Local clock-smith Dan Warner examines one of the time pieces that needed adjustment. Warner has repaired everything from miniature clocks to large full-size grandfather clocks.
If you happen to call Dan Warner on the hour, he might not be able to hear you over the chiming of many clocks he has in his shop.
Warner is keeping alive the art of the clocksmith, who specializes in the repair of mechanical clocks. He said it started many years ago as a night-time hobby.
“At night, what do you do if you can’t sleep? Clocks are quiet. I didn’t disturb anyone in the house doing it.”
Warner enjoys working with his hands and has a mechanical aptitude. So making tiny adjustments to intricate mechanisms is both a challenge and entertainment for him.
“Clocks have been something that I really enjoy. Every clock has a bit of history behind it, especially when you deal with the old ones. You get close to the owner as you hear their stories of how the clock has been in their family for generations.”
Warner said it isn’t unusual for him to work on a clock that is 150 years old.
“When you hear these clocks chime, you wonder ‘How many Christmases have they been through? How many people’s lives have been influenced with their sound and keeping a family on schedule?’ “
Warner said with people now wearing more electronic gadgets, mechanical clocks are becoming a collector’s piece. Warner is one of the few clocksmiths still doing the craft in western Pennsylvania. Most are found in larger cities such as Pittsburgh.
“It used to be back in the olden days that every village had a clock maker. They were very important then.”
Warner said the hardest thing he struggles with is getting parts for a particular time piece.
“The movements are still being made for a variety of clocks manufactured over the past 50 years. Sometimes, the only parts I am going to get are from another similar clock. So I have to find another clock that is not working, yet has the parts in it that I need.”
When replacement parts can’t be found, sometimes Warner is able to make repairs to existing parts.
“The plates are what hold everything together similar to two pieces of bread on a sandwich. Both plates must be exactly matched up. As they start to wear, the little holes where the pinions come out go into an elliptical shape instead of round, and the gears will begin to rock. You can’t tighten it up or it pinches the gears and the clock stops. They have to be drilled out to an exact space and bushings put in place.”
“It’s always a challenge to hand the very tedious work,” he continues. “You have to have a steady hand and good eyes. The things I look at are not the normal things that everyone sees. I look for wear around the pinions, bearings, bushings. Everything has to match and be right the whole way through that clock. If it is off in one place, it doesn’t run.”
Warner said it is more than just performing a service for him.
“You take something that doesn’t work that is a couple hundred years old and you repair it, and it keeps time. It makes me feel like I am part of the history as well as the future of that clock.”
Warner is registered to work on large grandfather clocks as well as smaller time pieces.
“I am a certified service center for Howard Miller and Ridgeway, which were known for their outstanding craftsmanship of grandfather clocks. Usually when I go into the home for a service call, I will need to pull part of the movement and take with me to make the repair. I take it back to the shop, clean it, and service it, then put it back in the clock. Usually the chimes are exactly what they used to be.
“Cuckoo clocks are similar to grandfather clocks, because they are weight-driven. I repair a lot of cuckoo clocks.”
Warner said that a maintenance schedule is important.
“Mechanical clocks are normally to be oiled once every two years and serviced every five years. Standard service means taking all the dirt, grease and oil out of the mechanism. The clock is then re-oiled and adjusted. This will keep it in good running condition.”
Warner has two locations for individuals to drop off their clocks for service: Dilick’s Jewelry Store at 938 5th Avenue, Ford City and Market Street Antiques in Leechburg. Warner said a free estimate is always given to the customer before any repairs are made. Most repairs are completed within ten days, depending on the extent of the repair. To arrange for in-home service or more information, call 724-859-8379.