Monday, November 14, 2022

 Small Grande Sonnerie Desk Clock 

As received, this small Grande Sonnerie desk clock would run but would not chime automatically and would not repeat on demand.  It did make a whirring sound of the strike train wheels turning.

The brass case was missing one of the round brass feet, which have off-center screw holes.  The movement out of the case was beautiful and looked unmolested.

The sonnerie quarter and hour racks were not falling because of gummy old oil.  I cleaned them and the pivoting posts and it now works fine.  In addition, the gongs were out of place and the hammer rebound needed setting, but now it chimes the time beautifully on the hours and quarters, and on demand with a push of the top button.

To make the missing brass cabinet foot, I curt down a large brass rod to the right diameter and cut a recess in the end for a new felt pad.  Then I parted the new foot from the rod.

To drill a double off-center hole for the screw in the new foot, I had to set up a left handed faceplate lathe head opposite my regular lathe head to hold the new foot exactly off-center and steady where the new hole would be.  I drilled through once for a hole for the screw and a second time, larger and shallow, to inset the screw head into the new foot.


 Now I had a new cabinet foot.  I had found a screw with the right threads, but the head was much too large and the screw far too long.

Back to the lathe to cut the screw head down to size.

And measure and cut the screw to the right length.

 Now the new foot fit the cabinet, but all 4 feet needed matching felt pads.

Easily solved with felt pads from Home Depot.

And cut down to size to fit all 4 feet.

With the new cabinet foot, felt pads in place and regulating the timekeeping, the repair was complete.