California ClockWorks and Restoration

California ClockWorks and Restoration California ClockWorks and restoration

04/12/2026

Quick PSA:
If the cord on your vintage device, clock, or appliance looks like this; brittle, frayed, crumbling, with open or exposed wires, DO NOT PLUG IT IN! Not even for a moment.
Bring it to a professional for evaluation and replacement so you can live free from electrical burns, fire, or other associated damage.

www.californiaclockworks.com

The shop has been BU-SY these past few months, with clocks of all sorts, a few vintage restorations, and a lot of wonder...
03/30/2026

The shop has been BU-SY these past few months, with clocks of all sorts, a few vintage restorations, and a lot of wonderful folks bringing their heirlooms and good conversations.
I wanted to share this one since there's finally a moment to post something. This repair involves a new adventure of buying a vintage lot of "new old stock" clock parts to build up my bag of tricks for future customers. The gambit paid off, and now I can welcome more vintage repairs due to having more parts on hand for faster service.

Clocks come in all shapes and sizes, and this is another great example of what walks into the shop sometimes. This poor ...
09/14/2025

Clocks come in all shapes and sizes, and this is another great example of what walks into the shop sometimes.
This poor guy had a broken wing and damage in a few other areas, but nothing that could not be fixed with a bath, some sculpting paste, paint, and a generous dose of TLC.

Now, they are ready to guard their hoard for years to come.

Bring in your treasure and see what we can do to restore it back to its epic glory!

Before Musee d'Orsay became a museum, it was known as Gare d'Orsay. And as in any other train station, there is a centra...
06/15/2025

Before Musee d'Orsay became a museum, it was known as Gare d'Orsay. And as in any other train station, there is a central timepiece. I just never thought it would be THIS magnificent.

We get the funnest items into the shop sometimes!This is a Kirsch-Hamilton Prisma clock. These were made in the 1970's a...
05/27/2025

We get the funnest items into the shop sometimes!

This is a Kirsch-Hamilton Prisma clock. These were made in the 1970's and are not very common.
They are true to their name, in the sense that when the lights are on, they show prismatic color from every different angle you look at them. Unless the lights are not working, then it is a pricey paperweight....

Now that it has a new cord and fresh lightbulbs, It makes for an ever changing, almost alive display of color. The wonderful melding of light and time would have made Einstein proud.

Unlock the beauty of your cherished timepieces and vintage items with our expert restoration services. Visit our website...
04/13/2025

Unlock the beauty of your cherished timepieces and vintage items with our expert restoration services. Visit our website today to discover how we can bring your clocks back to life!

Of course we can fix it!After replacing the RAM holdup battery, clearing and resetting the basic gaming software, I gave...
04/12/2025

Of course we can fix it!
After replacing the RAM holdup battery, clearing and resetting the basic gaming software, I gave it a deep cleaning and polished the shiny bits.

Voila, ready to eat quarters again!

Something new showed up at the workshop!Vintage, dirty, and throwing some sort of error.Can I fix it? Let's find out...
04/12/2025

Something new showed up at the workshop!
Vintage, dirty, and throwing some sort of error.

Can I fix it? Let's find out...

Meet Phineas, part two:Well, this was a challenge! There were old repairs to work with, some very well done, and some, w...
04/04/2025

Meet Phineas, part two:

Well, this was a challenge! There were old repairs to work with, some very well done, and some, well.... in need of a do-over.

I did some mahogany dentistry and then reassembled a cleaned wooden movement.
The legs required major surgery that involved cleaning out old repairs and messy adhesives, then inserting shaped mahogany blocks to provide a flat anchor for the legs to go on. I shaped some veneer pieces out of mahogany planks to cover the repairs.

The lock was fixed by torch brazing a new tube for the ket to fit onto, and the whole thing was polished and given a hot oil bath for corrosion protection.

Next up were the structural repairs for loose joints and loose or missing veneer, followed by a deep cleaning and polish. I use about 100,000,000 cotton swabs for a job like this.
I sourced period correct weights, cables and a new center finial from my friends at Timesavers.

The final touch of installing freshly polished brass onto clean wood is always the most satisfying.

He runs and keeps time very nicely, with a clear, old-timey chime.

All in all, he doesn't look a year over 190 now.

Meet Phineas, he is a two century-old gentleman with age-related health issues, missing weights, frayed cables, and miss...
04/04/2025

Meet Phineas, he is a two century-old gentleman with age-related health issues, missing weights, frayed cables, and missing his top hat. He had a broken and amputated leg, another bruised and broken leg, two missing teeth, and overall, he was really feeling his age.
In the next post, we will get to work on the repairs and rejuvenation of this absolute treasure of early american clockmaking. In all earnest, this is a beautiful, if somewhat tattered example of an Eli Terry wooden movement inside a Seth Thomas clock. Let's do what I do best!
To be continued...

This was a rare opportunity to make a fundamentally solid clock, shine like new again. The owners had been told that the...
03/24/2025

This was a rare opportunity to make a fundamentally solid clock, shine like new again. The owners had been told that the movement was shot and needed replacement, but upon receipt, we found absolutely nothing wrong with it other than needing a good cleaning and lubrication.

Sadly, no real "before" photos were taken, but I wanted to share the end result nonetheless.

Such a joy to have in the shop, it plays 2 different tunes, one on the half and one on the hour, while the little folks do their dance, the waterwheel spins and the woodcutter does his endless work.

Ship Ahoy! This vintage novelty clock was in a dire state with the electric movement not running and a fire broken out o...
01/12/2025

Ship Ahoy! This vintage novelty clock was in a dire state with the electric movement not running and a fire broken out on the fore deck.
This required a complete teardown, a manual rewind and rebuild of the electromotor, polishing of all metal parts, 3d printing a new light cover, fire damage repair of the portholes, wood refinishing work and the small finishing touch of preservation and re-attachment of the original price tag.
Now she is ready for smooth sailing once again!

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2699 Channel Drive
Ventura, CA

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