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    • Home
    • About
      • About Us
      • Testimonials
    • Restoration
    • Word in Progress
    • Custom Dial Painting
    • Published Works
    • Contact Us
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Testimonials
  • Restoration
  • Word in Progress
  • Custom Dial Painting
  • Published Works
  • Contact Us

Clock Dials Ltd.
Astrid Donnellan

Clock Dials Ltd. Astrid DonnellanClock Dials Ltd. Astrid DonnellanClock Dials Ltd. Astrid Donnellan

Ornamental Artist Specializing in Preservation, Restoration & Reproduction

Ornamental Artist Specializing in Preservation, Restoration & ReproductionOrnamental Artist Specializing in Preservation, Restoration & Reproduction

Restoration Of Japanned White Clock Dials

by Astrid C. Donnellan

Webster’s  dictionary defines “preservation” as a state of well being, to protect  and save, to prevent decomposition, and “restoration” as putting back  into nearly the original form, to return to good health, to bring back  to dignity. Taking part in the restoration of white clock dials is not  only rewarding and challenging, it is a chance to learn a little of the  history of the japanned white clock dial.


Since the invention of the  white clock dial around 1770 in the Midlands of England, the  environment, the passage of time, use and mishandling, have all  contributed to the deterioration of these clock dials. Japanned white  clock dials were manufactured during the period when England was  enjoying tremendous growth in the ornamental arts, 1750 to 1860.

The  surface of japanned sheet iron, be it a tea tray or a clock dial, can  fall victim to rust and surface deterioration from moisture and  mishandling. Left untreated, rust will travel under the japanned layer  and soon the surface paint will lift and fall off.
Extreme heat,  maybe in an attic, can cause the clock dial plate to expand creating  fine cracks which dampness can then get into, starting the rust process.  Care must be given to these clock dials. Strange as it may seem,  spIndrels may be intact while the entire clock dial center is lifting  and flaking. The center (inside chapter ring) must be removed and the  rust treated before the center can be primed and returned to the level  of the existing spandrels.
Each clock dial received for restoration  has to be analyzed. Photography plays a major role in the restoration  process. A good knowledge of the techniques used in the period, and  knowing what to do with treating a rusted surface, assures a quality  restoration of the clock dial.

Amateurish  attempts at restoration present still another problem. Some  well-meaning, do-it-yourself artists overpaint decorative artwork,  completely covering the original clock dial, using contemporary products  such as acrylic paints, coarse brushes, spray colors and varnishes. I  have seen roman numerals redone with felt-tip markers.
When  restoring, one must take care to use products and art techniques as  close to the original as possible. Gesso is handmade using the old time  recipe. Real gold leaf is used when called for. No varnish is used over  the gesso and gold leaf, as real gold leaf has a permanency of its own  and needs no protection. Oil paints and fine proper brushes are a must.  Partial restoration of a clock dial is discouraged. Do the job correctly  or simply don’t do it at all. A restored clock dial shouldn’t look as  though it was painted yesterday. Fine restoration takes time; it’s a  process that can’t be rushed.


NAWCC April 1997

Boston's Custom House Tower Clock, A Landmark Restored

by Astrid C. Donnellan

     It was indeed an honor to be asked to join other dedicated historians  in the restoration of the U.S. Custom House Tower clock on Boston's  waterfront. As acquaintances were made with these historians and tower  clock restorers, the illustrious history of the building and its tower  emerged.


      Boston Edison co. donated the cost of the restoration project to the  people of Boston. The original building was built in 1847 at 2 India  Street. The tower clock, manufactured by the Howard Clock Co. of Boston,  was installed when the tower was added to the original building in  1915. The tower stands 29 stories, made of granite and was Boston's  first skyscraper. The clock had not been in operation for ten years.


Authored by:  Astrid Donnellan

Boston's U.S. Custom House ClockDetail your services

Reproducing an old Howard design on the base of the movement ( all the gears that run the clock).

Reproducing an old Howard design on the base of the movement ( all the gears that run the clock).

Reproducing an old Howard design on the base of the movement ( all the gears that run the clock).

Reproducing an old Howard design on the base of the movement ( all the gears that run the clock).

Reproducing an old Howard design on the base of the movement ( all the gears that run the clock).

