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Below are some pictures of Chris, a Local guy who spent 5 days at my shop learning the basics of Clock servicing. My whole idea is for you to learn the basics with a hands on approach. The theory comes into it as and when required but PRACTICAL work is always the best way to learn! This is what Chris sent me as an email after he had finished his week with me. A WEEK HANDS ON AT WORLDWIDECLOCKS. One of the most rewarding times I have had was spending a week at Mike Kenneally’s shop learning how to repair and service clocks. I didn’t have any experience with clocks at all, but in the first day I had managed to strip down, clean and rebuild my first clock. With Mike’s supervision and enthusiasm for clock repairing it was a week I would recommend to any keen horologist. Chris Osborn. A letter from John Dyall who has also had the “experience” "Many of us own cars, bikes, lawnmowers, sewing machines and the like and realise that, if they are to work reliably for as long as possible, they need regular servicing, cleaning, oiling and generally looking after. Exactly the same principle applies to clocks, but, while many people are able to carry out at least the basic maintenance required to keep a car or a lawnmower running well, very few people feel able to service a clock. (It is worth remembering that a good quality clock, if properly looked after, may well be running and keeping good time when it is 100 years old - this does not often apply to a car!) If you, like me, have often wished that you had the knowledge and skill to undertake basic cleaning and servicing of clocks, then I would heartily recommend that you spend some time with Mike Kenneally at his clock shop near Stockport. Mike is a skilled and well-qualified clockmaker who takes pride in doing a good job in a professional way and who is happy to pass on his knowledge to those who are interested in learning. I recently spent a few days with Mike and found the experience very worthwhile and also very enjoyable. You can work at your own pace and Mike, who is an exceptionally patient person, is on hand to help, guide and instruct whenever necessary. It does not matter if you have no previous experience - Mike will answer all your questions, however elementary they may be. Gradually you will gain in confidence and skill - the practical, hands-on work is worth any amount of book reading. Above all, you will learn the right way do things from a professional who does not 'cut corners' in order to save time, costs or effort. You will not become a master clockmaker in just a few days, but you will learn the basic steps involved in stripping, cleaning, servicing and reassembling different types of clock and you can build on this experience with practice in the years ahead. There is a great deal of satisfaction to be found in looking at a clock, perhaps one which was not even running when you started, now nicely cleaned, serviced and ticking away happily, and being able to say "I did that!" If you love clocks, why not contact Mike and try for yourself? I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did and come away with a lot of useful knowledge." John Dyall If you are interested in the hands on experience, there are local B&B’s within 10 minutes of my premises that are reasonably priced. |
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Days 2 and 3. These were spent stripping, cleaning, servicing and re-springing a German spring driven Vienna. By the end of day 3 he had re-assembled it and had it working ready to be regulated. This was a clock that belonged to a customer and I was quite happy to take it back to them, confident in the work carried out. |
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Days 4 and 5. These were spent working on a Junghans Bracket clock that had been mounted on a base. Although it was not finished 100%, I was quite happy to return it to the customer once I had finished what he had started. This is not to take anything away from Chris, after all he had done most of the work. All in all, I think he enjoyed his week and learned the basics and this is the intention of the hands on experience. You can always come back for a refresher week later if you so wish. |