Clock repair part

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Geektastic

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#257402 1-Oct-2019 09:51

I have a pair of ship's instruments - an 8 Day Ships Bells clock and a matching barometer.

The glass front is fitted into the brass bezel with a white tube gasket. I approached the clock's maker in Denmark (or at least, the company that now owns the clock brand - it was made in Germany) and they advised as follows:

"This model we do not produce any longer.
However we use a pvc-white tube for the Schatz Midi and Royal series instruments.
This tube is ø2mm internal diameter and wall thickness 0,4mm."

Does anyone have any idea where I could obtain pvc tubing of that specification?

The problem is that over time (I estimate the clocks to be over 20 years old) the tubing has hardened and cannot be compressed to return to where it is supposed to sit, so part of it is 'out', obscuring the legibility of the clock and barometer in each case.

MikeB4

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#2327478 1-Oct-2019 10:08

Have you tried a marine spares supplier like Burnsco or Barton Marine? a long shot but they maybe able to help.

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MikeB4

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#2327480 1-Oct-2019 10:12

Also Masons in Palmerston North maybe a good place to try

Journeyman

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#2327540 1-Oct-2019 11:10

It's not white, but is this the sort of thing you're thinking of?

Otherwise, does it have to be PVC or could it be silicone?

edit: this one is much cheaper.

neb

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#2327557 1-Oct-2019 11:39

Geektastic:
"This model we do not produce any longer.
However we use a pvc-white tube for the Schatz Midi and Royal series instruments.
This tube is ø2mm internal diameter and wall thickness 0,4mm."

That sounds like standard lab tubing, if you can't find metres of it on Aliexpress try a lab supply place, although they might get a bit expensive compare to Ali.

Geektastic

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#2327786 1-Oct-2019 15:20

Journeyman:
It's not white, but is this the sort of thing you're thinking of?

Otherwise, does it have to be PVC or could it be silicone?

edit: this one is much cheaper.

I don't suppose the material matters as long as it's inert in contact with brass and glass, is elastic enough to hold the glass in place when compressed into the space etc.

Is Ali Express safe to use?

Journeyman

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#2327857 1-Oct-2019 16:37

About as safe as ebay, IMO. I use it regularly. I've lost money on occasion, but only for small amounts. The biggest annoyance for me with aliexpress is that it typically takes about a month for delivery. Unless you pay for Aliexpress Standard Shipping which is around 10 days. The price on that tends to vary inconsistently though.

Rickles

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#2328218 1-Oct-2019 23:36

Try a Para Rubber store … they have myriad tubing of many diameters.

SATTV

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#2328235 2-Oct-2019 07:35

What about a model store to a craft store.

I enjoy going through emporiums when I can, there are all sorts of treasures there.

You could also contact the precision watch company in New Lynn, Auckland. they do clock repairs and might have something that will do the job.

John

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afe66

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#2328349 2-Oct-2019 11:38

There are a number of uk companies that supply clock parts. Ie Horology .

Postage times from uk are probably better than China.

Geektastic

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#2328359 2-Oct-2019 12:06

I solved the problem in an easier way! I found a clockmaker in Dunedin who repairs and renovates old clocks.

He said that what he usually does when he is doing similar things is to remove the gasket and use a special clear glue that is invisible but easily removed later in the event the glass needs to be replaced etc.

He said for $30 he would do it for me, which really isn't that different from trying to find the material and so on and spending time doing it, so the units were on the courier to him this morning!

He will also cast an eye over the clock mech itself whilst it is on his bench and tell me if it needs servicing at all.

I'll report back on the end result.

I have also sourced a nice bit of Puriri wood from a specialist instrument timber supplier that I will mount them on when they return.