My DIY Clock Repair

I repaired my first clock about five years ago when a friend showed me a clock that she was taking to  the local thrift store because it didn't work anymore.  I asked if I could have it and she gladly handed it over to me with a "good luck" comment.

I took the clock home, replaced the clock mechanism and wah-lah!  That clock has been hanging in my living room ever since. I also started picking up broken clocks just to see if I could repair them.  Sometimes they went back into the garbage, but more times than not I have been successful.

Clock repair is not as hard as you may think. Most of the time the clock or watch just needs minor adjustments, cleaning and a good lubrication. In my experience, 95 percent of the time the clock needs simple repairs and cleaning.

It have found that the battery run timepieces tend to get corrosion inside the battery case, springs, and battery contacts.  I use household vinegar to clean the battery contacts and springs.  If the whole case is ruined, simply replace the battery case and re-wire.  I purchase the battery cases from Radio Shack and they come with the contact wires attached.

This is the clock that I "rescued" from going to the thrift store.  I replaced the clock mechanism to a quite mechanism so that you can't hear the "ticking" and put new hands on the face.

Here are two more clocks waiting to be repaired.  One needs a new battery case and the other one needs a new clock mechanism.  The one on the right plays music continuously instead of on the hour so I will have look at the switch on that one.

With this beauty I only replaced the clock mechanism.

I would like to build a clock from scratch in the near future.  When I get started on that project, I will post my progress. I am having fun with this new hobby!