4K | Restoring a 150-Year-Old Gustav Becker Clock (1873) | Full Tear Down & Early Restoration

Join me as I begin the full restoration of a 150-year-old Gustav Becker clock, dated between 1872–1875. This incredible piece of German craftsmanship came into the shop in surprisingly good condition for its age—but it still needs a complete teardown, deep cleaning, bushing work, polishing, case restoration, and more to bring it back to its original glory.

In today’s video, I walk through the early stages of the restoration process:

What we cover in this episode:

Inspecting the clock case, trademark, serial numbers, and confirming its 1872–1875 manufacturing period

Examining the movement and identifying worn bushings, bent teeth, old repairs, and manufacturing marks

Breaking down the movement and discovering corrosion, soft pins, old soldered parts, and 150 years of grime

Running the movement through the ultrasonic cleaner and treating the steel after vinegar caused darkening

Experimenting with multiple polishing methods (Never-Dull, acetone, baking soda boil, brasso, vinegar soak)

Bringing the brass plates back to life and preparing for final high-shine polishing with Dremel buffing wheels

Replacing multiple worn bushings—including a tricky “bushing in a bushing” situation

Cleaning and restoring pinions and steel parts with steel wool, fiberglass pens, and Evapo-Rust

Planning the case restoration: removing the ebonyized finish, protecting the wax seal, and stripping the wood safely

Prepping the internal hardware, steel components, and leather parts for reassembly

This is only the beginning of a large restoration project. The case still needs major attention, the plates need final polishing, and every wheel and pivot will be checked again before reassembly. But so far, this 150-year-old clock is cleaning up beautifully—and I can’t wait to show you the final result in the coming videos.

If you enjoy antique clock restoration, history, or detailed mechanical work, make sure to like and subscribe so you don’t miss the upcoming episodes in this Gustav Becker series.

Thanks for watching, and have a great night!

00:00 – Intro & Previous Gustav Becker Update
00:10 – Introducing the New 1872–1875 Gustav Becker Project
00:55 – Examining the Trademarks & Dating the Clock
01:48 – First Look Up Close of the Movement
05:02 – Cleaning and Restoring Old Parts
06:40 – Polishing Pivots
07:37 – Test Fit of Bushings
08:57 – Replacing Bushings
15:35 – Case Restoration Options
16:29 – Restoring Parts - Fiberglass Brush, Steel Wool, Dremel
20:19 – Outro & What's Next