Clock Repair

[normadesmond]

Greetings!

After my wonderful experience with the old Quasar microwave oven I made a note to pop back in & peruse. I'm getting very close to diving into something I've never done & have no natural inclination for- fixing a clock. I had this clock/radio at work & the clock got wonky, moving, but half-heartedly. The other, an old clock I found 20 years ago & used until it too stopped. Last year I had yet another old (& particularly snazzy) clock fixed, one that had been on my grandmother's television 10,000 years ago. Unbeknownst to me, my aunt had saved it & surprised me with it. The repair shop that fixed it charged me a hefty price, but I had to bring it back to be tweaked. SO, after studying a YouTube video, I'm gonna give it a try.

 

[rp2813]

The GE clock likely needed a new rotor that powers the drive gear for the timekeeping mechanism.  They can often be revived, since it's been a few decades since GE/Telechron stopped manufacturing that particular type of rotor.  The scarcity of these vital components is likely why repairing that beautiful clock wasn't cheap.  There's an old thread here where I provided information on how to easily revive a stopped or raspy rotor, but I wasn't able to find it through a search.

 

I can't speak to the Panasonic radio's clock.  It likely has a similar problem, but I tend to doubt that its clock was outsourced from GE or any other U.S. manufacturer.

 

Your GE clock is the "Ballard" model (#4H78).  Period of manufacture was 1939-1941 and it originally sold for $6.95.  From the book Electrifying Time by Jim Linz, the sales copy for the Ballard read:  "Breathtaking in its beauty, this new metal-framed occasional clock gloriously radiates the color and charm of natural gold."  It was designed by Jacques Martial and only 7,858 were sold, making it a somewhat rare model.

 

[ea56]

When I was about 13 years old I had a General Electric alarm clock from the late 30’s that had belonged to my aunt. The case was made of dark colored wood like mahogany. When it was first plugged in it made a humming noise and the second hand didn’t move until a small knob on the back of the clock was twirled to start the operation of the clock, kind of like how on a Model T Ford the driver had to crank the engine to start it.

Thanks Ralph for the background on that beautiful vintage General Electric clock in the OP. I’d seen one of these on eBay a few months ago when I was searching for an electric clock with large numerals on the face. Perhaps this is the same one that I saw before? Its really a beauty. I hope the OP can get it to run.

Eddie

 

[rp2813]

Eddie, I had a leather-cased clock that belonged to my grandfather that had the same type of hand-start system.  I don't know whatever happened to it.  I know that at some point, it wouldn't start anymore.  I'm kind of surprised that I never even attempted to fix it, and I don't remember the manufacturer. 

 

I remember it had a small window near the top of the dial and I think a tri-color (red, white, black) wheel that spun to indicate when the clock was running or not.

 

[normadesmond]

Hey RP2813

Thanks! I LOVE that you found out the clock's backstory. It was in a bathroom in an estate sale in Toledo, OH late 80s, early 90s. Though I put out feelers regarding getting the clock back off, a Reddit thread brought me the answer. Now I'm going to give a repair a try. I'll report back, but it will probably be, at the very least a few days.

 

[rp2813]

Matthew, check out this forum for more information.  It's where I learned about Telechron/GE clocks of all types:

Telechron Clock Home Page