Summer Plans II

[rayjay]

Hey Greg... Rob had the same thought as I did. Most people stage their home from the front, but...........It is hard to tell which looks better, the front or back. lol

Well....Lets just say the house is fantastic from all the yards. It just looks so peaceful.

Great job!

 

[iheartmaytag]

oldhouseman

What a beauitful house.

I can tell you I can feel character from that house just from looking at the pictures.

The ladies I bought my house from told me "You don't really own a house, you only pay for the privlidge of being it's caregiver."

It appears you have been a good steward with this piece of history.

 

[oldhouseman]

Here

is the kitchen side of the house where I put a small herb garden in. The shutters are in storage right now waiting for repair. And on the other side...

 

[oldhouseman]

I have a small courtyard

garden area for the dogs to come and go as they need to. Next year I want to have a container garden in this area, just flowers. And you can see I still have lots of windows to rebuild. The door opens from the master bath behind my bedroom. I built in a pet door for the pups. Lot's of work left yet in this area -and some paint work already to redo!

 

[oldhouseman]

A little

better shot of that area

 

[rp2813]

Greg, that looks like a regular orb convention in that shot of you by the door. Perfect excuse to sleep in your room instead of the guest room if I ever come to visit . . . heh heh.

And as always, the house looks beautiful and much loved.

Ralph

 

[filter-flo_rob]

Greg,

I was intrigued to find out that the builder of your house was from Connecticut.

As you know, I live in a saltbox, and most think they are pretty standard in design. What I learned after purchasing the house is that the influence of our house was not from the Boston area but the Connecticut River Valley area. How do we know? Please look at the picture. In the Boston area influence, the wall looking up the stairs would have been solid. Connecticut influence has that wall open ... see pix.

 

[oldhouseman]

I wonder

if that's why my staircase is constructed like it is. There are no survivng examples of other houses from the late 1700's in the area to compare to. There is one other house in town with a similar staircase built in 1805 -and that builder was from Connecticut as well. The newest residents in town are from there also, a retired Methodist Minister and his wife. They are delightful and we are glad to have them in residence here.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

Stairs.

Interesting. Same type of balusters. Open all the way to the top which is unusual considering the age of the house.

The transom looks original to the house as well. How tall are your ceilings. They look quite tall!

Hey ... who is the maker of that tall case clock in your hallway. I am a certified clockmaker, btw.

Rob.

 

[oldhouseman]

Thanks Rob

The transom is original as are 90% of the windows. I love the wavy glass. The tall case clock is a Maryland piece. I have to check the works to see who made them. They need rebuilding/cleaning.

I have a chippendale style, 1770ish, oak tall case upstairs. No works. I bought it at an estate sale. The fellow who passed away was working on the clock at the time he died. The works were on his workbench scattered because he was rebuilding them, it was his hobby. The wife threw them away! I got the case at least. No face or works. I'll get a picture of the case for you if you would like to see it.

The ceilings vary in each room but they are all high. 9 1/2 feet in the dinning room, 11 in the parlor, 14 feet in my room and guest room, 10 in the library. I took the ceiling out of the kitchen and exposed the rafters.

 

[toggleswitch2]

~I am a certified clockmaker, btw.

How does one get certified?

 

[filter-flo_rob]

Clock pix.

Yes, by all means do send them some pix along.

As far as the Maryland clock, I'd be curious to see who the maker is, as the case has central/western Pennsylvanian influence (flat top, four column on the bonnet -- BUT don't hold me to that until I see more pix).

The Chippendale style ... do you know the area, at least, in which it came? That determines, quite a bit, the style of the case and the works -- no doubt 8 day brass wound from the face with a key (if it was a "quality" piece), or one day brass (or wood (wooden works are my specialty)!), pull up wind. A clock movement is not a clock movement is not a clock movement ...

Rob.

 

[oldhouseman]

The Chippendale

style clock case is English. It had a brass face. I was sick when I found out she threw out the face and works. I took the case anyway in hopes I could at least put other works and a face back in place. I don't have any pics of it at the moment but I will get some detailed shots of both for you.

