Clock Hands for Antique American Movement with 2 inch dial

thingiverse

Restoring an antique mechanical carriage clock from the Boston Clock Company is a challenge I'm determined to tackle head-on. It's true that finding such treasures at garage sales can be hit-or-miss - this particular gem caught my eye at just $2, battered as it was by dirt and neglect, its original working condition nowhere to be seen. Miraculously, the restoration process has unfolded with remarkable ease, yielding a mechanism that ticks smoothly away in perfect syncopation, maintaining an accurate time-keeping routine that is nothing short of astonishing. What stood out as the greatest hurdle was sourcing replacement hands; for antique clocks of this vintage and stature, getting precise measurements right down to a mere 2 inches on the dial size presents no small challenge. Nonetheless, having pinpointed the exact design requirements needed for compatibility with my specific carriage clock model from Boston, I've taken bold action by fabricating my own hands. It started when I found myself admiring Makerbot's clever cuckoo clock hands and quickly saw a viable path forward: tailoring their proven design principles specifically to meet the precise needs of my own vintage piece. As you can see for yourself in the photo that accompanies this post, my custom-fabricated hand replacements blend perfectly into place. They sit flush with an otherwise ornate clock face in flawless symphony - not bad for someone who never ventured beyond beginner DIY status in his pre-clock-work years. Crafting the parts themselves involved selecting just the right print settings to produce pieces of unimpeachable quality and visual appeal. Using high-strength PLA materials at lower-than-regular temperatures and keeping layer thickness tight at .12 mm throughout eliminated unnecessary cleanup, minimizing labor for all the while creating a beautiful blend that enhances both the practical function of these new hand mechanisms while maintaining perfect cohesion with existing craftsmanship in the piece.