Where Do Carvings Come From?

[pallin]

Some years ago - maybe 25 - I was traveling in Maine and decided I needed a carving project. I stopped in a gift shop where I had seen some bird carvings and asked the proprietor where I could buy some basswood. He ended up giving me a "significant" chunk of nice basswood.

I had with me a book, "Classic Carving Patterns" by Lora S. Irish, and decided to carve the "Rose and Laurel Spray" on pp. 134-5. The carving went fairly well, but I had no plan for where it would be used.

Some time later - maybe months or years - my wife and I found an incomplete antique clock in a shop in Port Townsend, WA. The clock was missing it top piece. The owner was also missing, but we tracked him down and arranged to buy it. Soon it occurred to me that the carved spray could be adapted to the clock by including some elements of the clock's corner columns.

I cleaned it up and refinished the mahogany highlights of the face and back panel. It has now taken its place of honor in our family room after being stored away for 15 years:

Arthur (one of our WCI guys) may appreciate this. Old clocks is one of his interests.

[joepaulbutler]

Wow, that turned out very nice

[yolli]

Great, the clock appears as a beautifull artwork.

[Eddy-Smiles]

Wow! I had an aunt the use to bring back cuckoo clocks from Germany but non were ever as fine carved as yours.

[Arthur C.]

Well done, Phil! The top is very attractive with the clock, and blends well. What's the logo on the face...the clock looks German, probably circa 1930?

[Merle Rice]

Hi, Phil, that fits like it was made for it . Outstanding Job on the Carving . Merle

[uvawyo]

Excellent!!!

[pallin]

Well done, Phil! The top is very attractive with the clock, and blends well. What's the logo on the face...the clock looks German, probably circa 1930?

The face is porcelain enamel - chipped near the VII from being dropped. There is a small 8-pointed star near the center with the name "Junghans" around a letter J. On the pendulum is "R = A" in Black Letter symbols. The other bright spot is a reflection on the glass in the door.

At one time I had ten chiming clocks, most of them either spring or weight driven. Each has a story.

[sappy]

Like Merle said, it looks like it was meant to be. On the site for "Antique Clock Guy", there is a page telling of the Junghans clocks. This is a clip from that page: a clock cogwheel fashioned into a eight-pointed star, became the brand symbol in 1890.

[Arthur C.]

The face is porcelain enamel - chipped near the VII from being dropped. There is a small 8-pointed star near the center with the name "Junghans" around a letter J. On the pendulum is "R = A" in Black Letter symbols. The other bright spot is a reflection on the glass in the door.

At one time I had ten chiming clocks, most of them either spring or weight driven. Each has a story.

Yep, very good German clock! I have a couple of Jungans in my shop waiting for me to restore them. For those not familiar with the R-A on the pendulum, it stands for "Retard-Advance," or "Slower-Faster" adjustment to regulate the timekeeping by lowering or raising the bob.

[Glenn Jennings]

Hi Phil
That was one very nice save on the clock it looks wonderful.