The Clock Repairer's Handbook

we have grandfather clocks, cuckoo clocks and other old clocks. Our service man is retiring and it is difficult to find someone who can come to the house these days. So my husband who is quite handy will be taking over the duties. THis will be his aide.

This is not a " first read" book on clock repair. I purchased it because I had exhausted all of my reading material and none of it would move me forward. I would go through my repair process flawlessly( how one knows this is a matter of experience and theory & trust, I guess) and I would have no idea on how to proceed. Extremely frustrating but getting help is called for if you've come to end of your ability. So---i bought this book and really had no faith in it. I had read some of the free samples. However, I jumped into the book at a particular area that I knew had to be a possible problem area. The escapement. What I found was a wealth of information that wowed me. I had intuitively been pondering many of the facts I encountered but had been unable to put it all together & it was a Eureka moment. All my learning materials (books, videos, YouTube, etc. Along with experience) had none of the theory ( not formulas, etc.- but getting to know your subject stuff, fun stuff but, theory) that I needed to move forward. This book was worth the price for even one page.. A gain, not the 1st book a beginner should read but, when you are ready it's informative and relevant and worth much more than a few bucks. For what it's worth.

The author may live in Indiana but he uses the Queen's English. Obviously a Brit and a lover of the English language. Some may think his writing is slightly stilted, but to borrow a phrase from Winston Churchill, It is something up with one must simply be prepared to put.The first chapter must be read first before jumping to any other subject in the book. It details theory and troubleshooting. Unfortunately, most of it went over my head, but a second read-through was quite enlightening. Things began to make sense, especially since I then had a clockwork mechanism in my hands.The drawings were created by a professional machinist and can be somewhat confusing to the layman. Hopefully, anyone willing to take on clocks as a hobby will have some mechanical abilities.I was able to determine why my clock was striking a few hours incorrectly and make the correction. And, in the process, learned to do the oiling that needs to be done every two to three years. Without oil, clock parts begin to deform and/or wear away. Very important. Clock oil kits are available online for under $20.00. And yes, you can oil the mechanism on the kitchen table; use a soft mat.I used a few miniature and small screwdrivers and small, smoothed jawed needle-nose pliers that I bought from Sears. More advanced work, such as machining new parts, installing new bushings in pivot holes, or adding metal by silver soldering, will require training and expensive shop equipment.I would not consider this a book for rank beginners; more of a middle-level book that carries a wide variety of repair topics on many different types of clocks. It's probably great for the apprentice in the clock repair shop. Yes, the book did work for me. It was informative. I'm glad I bought it but I doubt that I'll use most of the information in it. Then again, who knows?

I am amassing a fair collection of books on clock and watch repair as I jump deeply into a hobby I began years ago. I feel this book is more suited for the serious amateur and professional. It is the most comprehensive book on the topic in my library. The text is clear, easy to read and the topics are explained well. There are plenty of clear illustrations that compliment the text. While I claim that the book is best suited to a serious clock enthusiast, the author does not assume any significant prior knowledge on the part of the reader. A beginner will also find much to their liking in this book.I highly recommend this book, and will soon be adding additional books from this author to my library.DRW

The author says this is written for the complete beginner to the pro. Six pages in and I am lost in clockwork terminology. Hoping that I will learn as I read as images and figures only help a bit. There is a glossary, again some help. I think detailed and labeled photos of an actual clock engine would help more.

Great book that arrived quickly and was in very good condition.

This book answered a lot of my clock repair questions.

This book is very detailed. Way more detailed than I as a hobbyist will ever get into repair.