SMC Discussion Areas

Picked up a couple of PAM clocks yesterday.  I have been looking at clocks for a while now but these are the first two I have ever actually bought.  The first one appears to be in pretty good condition - its still pretty dirty and needs a good cleanup but all of the smudges you see in the pic are actually dirt on the bubble glass, the ad glass is in really nice shape.  The second, was kind of a throw in.  After going to look at the first, I asked the guy if he had any other similar stuff he might be selling while I was there.  He said he had another but not in very good shape.  Its a Chevron with some sort of a sticker over the top of it.   On it, all of the dirt, crud etc is on the ad glass.  I bought it because the bubble glass is in really good shape and the clock movement works. 

My intention for the Squirt is to clean it up, replace the lighting and give it to my 14 yr old for Xmas.  He is just starting to get into some of the old soda stuff - we watch Pickers, AM Resto, Pawn Stars, etc together so I think he will really like it.  My 15 yr old likes some of the stuff too, so I thought about trying to redo the Chevron.  I know you can buy repop backglass and bezels, which will make it pretty nice as well.  I don't know much more about these yet so I would appreciate any thoughts. 

The Chevron uses incandescent bulbs, but hte Squirt uses a flourescent with a starter.  Is that the best way to keep it?  I paid $100 for the Squirt and $30 for the Chevron, for future reference, how did I do?

Nice!!

at that price you should have had a ski mask on, nice finds, I am jjealous.  I have a nice clock collection forming and think they were the coolect form of advertising.

Nice clocks.... the price is great!!!
I was into the clocks as well, but then people started to counterfit them BIG TIME
Now I  just stick with getting clocks at shows where I know the dealer etc...

Nice pick up!!

I have a pretty good size collection of clocks.  Yes you did well at $100 for the Squirt Clock. Usually goes for about $175-$200.  As far as the lighting, I would keep everything as original as possible. Clock motors and ballasts can be replaced if needed. Everything else I would keep original if you can.

Been working on a couple clocks I picked up about a month ago.  Noticed the old pics are no longer visible so here is what they looked like when I got them.

Here is what they look like now.  They were really trashed inside, so I stripped them down, cleaned them up, repainted them inside and out, rewired everything, but kept the old components where I could.  The Sprite is all original, the Dew is all original mechanically, but has a new ad glass.  I really like how they turned out.  My 15 yr old is getting the Dew for Xmas and my 14 yr old is getting the Sprite.  These clocks may be more addicting than the soda machines.  Don't know what the rules are for the proper way to restore a clock, but these were pretty easy to do and a lot of fun.  I think the kids will get a kick out of them.

      Thanks for sharing your project with us. So many times these ideas never get completed as planned.
      That Mountain Dew clock just blew me away!  Nice.

Great job! Where did you get the Mountina Dew Ad glass?... They look great! :happydrinkers:

Got the ad glass from Wayne's Neon Clocks.  He was a really good guy to deal with.  The hardest part of the whole project was finding components to keep the Circline round flourescent wired up with a starter and magnetic ballast.  Some of those pieces were difficult to find.

Nice job, I really like both of them. I'm kicking around picking up a Squirt locally.

Well the clocks were a hit.  They both really liked them and had to text pics to their friends.  Now they are arguing over who's clock is cooler.  I can see this becoming a Christmas tradition, one collectible present every year. Beats the heck out of socks and underwear. Only problem is there are 2 more boys.  The younger ones aren't into the collectible stuff yet, but if they ever are, I'll have to start planning earlier in the year.  Maybe next year Coke Buttons or thermometers all around.

Great idea, I am trying to get my youngest son interested in collectables. I told him one day they would be his. He just wanted to know how much he could get for them.  Oh well I guess you have to start somewhere.

Very nice job Brian.

Great idea on giving them to the kids for Christmas.  Better watch out, you are starting them on the addiction at a young age.

      Excellent introduction to collecting.
      This could turn into some pocket change for kids who can identify what is really vintage.
       Ride the bikes to all the garage sales looking for early advertising signs and clocks, then sell them on e-bay !

wow, ive been trying for a year and a half to buy stuff from him.  I finally had to go a different route

I would love to pick up some vintage clocks, however there are so many being sold as original and they are not. New faces put into old cases and such. I like the double bubble clocks, but need more info before buying.

One of my clocks is an original - the Squirt.  The other is exactly what you said - a new face in an old case.  Don't intend to represent it as anything else, but it is now something nice to display whereas before it may have been the ugliest PAM clock ever  made.  Unless Cornelius ever made one.  Below is the original glass.  Even if the paint hadn't been fried by oversized bulbs, the subject matter was still a big brown bottle of herbecide with plain block letters touting Paraquat CL.   I have to laugh thinking of the marketing guys putting the design together, looking at it, and saying "Yeah, this looks good, lets put it on a clock!"  Worked to my favor, picked up a working clock for $30 and turned it into a unique Xmas present.