Removing glass from bezels
Sometimes when a clock is brought in for repair it is found the clock case requires attention as well as work to the actual clock movement Some of this work is essential in order to provide a safe and stable environment for the movement. Other work can be purely decorative.
The replacement of broken, cracked or chipped glass in dial bezels is also another ancillary repair that is quite often undertaken. It is also sometimes thought desirable to remove the glass from a decorative bezel in order to thoroughly clean the bezel properly.
With modem clocks where the dial bezel is manufactured from pressed brass, the bezels are usually quite thin and flexible, and some are now fitted with a removable sight-ring which holds the glass in place and is easily removed. The convex glass on some modern clocks can be very thin, and great care should be exercised at all times when working with glass. A pair of thick protective gloves should be worn and eye protection used when removing or replacing any glass.
With the more substantial cast bezels that are found on antique French clocks, and some of the better German clocks, the bezels are often found to be quite large and thickly cast. The flat bevelled glass found in these clocks is sometimes as much as 1/8in thick or more. In order to remove the glass, the bezel should be gently heated over a gas flame. You must be careful not to allow the glass to come into contact with the flame or the bezel be allowed to get too hot, as the glass may then crack. The bezel should be warmed until the brass which will expand at a different rate to the glass, expands sufficiently to allow the glass to be pressed out. The procedure is the same when replacing the glass, only here the cold glass is pressed into the warmed bezel. Again, although the bezel only requires heating until is warm, not hot, protective gloves and eye protection should be worn.
Ian Beilby, UK
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