Florenz Kroeber Clock Repair

[@BradfordNeedham]

An index for this video: 0:00 - 1:39 Reading the case label. History of Florenz Kroeber. 1:39 - 2:52 Examining the grease on the movement. Identifying the movement. 2:52 - 5:17 Removing the movement from the back board. 5:17 - 10:19 Letting down the mainsprings. Disassembly. 10:19 - 13:57 Removing the mainsprings from their arbors. Examining the mainsprings. 13:57 - 18:35 Hand-cleaning the parts. 18:35 - 20:10 Checking pivot hole wear on the cleaned parts. 20:10 - 22:30 Identifying the movement. Measuring the pivots' diameters. 22:30 - 24:17 Polishing the pivots before re-measuring the pivots' diameters. 24:17 - 28:28 Reaming bushing holes with a hand drill. Chamfering the holes. Installing and broaching the bushings. 28:28 - 30:37 Testing the new bushing. 30:37 - 33:06 Clamping the cleaned and lubed mainsprings. 33:06 - 35:19 Pegging (cleaning out) the holes. Wiping the plates. 35:19 - 45:06 Assembling the movement. 45:06 - 45:59 The repaired clock.

[@timesfun79]

Thank you for sharing your work. I really enjoy watching your videos. I've recently discovered that I quite like cleaning and fixing up movements and find your videos very informative.

[@dperry428]

Thank you. It's an enjoyable hobby.

[@AJ67901]

very nice job. Your clock repair videos show that you don't have to have a lot of expensive bushing machines, mainspring winders, or ultrasonic cleaners to be able to get the job done. I especially liked your 3" pvc coupler for an assembly stand. I'll have to get one of those. Kroeber sure made some handsome cases. This clock should run for many years with no problems now. Thanks for posting this.

[@tjsogmc]

I just found your channel. Magnificent! I have always wanted to repair clocks and watches. I love machines and working with my hands. But I never could find a clock maker to teach me. Perhaps I'll buy some tools now and a few junk clocks to practice on. I love mechanical clocks for many reasons, but mainly because they are not disposable junk. Every clock has a story to tell. Modern quartz clocks are soulless in this respect. Thank you for posting these, keep up the good work!

[@weejohnoo]

Lovely Stuff, thanks for filming it.

[@michaelluhrman3439]

Excellent. I enjoyed it immensely.

[@s.spencertenagodus8051]

I have dismantled and rebuilt my first chiming clock (1901) and it is working perfectly, having followed part of your system. However I have not followed your procedure properly and will repeat and check out the cleaning, pinions (loose fit) polishing etc. I may have to re-bush and will try that too over the next month or so. I will - maybe - buy tools etc and I have tried to emulate your work bench. Is your lathe a Sherline 4530B model? And I am puzzled by the accuracy of you Vernier Caliper to two decimal points of a mm. Is the last one (1.97 the 7) an approximation judged by eye? Is it a Shanghai Osmya? I don't think I can buy them in this country - and yours seems to be imperial and metric. I have lots of other puzzles but the last question is do you make your own polishing sticks or are they on line (grey, white, green etc 20,40,60 etc). Finally I applaud your hands on very detailed step by step explanations and the way you are able to do the most testing and difficult work with little of the usual expensive equipment. Hand drill, wash basin (before the sonic cleaner) etc. I hope you had a happy birthday and lastly - I happened on your gardening pond video and your input re clocks is fantastic - ignore the rude ones. There are always those who hate ability, and you have that and you share it with others. Thank you. (PS I have 6 yrs on you but never too late to start)

[@dperry428]

First, a correction. Pinions are the small gears on an arbor; pivots are what need polished and pivot holes are what need re-bushed. If your clock is working perfectly, it likely does not need re-bushing. I don't recall the Sherline model number. It is an 8" bed metric model. I bought the package with a compound cross-slide and thread-cutting attachment. I have two vernier calipers; one is digital readout and one is a dial readout. Both give me a direct readout to the nearest hundredth of a mm. I'm not familiar with Shanghai Osmya. I bought mine on Amazon and were in the $35 range. The dial readout has both English and metric readouts and the digital one switches between English and metric with the push of a button. A hundredth of a millimeter isn't unusual. My reamers for bushing are .03 mm smaller than the bushing outside diameter (OD), thus, 1.97mm hole for a 2mm OD brass bushing to make a firm, press fit. I buy my buff sticks from online clock supply houses such as timesavers.com/search.html?q=buff+sticks&go=Search

[@s.spencertenagodus8051]

Thank you for your comprehensive, educational and very helpful reply. For a novice, as I am, your comments are gems. Thank you once again. I will follow your suggestions and I look forward to your future KZbin videos.

[@kowgiirlup]

This clock really needs cleaning. It will look spank'n new soon :-) I really love the fact that they stamped the maker & date on the "innards"~ no questions on the mfg date that way.

[@loricastro3772]

Nice video, thanks for share.

[@joemilledge1647]

What is your cleaning solution? Do you mix your own or is this something you buy?

[@dperry428]

Here's what I use. www.merritts.com/merritts/public/product.aspx?ProductID=88708 It's mixed a part of this solution with 7 parts water. Expensive, but last a long time.

[@sgnt9337]

Wow. Looks like somebody lubricated it using a grease gun. Looks like the inside of a lawnmower engine. What do you think caused the copper residues on the plate? Wow, what a transformation.

[@dperry428]

Yep, took an hour-and-a-half to clean it by hand. Wish I'd had the ultrasonic cleaner for this one.

[@dperry428]

Sorry, didn't answer the question you asked. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. In a harsh chemical environment, the zinc can be leached from the alloy, leaving behind the copper. Someone like tried to clean the movement with something like lye. So, the copper isn't a residue, but what's left behind when the zinc is chemically removed.

[@sgnt9337]

dperry428 Very interesting. Thanks for the response. Now I understand (I previously wondered what in the world caused that?). I'll stick to proven methods of cleaning.

[@happybaldrock519]

@@dperry428 p

[@alxguer9856]

Comment ressuter une horloge de façon professionelle. Je m'abonne!Merci from France.

[@seanmooney3907]

Hello, that certainly was a greasy mess. I would have thought by the name that wouldn't be an American movement. Surprised me. I'm not very well versed in clock manufacture. Have repaired a few but I concentrated on watches when I first opened my shop. Closed for the last ten years while I cared for an ailing wife. Re-opening soon but I want to concentrate on Clocks as my eyes aren't as good as they used to be. All the best, Sean

[@dperry428]

There were many so-called manufacturers that did not make their own clock movements. Many were furniture or cabinet-makers who made the cases and purchased movements from other companies and had their own names stamped on them. Kind of like Sears Kenmore brand being made by Whirlpool or, as seen in another of my clock videos, a German railway-style cuckoo clock stamped "Sears Roebuck". Best of luck with your new shop.

[@PiotrK2022]

+dperry428 Pretty clean... Mine Junghans from 18th century was in much, much worse condition. It looked like someone put it in bucket filled with engine oil and I had to clean it twice to remove whole oil and dirt...

[@dperry428]

How on Earth do you have a Junghans from the 18th century when Junghans didn't exist until 1861?

[@PiotrK2022]

@@dperry428 Right, mine mistake...

[@suecleveland3226]

The mainspring winder scares me......at 11:18 till 12:30 on the video....I held my breath...yikes!!

[@dperry428]

That's what I've used for more than 40 years. My father-in-law made it as a copy of a commercial one. It always made me nervous, too. That's why I finally bought the spring winder I've always wanted but couldn't afford. Thank you, KZbin ads.