Cuckoo Clock

I’ve always loved automaton, perpetual motion machines, music machines and anything with movements & gears. Cuckoo clocks are a particular favorite, & I picked this one up recently at a VERY good antique shop clearance sale! I had to do some repair & paint, but now it’s up & working 🙂

I often dream about a little cottage tucked in the woods, filled with all sorts of tools and everything that a woodworker / clock maker would need to create the most enchanting little creations. There’s lots of clocks ticking, and wood carvings in different stages of being finished. Then, as I see the hands hard at work in my minds eye, I move up to see their face… whoops it’s me 😉

Wouldn’t that just be the sweetest!

This little cuckoo clock is a 5 leaf, 1 day, musical clock made in the black forest of Germany. It was such a great deal, & needed very little work, so I couldn’t resist.

I’m not much for the bright colors, so as you can see here, we needed to do something about that.

Cuckoo Clock Repair

Whenever you move a cuckoo clock, be sure to put a wire through the links of the chains closest to the holes. This keeps them from falling off of the gears.

Cuckoo Clock Repair

I’m thankful that all of the parts were included with this one. That almost never happens in places like this.

Cuckoo Clock Repair

Don’t you just love these dancing couples! Not only are they beautifully dressed for a night out on the town, but they give us a show with the music every hour.

Musical Cuckoo Clock

You can see that the top left clip that attaches the carvings needs to be fixed.

Cuckoo Clock Dancers

Instead of re-staining the piece, I decided to use a watered down black paint. That way, a bit of the color can still shine through, while darkening everything quite a bit.

Then I carefully removed the ever so tiny nails from the face of the clock, and propped it up with some folded newspaper to keep the paint from getting on it. (wow – those are the tiniest nails I’ve ever seen!)

Cuckoo Clock Getting Painted

Here’s a better view of the chains & the wire protecting them from falling off of the gears.

Cuckoo Clock New Color

You can already see a huge difference in color!

Cuckoo Clock Getting Repairs

I’m holding the carvings up to see how the colors are coming, and to be sure that I got the clock face back on straight.

Cuckoo Clock Getting Put Back Together

It’s starting to really come together now!

Cuckoo Clock All Done

Now, it’s finally finished & ready to go! I love the dark color against the robin’s egg blue walls.

Now for the final test… removing the wire, pulling the chains, setting the time, and swinging the pendulum … and … it works!!!

Cuckoo Clock - 5 Leaf, musical, 1 day

I am so thrilled to have another clock in my little collection … I wonder what will be next 😉




Here’s how cuckoo clocks are made in the Black Forest in Germany