Conservation, Restoration and Repair

Terminology:

  1. Conservation is the preservation and stabilization of an artifact in its existing state.
  2. Restoration is the reinstatement of an artifact to its conjectured former state and function.
  3. Repair is the mending or putting into functional order of an artifact.

The Historic Preservationist provides clock repair, restoration and conservation on American, British and French clocks and timepieces.  We service clocks made from 1650 through the 1970’s.  In addition, we offer metallurgical services (recreating the original surface patina of when originally produced); this includes the restoration of brass and silvered clock dials.  Restoration is offered for pocket watches from the mid-17th to the mid-18th century only; these are considered antiquity, requiring any missing parts to be fabricated.  House calls are available for tall case clocks, and onsite work for monumental clocks and tower clocks that cannot be moved.  Our studio is the only one in the country that provides one-stop service for both the mechanism and case restoration.   We provide relocation of clocks, which could involve crating and/or blanket wrapping for the move, as well as set up at the new location.

Gregg Perry, The Historic Preservationist, presents horological conservation and restoration as part of the Winterthur Clock Symposium hosted at the NAWCC in Columbia, PA.

Wall Clocks

Wall Clocks cover timepieces from modern age of 19th century Connecticut, and includes regulators, schoolhouse and Vienna regulators.  This would include British tavern clocks from the 18th century and French cartel clocks.

Tall Case Clocks

Restoration is available on tall case clocks with brass and painted dials, either 30 hour or 8-day, time and strike from the late 17th century through the 1840s; and this would include all possible case restorations: solid wood, missing carvings, film finish, gilding, veneer, marquetry, urushi lacquer / chinoiserie to general regluing.

Contemporary Tall Case Clocks

Servicing of all late 20th century grandfather clocks such as Howard Miller, Sligh, Daneker, etc.  Includes servicing movements and replacing worn parts.

Tower Clocks

Offering total overhauls on tower clocks, machine shop services; on-call maintenance service programs are available.

Novelty Clocks

Novelty clock repairs include (but are not limited to) carriage clocks, cuckoo clocks, crystal regulators and electric powered clocks.

Mantle and Bracket Clocks

Mantle clocks includes servicing time and strike British bracket clocks from the late 17th century (foliot escapement to double fusee models from George III).  In addition, modern 20th century so-called bracket or mantel clocks are also included.