Priming 2 of 8 hands, 14 ft. long

Priming 2 of 8 hands, 14 ft. long

Priming 2 of 8 hands, 14 ft. long

The Process of exterior gilding.

Priming 2 of 8 hands, 14 ft. long

Priming 2 of 8 hands, 14 ft. long

The Custom House played an important role in government finances during the  early history of the country. Customs duties collected on goods entering the country were a major source of revenue for the  federal  government and the port of Boston accounted for one-fifth of the money  collected. It served as the port of Boston's thriving maritime  activities during the latter half of the nineteenth century. India  Wharf, headquarters employees of the coast Guard and the Federal Communications Commission as well as custom official. During the  original construction of the building several tunnels were built  underground; and these were said to have been a means of escape for  custom agents. At one time, workmen uncovered mysterious documents  concealed behind a wall of a sealed -off tunnel. The documents were  whisked away by government officials and their contents never revealed.


       The tower dominated the city skyline for much of the twentieth century,  Although newer buildings have dwarfed the tower in stature, its  prestige has continued as a city landmark.  With the lighting of the  tower, it once again has taken its place as on outstanding piece of architecture.


      The restoration began when the city of Boston purchased the building for $11 million from the General Services  Administration which had declared the Custom House surplus government  property, and the U.S. Customs Service was relocated elsewhere in the  city. One of the biggest challenges in the restoration project was to  remove and lower the 14 foot and 11 foot hands of the clock from the  perch 25 stories above the ground. Two workers from the Boston Chimney  and Tower Co. hung from rope chairs outside the building and attached  ropes to the hands so they could be lowered.


      Ross and David Hochstrasser of the Scituate Tower Clock Co.  disassembled, cleaned and repaired the clock's weight -driven mechanism.  The main gear which drives the 9 foot pendulum was recast in bronze.  The clock faces, all four of them, are 22 feet in diameter. They contain  3 foot gold colored glass Arabic numbers and sixty circular glass  minute-markers. The hands are made of birch. The minute hands, 14 feet  long, had to be replaced because of the effects of wind and vibration.  Arcor, Inc. of Rockland, Massachusetts used a minute hand in the best  condition to make a mold for the new hands. Into this mold was poured a  new advanced plastic amalgam similar to that used in advanced defense  hardware. the new hands will be lighter and more aerodynamic in design  and will cut ten pounds from the weight of each hand.


      My role in the restoration was to prepare a sealed surface ready for  gold leafing of the hands. The hands were delivered to me four hands at a  time. Exterior oil base primer was applied to both sides to each hand. A  slow oil size was used as the gold leaf medium. the entire project took  60 books of gold leaf or 1500 sheets.


      Also involved as part of the restoration was the preparation of the iron base used to house the gears, pendulum and seventy pound weight.  The base was sandblasted, primed and painted the typical green color  and  design in gold leaf was taken from the old Howard Co. catalog.


      To culminate this historic and memorable milestone, the Boston Edison  co., along with Mayor Raymond Flynn and dignitaries from the Boston  Landmarks Commission held a tower lighting ceremony complete with laser  light show on October 30, 1987.


 Credit: Published in The Decorator, HSEAD, Inc. 1990

Scottish Clock Dials & The Influence of Robert Burns

Beloved Scottish poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796) wrote numerous poems and short stories with loving accuracy depicting the life of rural Scots.


      Many of the themes and titles from his writings are illustrated on  painted clock dials. These clocks and painted dials, sometimes called  four season dials, usually had painted scenes in the corner spandrels  depicting the four seasons, country scenes or the four continents.


      The break arch area was reserved for a popular theme of Robert Burns'  short story or poem. The technique was a more folk art style with  vibrant colors. Many times the clothing worn by the subject had a silver  leaf layer covered with a transparent glaze of color resulting in an  iridescent quality.


      Although the towns of Edinburgh and Glasgow were the main centers of  Scottish clock and dial manufacture, There were other towns and villages  where local talented artists worked. These Scottish Highlands clock  dials were produced between 1780-1870.


 The Decorator, Vol 61 # 2 -2007

"JOHN ANDERSON MY JOE"

"Pattie & Peggy"

"The Muse Finding burns at the Plough"

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