Product Description

Amateur repairers of clocks and watches grow in number every year as they discover the delights and challenges of the horological hobby. Often an initiate will begin with one of the classic books on the craft for the professionals, published by NAG Press. This time, however, this book is for amateurs. The author, Anthony Whiten, was bitten by the horological bug and communicated his enthusiasm to others with the result, as he ways, that he was asked so many questions he had to write this book! If the reader does not have the right tools or they are too expensive to buy, the author describes how to make alterations out of simple and easily obtainable materials, or how to avoid the necessity for the tool at all. He also describes how to dismantle and assemble movements, what may go wrong with them and how to set faults right. He tells you how to oil the right parts and how to restore cases in all stages of decay. The book is illustrated with over 270 line drawings specially drawn to the author's specification. These range from step-by-step demonstrations of how to do things, to diagrams of movements identifying each part and its position in the movement - a great help at the 'gulp and shut the case' stage. Tony Whiten is not a professional, but many who are will find his comments both stimulating and inspirational. The amateur will find a sympathetic guide because the author has been through all the agonies of learning by hand experience. He hopes that this book will help others to avoid making some of his worst mistakes and encourage them to tackle bigger and better problems in the future.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28804 in Books
• Published on: 1996-02-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

About the Author
At the time of writing Repairing Old Clocks and Watches Anthony Whiten was running his own retail ironmongery business. He then disposed of his stock and started dealing in antiques. Throughout his life Anthony Whiten never wavered from his abiding interest in horology

Customer Reviews

Step by step guide to repairing clocks and watches
A step by step guide to repairing clocks and watches, with hints and tips for the amateur horrologist on a budget. Covers, dismantling, cleaning, bushing and most everyday repair techniques. The authors style is very practical and hands on, with some wonderful humor thrown in. An ideal beginners book, but suitable for reference too.

Slightly off-message for the beginner
This is indubitably a very interesting book, but I wouldn't buy it if (like me) you are a complete beginner. The author assumes that the reader is VERY much on a shoestring, and also that they are already competent with what the various parts of a clock or watch do. His chapter on the Hairspring, for instance, goes into great detail on shortening/lenthening hairsprings using tools you can make yourself (he goes into great detail) but doesn't actually mention anywhere what a hairspring does, or how you might best go about putting it back into the watch after you've removed it (okay, so, erm, I broke my one).

If you are already quite familiar with the operation of clocks and watches and are interested in working out how to create replacement teeth on a cogwheel using nothing but your own saliva and a banana then this book is for you. If you've no idea what a Great Wheel is, I'd steer clear.

Chris

Highly Recommended
When I was bitten by the horological bug, I spent hours trawlling through various library books trying to learn the craft. This book is ideal for anyone who would like to start taking clocks apart and putting them back together again. I have many books on horology now, and this one remains my favourite. The author deals with all the basics and throws in the odd bit of humour too. Like the author, I am a great believer that you don't need 'special tools' to get in to the hobby. This book tells you how to make your own tools the way that horologists did hundreds of years ago, these tools still work and it's only horological suppliers that will try to tell you you 'need' various tools to carry out particualr tasks. If you know nothing about clock and watch repair buy this book, you won't regret it.