 

[mikepaquette]

Major project

Looks wonderful It is a major project buy yourself. Keep up the fantastic work. Just got a feeling, you are worth it. Good for you, Mike

 

[thor]

Orbs...

Greg, first of all, congratulations on your beautiful home. I will surely plan to visit you in case I ever go to Georgia.

Greg, an eon ago I bought my first reflex camara, a Canon A-1. One of the warnings in the manual told about "closing" the eyepiece with a small side lever every time a time lapse picture was taken, to avoid room light getting into the picture through the eyepiece. When a time lapse picture was taken there was no eye pushed to the eyepiece to block the light from entering this way and getting into the picture.

This effect has thousands of times been mistaken for UFO's in time-lapse pictures people have taken and later seeing things in the pictures, most always blurred images, that were not originally in the image they shot.

Reading about UFO's, I once read about a lighted street night shot where a row of white aligned spots had mysteriously appeared in the picture, apparently from nowhere. The photographer instantly thought of UFO's. These white dots were actually the reflection of the back streetlights that had got into the picture through the eyepiece. The picture had been taken in the time lapse mode.

Most digital cameras are not the reflex type, only the most expensive ones are. Maybe this is the explanation why digital cameras shoot no Orbs. Is by any chance the digital camera you are using the reflex type? In this case, everybody I know takes digital pictures looking at the screen, with the camera quite away from the face. This could be the explanation of your orb in the first picture, it really seems like the reflection of a wall plate. Could this be possible?

On the other hand, I completely believe in everything that has been written in this thread! I have had my own personal experiences, and I don't accept anybody tellimg me that what I saw or what I experienced were a figment of my imagination!

Emilio

 

[oldhouseman]

Thank you for the information Thor

I have never taken any of the orbs to be anything but a camera issue.

I did have that odd night in the house and the dogs will not sleep in my room. The scamper out and refuse to sleep there. They run into my partners room and sleep on the floor in dog beds.

They know they can jump up and sleep with me in my bed like they did when we lived in Atlanta. Now they hurry through my room and run outside when they need to. They bark and act nervous when they are in my bedroom but I pay it no attention.

I am very comfortable and happy in the house. I have had my moments about restoring it when the work got really hard. I watched a plaster wall fall into pieces during a rainstorm. The water was running down the walls inside. The wall cracked and fell into the room. My partner looked at me like he was going to have a heart attack. He screamed at me "what have you gotten us into?" I said "the house we have always wanted"

He went to the car and sat for about two hours. Then he walked back in, mad as hell, and said " you got us into this so you had better figure a way out of it"

I told him to unfold his panties and shut up. There was work to be done and he had better follow my lead and not tick me off or he would loose his financial shirt.

He gradually gained interest in the grounds and began to take interest. He has done all of the outside yard work except for my vegetable gardens. They are mine, he does not garden, he made it clear to me.

My dear partner has put up with much on my part. I took him from a comfortable Atlanta house to a badly run down 210 year old house to restore that was falling in.

He has been a real sport about it all, even if he has cursed me out several times a month for the past two years. I just looked at him and smiled. Even when there were days I wanted to cry myself to sleep and did not let him know it. There have been some difficult days but it is getting behind us I hope.

And my partner has taken some pride in his work on the grounds and his Rose Garden he planted this past spring.

Now my goal is to find the right appliances for the house. Washer, dryer, refrigerator..... They have to be right for the place. And vintage.

We have spent to many sleepless nights wondering how we could fix this problem or that to let let details like the right appliances not be taken into consideration.

I hope you guys understand.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Looks vintage, anyway.

~Now my goal is to find the right appliances for the house. Washer, dryer, refrigerator..... They have to be right for the place. And vintage.

Seek and ye shall find.

http://www.elmirastoveworks.com/

 

[filter-flo_rob]

Greg/partner/new house/relationships.

