Joiner's Musings

U M Muller German clock Detail on clock front I bought this U M Muller clock recently. I was attracted by it's classic style and shape. I am not at all familiar with this clock company and would appreciate some information about the clock and its approximate age. I saw one other clock similar to mine when I did a search on NAWCC a forum site for clock collectors. Mine is chime (lovely sound) and time, a so-called two train clock. The oak case is in great shape with no obvious scratches or blemishes. There is carved detail between the lower glass panels and the face. One side is slightly differently carved than the other. The only obvious problem is the area between the 6 and the 7 on the clock face which appears to have been rubbed through to the brass(?) either by friction or chemical process. I am told that the pendulum is original yet it has an oak rod and the pendulum itself is a dull silver colour though I have some doubt. I have an update. The pendulum ...

 As mentioned in a previous post the clock case was in very good if not excellent condition as was the clock face and hands. To see the clock with the clock-face on see my last post. To oil the clock the face must come off, not difficult; there are four small nails that need to be pulled off plus the hands to reveal the movement. As you can see it is one train, very simple, dependable and accurate (for a pendulum clock). Once the face is off oiling is quite simple. And it looks like the movement  had been reasonably well maintained for a 80+ year old clock. But it is not surprising that it needs some TLC at this point in its life. In my other post I detected that one of the bushings was in very bad shape contributing to a slight squeaking sound. The curious thing was that it was keeping very good time despite obvious problems. I investigated a number of horologists in the Nova Scotia region and firstly discovered that there aren't many at all. A lost art indeed! In an...

Our backyard Whatever! Here is what our backyard looks like on November 15th. Typically we do not get cold weather at this time of the year let alone much snow. Our climate is such that the only snow that stays with us comes after Christmas. At least we don't get weather that dumps mounds of snow on us like this little weather bomb did. We are told by our weather department (Environment Canada) that we can expect sub zero temperatures for the next 10 days. That means that our little 10 to 15 centimeter dump of snow will stay with us for a little while. Are we ready for winter? NO! I am certainly not ready. Heck, the lawn furniture is still out there. And the snow tires have yet to be mounted on the cars. Please weather gods, give us some more fall!

The Arthur Pequegnat Brandon (2nd Edition) is a wall clock and at at this time it is hanging in my home office as you can see from the first photo.  Typically it was used in schools and offices. It was likely a fairy accurate clock and because it is time only the movement was relatively simple and trouble free. You can see how small the movement is in the second and third photo. The clock mechanism after taking the clock face off When I got the clock it was making a slight rhythmic squeaking sound even though it seemed to keep good time. I surmised that it needed an oiling. I have clock oil on hand and have already oiled a few of my clocks so I have a little experience in that area. First of all it really doesn't take much to oil a clock and interesting enough generally less oil is best. Mantle clock are quite easy to oil because you simple take off the back panel and find the pivot points and apply lubrication again sparingly. Easy-Peasy. However, too much oil is...

Now hanging in my home office  Just got this Arthur Pequegnat Brandon clock this past week at an antique store in Great Village, Nova Scotia. We were in the same store not three weeks before and did not see this clock; it had just arrived. The owner, a dealer, put it up for sale but had intended to keep it. Nevertheless the price was a little high and I then asked for any discounts to which the propriator said, yes, 20% and so the price was reduced. I then asked the store what would happen if I did not ask for a discount and they said their policy is to sell at the sticker price. Bottom line, no discount if you don't ask. Something to keep in mind if you are shopping for antiques as many stores sell by consignment. A well preserved label This is the Brandon model. It is the second edition made after 1917 although I do not know the precise year. I know for a fact that it is not older than 1941 because that is when the company closed its doors in Kitchener Ontario. Some Bra...

The final product When my mother passed away 2011 I inherited my father's medals from the Second World War. They were in an old oak case that had seen better days. My father was a history buff and liked to display various historical items and he did so with a number of things as well as  with this particular medal case. When I inherited the case it was in pretty bad shape and reconditioning was definitely required. It seems that it was once part of a display cabinet that my father had acquired through the Governor General's Foot Guard museum in Ottawa. The first photo is the end product of my restoration. Dad's notes for display items in the cabinet The second shows the notes that were originally in the case. I did not follow his number scheme and simply arranged things in a slightly different order something a little more presentable with dad's medals on the top and my grandfathers WWI medals on the bottom. Nearly complete The third photo shows the ca...

Audio Technica TK7SU  Back in April of 2013 I wrote about digging out my old turntable from the basement and resurrecting my vinyl records from years back. I have no regrets and have enjoyed hours of good music since then and have rediscovered the joys of vinyl and of course some of the pains of that media. In the process I was reminded that I have a lot of old vinyl classics but I also discovered that I have crap as well. Some of the music is timeless and some is obviously not. Music from the 70s or 80s for example is hit (note the pun) or miss, mostly a miss. Thorens TD 165C The sixties is where the real treasures are. Unfortunately not a lot of care was taken to press vinyl at that time and as a result I have classic rock albums with plenty of skips and pops and some are a real chore to listen to, except perhaps the Deutsche Grammophon recordings of the day or the reissued half speed masters of popular rock recordings in the later 80s. Well perhaps some are worn afte...