McCormack Clock Repairs

McCormack Clock Repairs As a qualified horologist from the Irish Swiss Institute of Ireland,we specialise in the repair and restoration of all antique clocks & watches.

29/08/2026

One issue that you might encounter on an 1800s Blackforest wall clock is listing or sagging of the movement structure. This can cause binding of gears, and loss of power which all creates more wear and tear.

Unlike other clock movements which have top and bottom plates secured by four corner posts, all metal made, the Blackforest movement is constructed of timber.

The time and strike trains aren't located between a top and bottom plate; they share a common central plate.

Four corner pillars are held in place with wedges. Over time things loosen up, and with the weights in place, the entire structure gets pulled out of square.

I've cut two steel plates out, and after squaring the movement, I used brass screws to secure the plates to the uprights. The structure cannot sag now; everything remains square, and I can proceed to fit the bushings.

The original sides,long gone, had been replaced with cut-outs from a greating card.

Wooden sides will be made.

22/08/2026

As some of you may know, if you've been following along, this is my Odesy with regard to the repair of a Black Forest wall hanging double weight late 1800s...nightmare!!

If you thought the movement was bad enough, then let me introduce you to the bezel.

Hidden under many, many layers of paint, varnish, and grime lies this beautiful gold embossed pattern separated by discs of mother of pearl...and of course, woodworm.

I knew there was woodworm present at the movement. It was only on stripping back the paint and grime that the holes and damaged material became visible.

Some of the embossed patterns would be lost due to the structural damage. I'll have to come up with a way to reproduce this design.

I'm also aware a donor bezel could be obtained…but I'm not about that.

21/08/2026

There was a noticeable difference between pin wire thicknesses going from largest to smallest gears on this Black Forest wall clock.

Sizes ranged from 0.7 mm to 0.9 mm, which doesn't seem like much, but mix them up and you're in for trouble.

20/08/2026

Blackforest hourly striking clock on the bench. Decades out of use and in need of a lot of T.L.C. Two sprockets were hand-cut and filled to suit along with two cheeks.

A nice makers mark revealed, S.W. stamped, so I'll need to do a little history check on that.

You can see the condition of the original sprockets was poor; I was delighted to see them replaced.

16/08/2026

The objective today was to remove the ninja throwing star-like sprocket, mark out, and hand-cut and file two new sprockets along with two cheeks. The cheeks keep the chain centered in the sprocket.

I also removed the lantern pinion caps, as I intend to replace the pin wire. Each one was held firmly in place with lead solder.

I've left the spokes a little long and will finish them once I see how it runs with the new chain.

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Unit 4B Connolly Street
Nenagh

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