Hi Greg,

Thank you for sharing that info. I can certainly relate to what you have said ... moving from Boston to the country was one issue, another one was when my partner decided to go to divinity skool at a moment's notice. Sometimes, it isn't easy!

Rob.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

Becoming a clockmaker.

Steve,

Within the past 40 years things have really changed. One can take classes at the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors in Pennsylvania and do everything there.

I started when I was about 10 (am 52 presently) and the local electrician/clockmaker, Mr. Davis was 90. I used to spend lots of free time at his shop learning how to cut gears, pour brass for blanks, how to season wood for wood works, mathematical calculations, using a divider plate making machine parts, jigs, etc. etc. etc.

I got my certification by him giving me an exam and sending the results into the American Watchmaker's Institute. The exam was not only cutting gears, but things like this:

Build a movement with a train of four gears:
If you have a one second pendulum (ca. 39 in., or 100 cm.) calculate the diameter of the winding barrel for a 12 lb. weight that would fall 6 feet in 7 days.

Cut some helical and involute teeth, and a corresponding pinion. What are the differences? what is the friction ratio?

Given a train of 48 48/6 48/6 30/6 what would the length of the pendulum be? A barrel with a diameter of 2.5 inches would require what size weight to fall six feet in 7 days and 3 feet in 7 days.

Create a wooden gear and pinion similar to Eli Terry's design and do the same using Chauncy/Jerome Ives and his roller pinion method.

Create a thermal compensation pendulum.

You were given a random clock movement with a gear missing. Figure out the diameter, etc. and make one, INCLUDING THE SHAFT!

Make a lantern pinion.

Stuff like that.

Hope that answers your question.

Rob.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

P.S.

This is a dying art. The Jeweler's Building in Boston had; just 20 years ago, more than 30 clockmakers and 25 other companies that would supply the clockmaker with tools and materials. Now, I think there is only one clockmaker left and a few assorted suppliers.

One time I was in there and a yuppy-looking guy came picking up his solid gold Longines watch. After he left, the watchmaker told me the story: his watch had a beautiful hand-made movement and every pivot hole was jeweled. He didn't want to be bothered winding it so he had the watchmaker replace it with a quartz movement ... like the 25 cent variety ... and the watchmaker kept the original movement. He offered the movement to the customer and the customer replied "what would I do with that."

sheesola ...

Rob.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

P.P.S.

Ok, I'll shut up after a fashion, but what came into mind is the clock repairer. I consider it a avocation rather than a profession these days as people freak out when you charge them a couple of hundred dollars to clean and do minor repairs on mechanical clock movements. Believe me, one could make more money as a counter person at McDonalds!

Try finding a clock repairer these days.

The worse thing is that the standard mass production American clocks made from the 1860s to the 1910s aren't worth very much; on occasion the repair bill is higher than the value of the clock!

 

[oldhouseman]

Yes Rob

I agree with you. I started to learn the work some years back but realized the money end of it was not lucrative. We have only one certified clock maker I am aware of in Atlanta.

About 10 years ago I took an 1830's mantel clock in to be repaired. Mr Bauman, the clock repair fellow, was in his late 80's and had got out of Nazi Germany just in time before they began rounding up the jewish community. He asked me what was wrong with the clock and for lack of a better way to describe the problem I told him "it ticks but it won't toc". Mr Bauman picked up a flashlight and put it up at the clock's face and said "We have ways to make you Toc".

My Marland tall case clock is not running right now, I need to find weights for and take it in to be put in shape. Mr. Bauman is no longer at the shop sadly enough but his great grandson has taken over and is still running the place.

I believe those mass produced clocks like the one's Sears sold in the late 19th and early 20th century are the perfect example of what you mentioned.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

Clocks, etc.

Greg,
An 1830s clock? Tell me more? Wood or brass works? weight driven? American in manufacture?

