Talbot Clock Shop
Talbot Clock Shop
Sales and Service for Your Family Heirloom Timepieces
Sales and Service for Your Family Heirloom Timepieces
Moving Large Clocks Safely
Let us protect your cherished family heirloom Clocks by preparing them properly for a move.
Often I have seen that clocks are being damaged by movers who say they know how to move a clock, but in the end they clearly don't.
In one case, a very nice nine bell tubular chime clock was moved with the tubular bells, the weights, and the pendulum all still attached. The result was that the weights broke loose and smashed into the bottom of the case denting the delicate brass weight shells, the tubular bells swung back and forth and scratched the case back very badly, and the weight of those bells and the weights pulled the seat board with the movement loose breaking the screws and almost destroying the inside of the clock. A good packing would have prevented that much damage, it turned into thousands of dollars in repair.
And in several cases, especially on the 200 plus year old English grandfather clocks, the movements are not actually fastened to the case at all. They merely set there by dead weight, with the iron drive weights and the pendulum holding them down by gravity. Moving that clock without pulling out the weights, the pendulum, and the movement will result in damage, and most often what I see are broken hands. While the hands are not irreplaceable, they are extremely expensive as they are basically hand-cut and file to shape and hardened steel. They can be saved by good silver soldering at the broken joints, but the clock is no longer original.
These are two different clocks that had both delicate minute hands broken by inconsiderate movers. I was able to get them properly repaired at 1/2-1/4 the cost of new hand made replacements, and it is hard to tell they were repaired, but that comes at a still significant cost, and the clock is no longer original.
Let us help you avoid that kind of damage, and the cost associated with repairing it, by letting us pack it properly for your move. You will appreciate it when you arrive at your destination, and the movers will appreciate the ease of moving your clock for you and getting it into your new home. Call us and we will make arrangements to do that for you.