The Village Clockmaker Clock repair tutorial. #19. Drilling a hole in a barometer glass.

I have been repairing clocks for fifty years and would like to share some of the things I have learned over the years. With that in mind this will be a weekly video of the repair of what ever comes through the door of the shop. Over fifty years I have repaired a broad range of clocks from simple American mantle clocks to rare European automata clocks to early English table clocks so stay tuned and please subscribe, like and if you comment or have a questions, I will do my best to answer them. My web site address is www.jamesleaclocks.com.

[@steved8038]

the more videos you make the more fascinating the world of horology becomes keep up the good work

[@kidcurry1957]

Perfect! Thanks!

[@phooesnax]

So glad when I saw the knob was bigger. Was worried about the scribe lines. Thanks for posting the job.

[@rinklestiltskin]

The lines would not have marked the glass unless the scriber was carbide.

[@seanmooney3907]

Fantastic ingenuity. It may be an old trick of a clockmaker but I haven't seen it before. Thanks for sharing. All the best, Sean

[@berryj.greene7090]

Back in the day it was always string. It seemed to work OK. Thanks for another honest video

[@gregorywest2029]

Nice job of drilling the glass. Keep the videos comming. Greg

[@johncarruthers5020]

Hi James, thanks for the series, I've learned a lot. In the glass works we often had to replace barometer glasses. We used a plain spear point bit in a hand brace and turps for the hole. A turn of horse hair was enough to give a bit of friction, but if you were good you could peen the centre down so it gripped without breaking the glass. Usually they were beveled round the edge on a wet alox 0000 wheel then polished on a cork belt.

[@juanrivero8]

Those diamond burrs are extremely useful. I have a Chinese set, but the ones sold at Lowe's are much more durable. I have even used them to touch up carbide tools. The string is a neat idea. THanks for sharing.

[@thelittleshopaustralia4733]

Gday James. I am just making my way through your videos and they are very usefull. I am a machinest myself and I have cut glass using a turned down piece of steel to the diametre hole you require, relieve the centre to create a "cup" and then use abrasive paste on the mating surfaces between the glass and the steal. Just apply gentle pressure when mounted in the drill press or Mill and let the abrasive paste do the job for you. What you get at the end of it is a perfect hole with crisp edges. The mill/drill should be running no higher than 100RPM but for odd size holes you cant beat it. Love your videos

[@rogers531]

Brilliant wax string gasket.. I think I used flossing roll on a smaller job... You are a brilliant machinist so you are also fully trained horologist. Great, my problem is I love your lathe so might have to invest in one... Thanks James..

[@thomaschandler8036]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. enjoyed...

[@Rocky1234732]

Thanks for the video.

[@jamesa.leathevillageclockm8113]

+Rocky1234732 Thanks for watching.

[@timothygreen9301]

I wanted to see the rest of the barometer assembly.

[@pauljones3866]

James,
Great job on showing us using the diamond drill/burr with your high-speed drill press. Is it possible to use a very small rubber O-ring or a Belleville washer instead of the waxed thread to add the turning resistance?
Thank you for another interesting video.
Regards, Paul

[@denisehalter1066]

Where can I get a piece of round glass; to replace the one that has broken in my clock?

[@brianwarburton4482]

Thanks for the video. Do you have to drill at such high speed?

[@jamesa.leathevillageclockm8113]

+Brian Warburton I have tried it in a regular drill press and it does not work nearly as well. The higher the RPM the better.Thanks for watching.

[@johnbaker1039]

James, would ever use a Loctite type product to prevent that screw from becoming loose?

[@jamesa.leathevillageclockm8113]

+John Baker Yes. I use Loctite often and probably should have used it there.

[@larry527az3]

+James A. Lea The Village Clockmaker Personally, I think you used the right material, Loctite is good for locking threads but not against a metal to glass contact such as you showed here. As usual, another great video showing us some of the intricacies of your business. Keep them up, I'm enjoying them all!

[@78recordrepair]

That's all there is to it? So your gonna leave a string sitting there inside the glass? That looks horrible. And eventually it will work its way out when turned enough times. Use felt washers. One on each side so your not turning metal on glass.