How to Restore Antique Clocks

Clocks can be beautifully crafted pieces, often made carefully by hand to be both aesthetic and functional. However, if your clock is an antique, it may have been made carefully by hand up to several hundred years ago. As such, wear and tear on the clock over time can make it unattractive or impede its ability to function properly. Fortunately, though, antique clocks can be restored. Read on to learn how to restore antique clocks.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plug cutters
• Vernier caliper
• Drill with a variety of different-sized bits and a stop installed
• Wood that matches the wood of your clock's backboard, in type and in grain
• Hide glue (made from animal hides)
• Ruler
• Drill press

1. Restore worn screw holes by first measuring the thickness of the clock's backboard with a ruler.

2. Drill a hole at the original screw hole, three-fourths of the way through the backboard.

3. Trim a section of your piece of wood to exactly the same thickness as the depth of your new hole.

4. Use the plug cutters and drill press to cut several plugs from the wood.

5. Use the depth rod on the vernier caliper to determine the exact depth of your screw hole.

6. Brush hide glue into the drilled hole and over the sides of the plug. Use a light touch.

7. Slide the plug into the hole, taking care to align the grain of the wood of the plug with the grain of the wood of the backboard of the clock. Wipe away excess glue immediately.

8. Reinstall the screws.

9. Find tips on other types of antique clock repair by visiting the Extreme Restoration website. See the Resources section below for a link.

Tips & Warnings

• A 1/4" drill bit is usually best for cleaning up worn screw holes.
• There are many other aspects of restoring antique clocks to explore, including mirror repair, aging wood and replacing missing pieces.
• Over time, the screws that hold an antique clock together will wear away at the backboard every time the screw is removed, eventually making the holes too big for the screws. There are easier methods of repairing screw holes in clocks, but be aware that many of them are not long-term solutions. Some are unsightly, and some actually reduce the clock's value.

Resources

• Clock Restoration Tips on the Extreme Restoration Website