New prospective watch and clock repairman just starting out

[RLang386]

Hi! I'm from the US and I've been very interested in antiques and especially mechanical items for a long time. I sell antiques as a vendor at a flea market and I've decided to start repairing clocks and watches and selling them in my booth. It's not going to be my primary income source and I don't really care if I only break even, I just find it really engaging and I like seeing something come back to life when it's been dead for a long time. I've worked on typewriters and cameras before.

I haven't worked on any watches yet but I am acquiring the basic tools-- I have been advised to start on older and larger pocket watches, but other than that I'm all ears as to what I should start with.

As for clocks (and one thing that drew me to this forum is the clock repair subforum), I have now cleaned and lubricated two 1900's German clocks, a Gustav Becker wall clock that I will be keeping and a Junghans mantel clock that I bought to repair and sell. Both of them weren't running before due to old oil, and now they bothrun, although I have not yet tried to adjust the pendulum crutch on either, and I suspect that my Becker needs a new suspension spring.

Altogether, I'm here to learn and enjoy my new hobby, and if I ocasionally make some profit I won't complain. I have a couple more clock movements that I want to experiment with building cases for, and another 1900's mantel clock from Ingraham's of Connecticut that I haven't been able to test because I haven't ordered a pendulum bob for it yet.

[Nucejoe]

Welcome to the WRT forum and good luck with your forey into horology. 

[oldhippy]

Thank you for your introduction and welcome to this friendly forum.

We all look forward to your contributions and continued involvement. 

When it comes to watches I always advise to start on pocket watches (not the fusee ones) because they are just like watch movements only a lot bigger. I'm very interested in your clock side of things.  

[watchweasol]

 Hi and welcome to the forum.  Always here to help If we can. Cheers.

[RLang386]

7 hours ago, Nucejoe said:

Welcome to the WRT forum and good luck with your forey into horology. 

5 hours ago, watchweasol said:

 Hi and welcome to the forum.  Always here to help If we can. Cheers.

Thank you all! Cheers to you!

7 hours ago, oldhippy said:

Thank you for your introduction and welcome to this friendly forum.

We all look forward to your contributions and continued involvement. 

When it comes to watches I always advise to start on pocket watches (not the fusee ones) because they are just like watch movements only a lot bigger. I'm very interested in your clock side of things. 

Yes, I've been looking at several 1900's watches and watch movments. I have an Illinois I think 17s movement in a damaged case that runs a little unsteadily but does run, and I also inherited a big old Atlas Watch Company "turnip" from around the same time (I think 18s?) that's all gummed up with, I think, a broken setting lever spring or something like that. They're both pretty but neither of them intimidates me so much as the various Swiss and American wristwatches I've opened the backs on.

Edited January 6, 2023 by RLang386
Accidentally saved too soon