What's Involved | Marshall Clocks

What happens to a clock during an overhaul?

When a clock comes in for repair, it is completely disassembled on-site by a horologist. This is when the clock is assessed for age-related problems, or anything else that might be an issue. A clock can need anything from new springs, replacement pinions, a new pivot (or many), or replacement wheels. All clocks are sympathetically repaired, and new parts made, in our central York workshops.

The following steps outline what happens during an overhaul, however much more work is generally involved.

If you would like to see regular updates of work completed in the workshops, please take a look at our Instagram page.

Every Clock is completely disassembled and throughly checked for wear and past repairs.

All Pivots are polished to a mirror finish by hand or on machines. If the pivot is very worn it will need to be re-pivoted with blue steel and polished.

An example of a very worn pivot successfully repaired.

Dial Restoration

At Marshall Clocks, we can also restore brass dials. The silvering is done by the 17th century process of displacement plating. This is then laquered using traditional shellac laquer, to prevent tarnishing. The gilded spandrels are cleaned using a conservation grade soap, and the inner dial matting is then cleaned and laquered. Restoring a dial can transform the look of a clock. Painted dials can be restored by a trusted specialist. This can range from a sympathetic restoration to a full re-paint. Examples can be seen below.