About your Maryland clock: rule of thumb: always, ALWAYS use the minimum amount of weight to get the clock ticking and stay ticking, and enough weight to start the, and maintain the strike sequence. Question: How do you wind it? Is is a 1 day or and 8 day? It probably needs cleaning so more weight may be needed to keep it in order. Danger: this will wear the pivots and gears, so if you have company and want it to work -- stuff like that, then no problemo. Just don't keep it running.

Thanks to the Jerome brothers ca. 1935, their invention, rolled brass stamped gears, revolutionized the mass production clock market. Of course it was really Ely Terry and his invention in 1814 of the one day wood movement was the biggest revolution in the clock making industry. Clocks that would cost 75.00 for the movement ONLY, prior to 1800 (tall case clocks) could be had for 15.00 in 1814 (shelf clocks), and by the 1840s, clocks were going for a couple of bucks! The concept of springs as motivation power for mass production was a later thing, as the steel (previously brass) was not "there" yet. Some of those English and French clocks in the 18th century were powered by springs (fusee style), but these springs were hand made ... not an easy task, believe me! Some of the experiments in drive power are fascinating, especially things like cantilever and wagon springs.

Your Chippendale style English clock is peaking my curiosity, especially since you mentioned it had a brass face ... it may be older than I first thought.

So, you started in the clock making profession. Tell me more???? Were you an apprentice? That type of apprentice is a really valuable way to learn, as you can watch and learn from the master -- sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. Unfortunately not all master/apprentice relationships were ... healthy. On one particular American tall case clock was found an inscription "master is a bastard." And you're a librarian too???

Just tell me to shut up as I could go on. I'm at my pt job and I've got a 16th century Greek philosophy book (in Greek) I'm cataloging and it's driving me crazy ... it was rebound in the 19th century and the signatures are not all whole and in place. So any determent from that is a good thing ... heh heh heh.

Rob.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

UGGH

... Thanks to the Jerome brothers ca. 1935

That's 1835. Mea culpa.

 

[oldhouseman]

The 1830's

clock was the typical mantel clock for it's time period, two panes of glass in the front door, the bottom glass fancy painted. Brass works, I think it was made in Conn. 8 day movement. Weight driven. I ended up selling it a couple of years ago when we started work on the house. A friend offered me a good price for it and I was raising funds to work on the house so...

We have not pulled the works out of the moving box for the Maryland tall case yet. Since it needs to be taken in and cleaned anyway I didn't see any reason to unpack it just to have to pack it up again.

I have worked in some very widely different areas after I got out of the Army (infantry). I worked in a dental lab making caps, crowns and dentures for a few years, was a buyer at a hospital and finally the Archives. On the side I also worked in a cabinet shop for little pay because I wanted to learn cabinet making skills.Same with the clock repair. I spent a year working pt in a shop to learn the craft. The guy that owned the shop passed away and I just never took it any further. Life went another direction.

And it is about to again. We are having staff cuts here because of the looming state budget crisis. We have been told anybody hired two years ago or less is being let go and the second wave will be anyone under 13 years. I have 9 years in so I will be in the second wave. In my time here I learned book and paper conservation and repair, have served as a historian, manuscript curator, worked in the library and document reading area.

And now life is once again taking me in another direction. I've gotten pretty good at portrait and landscape/still life painting, had a few shows (sold about 200 paintings so far) so I think I will see where that can lead me after I find another "job". I hate working for a living, it really cuts into my day. I would rather be at home in Sparta enjoying the house and painting again.

 

[filter-flo_rob]

... I also worked in a cabinet shop for little pay because I

HAH ... I can relate to some of what you say ... I worked at C.B. Fisk, the organ builder in Gloucester for a very short time in the late 70s. I was an apprentice making minimum wage. I thought "what the heck, I am an organist and wanted to get an additional aspect. Left after a few months for reasons I will not mention online. I did get to work on the meantone organ at Wellesley College. That was great fun!

My problem is that I have too many interests and tiresome things like work effect (heh heh heh, affect!) them all!

Rob.

http://pipedreams.publicradio.org/gallery/us_northeast/massachusetts/wellesley_collegefisk.shtml