Well, the TOP 10 reasons I thought it was so PERFECT are:
10. It's old but useless as a clock, so I'm not "killing" the clock.
9. It's the right size for at least 2 floors at Quarter Scale.
8. It has a glass door that allows viewing of whatever is inside while staying closed.
7. The back can be removed by removing the screws.
6. It has a door that allows access from the front.
5. The original glass in intact, though dirty...
4. Virtually all the wood is there.
3. The price was great!
2. It's got a kind of "regal" design.
And the number one reason...........................
1. Hello? Hickory, Dickory, Dock, The mouse ran up the clock!
Okay, back to work. I started cleaning the clock by removing the clockworks, 2 screws, really dusty, but brass and pretty heavy duty stuff. Then I removed the door, no problem but the glass has this deteriorated black and gold paint on it (probably with lead in it!) and it was pretty scratched up. I carefully set that aside because the glass was still glued in pretty tight. I then removed the back, 4 screws, came off pretty easy. I noticed that there was a piece of paper glued to the inside of the back plate, look like instructions...
Hmmmmmm, I thought, I better check on this. Well, apparently this Elias Ingraham made clocks in the mid 1800s and was responsible for several innovations in the clock world during his time. A clock in excellent condition can fetch a fair sum from this clock maker. This particular clock appears to have been made around 1861 (Civil War Era) and the black and gold paint on it represent Elias's Patriotic Series! http://www.ehow.com/how_6591619_date-e_-ingraham-clock.html Delightfully, he made these with rosewood (guitars are made of rosewood, so you know I loves me some rosewood!). I'm enchanted! Now, can I kill this clock knowing it's history? Yeah, I thought about it and the clockworks are not complete, the clock face is missing, and it's PERFECT for what I want. So, I'm going for it. However, I did put the clockworks on Ebay just in cause someone can revive it or use the parts to revive another Ingraham masterpiece! Cliff and I agreed that I should leave the paper on the back "wall" as the mouse wallpaper. So, I got a soft brush and gently brushed the cornstarch textured dust as best I could without ripping the fragile aged paper. It's wonderful. We then cut a piece of thin plexiglass to cover it and keep it intact in the house! I scraped the glass on the doors carefully, while holding my breath, and cleaned the glass as best I could. Then, I repeatedly brushed dust from inside the main housing. It was like silt, 150 year old dust! Wood soap, Watco Rejuvenator and my favorite - Fiddle Bright! Note the maker's technique for forming the arch at the top of the clock. They cut the wood almost through until they got it to bend. These are not precise cuts, they appear to have been done by hand, by a human!! Amazing to me!
I read this
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