Tel: 01432 271261
On arrival each dial is extensively photographed and assessed. Tracings are taken and the dial is scrutinised under ultra violet light and powerful magnification to detect any worn lettering or detail that may not be so visible to the naked eye. I then carefully clean the dial to remove any badly discoloured varnish. Any necessary repairs are then carried out to flaking or missing paintwork and loose dial feet. Further photos are taken during this process. The original base paint is colour matched and repaired areas are repainted using an airbrush. When repainting or touching in, I aim to retain as much of the original as possible including any craquelure. If certain features have been worn away, i.e. gold leaf, names etc these can be detected and restored. I use a variety of inks and paints, but in the main I use acrylic ink for the blackwork. Oil paints are used for retouching paintwork in the arch or spandrels. I aim to make any work undertaken on the dial reversible and I never add anything that is not original.
I can also restore 20th century printed metal and card dials, either by hand or via printed transfer. The reprinting of 20th century metal dials is not a realistic option.
Brass and silvered dials can also be restored, rewaxed and resilvered. The silvering is only microns thick and wears away, it is also best to have this restored as the brass can after time suffer from pitting and staining due to air bourne pollutants.
Reverse painted dials on glass can also be restored, as this finished example shows,
Further restoration images can be seen here - Break arch longcase dial
Further restoration images can be seen here - Bracket timepiece dial
Dial repair and restoration is a very labour intensive task, and the minimum time to undertake any work is 3 weeks. Pricing varies according to the work required, so I am happy to offer a free quotation. If you wish to email and attach good quality close up photographs of your dial, I can give you an indication of price. Alternatively you are welcome to bring your dial or clock to our workrooms in Hereford. Should you have any other queries or would like to discuss any aspect of clock repair and restoration please do not hesitate to contact me
Case and movement repairs can also be carried out, we provide a comprehensive clock and timepiece repair service of which more details can be found here Kier Hardy Clocks.