AMERICAN FORK -- An American Fork man is spending hours of his own time restoring one of his city's treasures.
Paul Brady, a major at the National Guard Armory in Lehi, has taken upon himself the painstaking and meticulous work of hand polishing the brass and copper clock that used to hang in front of the Bank of American Fork at the intersection of Main and Center streets.The clock, which actually contains a separate clock on each of its four faces, was in bad need of repair when it came down in 1995, said City Councilwoman Juel Belmont, chairwoman of the Historic Planning Commission. No one can remember when the clock was originally hung. The date varies from 1905 to the 1920s.
The four clocks were all missing their hands and one of the four chimes. The lights were all broken, the fixtures needed repair and the wiring was old.
But the most serious problem, Brady said, is that the bronze and copper on the clock had been painted and repainted several times.
"It looked like a circus clock," he said.
Brady enlisted the help of a clock repairer, Bill Wheeler, of Riverton, to mend and rewire it. Once the clock is hung, Brady will again call in Wheeler to synchronize the four clocks.
Now, Brady is readying the partially dismantled clock, which sits shrouded among the weight equipment at the armory.
The process is taking longer that anyone originally thought.
"It's like giving birth to an elephant," Belmont said.
At a recent American Fork City Council meeting, Councilman Clark Taylor complained of how long the repair work was taking. The city has authorized about $3,800 to pay for electrical work and fittings.
For two hours every Saturday, Brady tries to scrub off three layers of black, white and gold paint, part of which may be primer. He has used several different brands of paint stripper and removers. He has even used airplane paint remover. But nothing has worked. So Brady is removing the material by hand with fine sandpaper.
He hopes to be done by spring. Then the clock can be reassembled and hung.
Belmont is not worried by how long it is taking because it will be a treasure for the city once it is rehung.
"We feel it's more important to have it done right than hurry up," she said.