Revival

Hello! Since visiting here in October a week or two ago something has happened! My ability to Post has been re-activated. Not only here but on my altar ego BLOG as well. 
I have so much to report. My exile has been enduring...... an injuring! I have learned things about text and clocks. Even some watches have responded. There are so many photos to upload - surly I will be penalised. I'll start modestly:-

   Who is that dear little chap? What does he know?  He knows that time flies and texts, fonts, and typefaces are apt to revert to type. {Did you see what I did there?}.
I refuse to be beaten!  We will not squander our time in these islands so selflessly won for us. The goodness we aimed to project will be seen to be done.
This octagonal brass pocket watch may seem very pretty but in fact it has been a complete pain.

    

It had belonged to dear David my So-I-L who died of esophageal cancer in July this year. His widow asked that I look at it. No glass and hands. Very mucky and dried out. I dismantled and cleaned it but alas it has a number of faults difficult to remedy. These ranged fro a distorted lever to a tangled hairspring on through worn pivots, out of adjustment pallets and gummed up mainspring. I have had much difficulty getting it to run at all let alone in every orientation.
Let it be said that this is not a quality item! Attractive does not substitute for quality. A pin-pallet lever escapement, no jewels. Eventually, having got over many of the snags, I was left with an oval T2 wheel. In something of a quandary I eventually eased down the teeth  with some very fine abrasive paper and it does at least run. It seems unable to make more that 27 hours from a full wind by which time the mainspring is almost completely unwound. It will start to run from the first half wind. 
Here's another recent challenge:-

This clock is a Metamec 8 day with a french mechanical movement. I think it is a budget model. Very thin plates showed much pivot wear as it witnessed here by the installation of new pivot bushes. The great wheel of the mainspring drum has two chipped teeth which I managed to replace. Here we can see the movement in place.

Another shot shows the frontal appearance which some people have expressed a liking for. It is finally running for a full week and keeping time to within 2 minutes as the mainspring unwinds.

May I just say how wonderful it is to be back. I am looking forward to new exchanges on the BLOG I first started way back in 2009.

Rgds to all.