Well there was some truth in that as i am always on the look out for clocks to restore and this clock certainly would benefit from some restoration.
Black marble clock restoration.
Hills antique clocks repair restoration sales 508 429 1000 448 french onyx crystal regulator with mercury pendulum 8 day time and strike.
The vast majority black marble clocks date from around the 1850s onwards so this is an interesting early example.
Make offer 1880 s french moreau woman in hat gilded bronze mantel clock green black marble.
Black marble t he photographs in figures 1 and 2 show what remained of a clock which was described by a dealer friend of mine as just what i was looking for.
French movements with silk suspensions are very rare in black marble clocks.
If the slate has inlays then scrub gentley with warm soapy water avoiding the edges because the adhesive loosens and get into the inlays with a tooth brush dry.
None the less it has sentimental value to the owner who wanted the clock to be restored throughout.
Antique j e caldwell french mantel clock set w urns marble bronze 19th c exlnt.
Apparently this was the second.
Make offer antique black faux marble seth thomas adamantine mantel clock clean working antique le petit forgeron gilt brass animated desk clock with marble base 499 99.
625 french black marble mantle clock 8 day time and strike on bell 576 fancy french crystal regulator mercury pendulum 8 day time and strike 10 5 tall.
Marble is a much harder imperveous stone and these clocks were often inlaid with genuine marble to give them a little style and colour.
They are however frequently found in other types of case design up until around the 1860s by which time the sprung steel suspension had taken over.
It is a belgian calcite with a slightly porous texture.
Generally known as black slate clocks by the trade the stone is in fact neither marble nor slate.
I found the best results was a good slow build up of shine using spit polish with a good quality black shoe polish followed by one a coating of microcrystalline wax.