Andy Champ]

I've got a number of items that are waxed wood. The varnish never flakes off (as there isn't any) you just have to be careful with wet cups and hot items. If you aren't careful a few minutes gentle hairdrying melts the mark away.

I use Colron finishing wax. Seems to work for me. And the instructions suggest using it on bare wood is fine...

Andy

[Tim Lamb]

In message , Huge writes

Known as *Plenderliths compound* here but I don't know why:-)

[sintv]

A friend took my dads small chiming clock to get repaired. It was a couple of years later when it stopped again I found that the innards had been replaced with a battery mechanism

[Graham.]

years later when it stopped again I found that the innards had been replaced with a battery mechanism

You're winding us up.

[S Viemeister]

years later when it stopped again I found that the innards had been replaced with a battery mechanism

Certainly can't have been winding the clock...

[robgraham]

If you don't want to make it, there is this which quite possibly is the same.

I posted a query in the general forum of UKWorkshop and got a photo and a favourable response for this mixture, so it looks as if it a go- with-it recommendation.

Rob

[Mr Pounder]

I have a 50 year old cuckoo clock. I made it work by blasting everything inside with WD40.

[Andy Dingley]

Ah, the salad dressing mix. Remember that this needs real turpentine, not any sort of white spirit.

Also it does build up over time and is a right sod to clean off afterwards. So it's OK for '30s clocks, but don't use it regularly and don't use it over fine mouldings.

[Huge]

Thanks. I'd guessed that. Given that meths is very stinky and has blue dye in it, I was wondering about that as well.

Oh, I was only going to use it once to clean the decades of ingrained muck off the case. It'll get dusted now.

[Sam Plusnet]

It's his wife's grandfather's clock, it's an important family heirloom.

And it's still younger than me D@mmit!