Bakelite – and a perfect Wyn-win encounter

It started with a call out of the blue, delivered in a lovely Welsh lilt from a village near Carmarthen, west of Swansea. Two weeks later, over half a century of family history had been restored. And some Bakelite was gleaming on the Welsh dresser. * “I’ve got an old clock that doesn’t work. HowContinue reading “Bakelite – and a perfect Wyn-win encounter”

A mystery, an enigma and a Yorkshire clock maker

The good people of West Yorkshire had come seeking truth. But history continues to defy reason. And the search for the elusive Neddey Wells of Shepley leaves us with more questions than answers.*Where to start with this story? I fell in love with the simple but beautiful longcase clock the moment I saw it, aContinue reading “A mystery, an enigma and a Yorkshire clock maker”

A suitable case for treatment? Dishing the dirt on patina.

Patina – a word much loved by antique dealers and hopeful sellers on Ebay. But is it simply just another dirty word for… well, dirt? As regular readers know, I love a good old clock. The dirtier the clock when it arrives on my workbench, the better. It is the pleasure of the challenge, ofContinue reading “A suitable case for treatment? Dishing the dirt on patina.”