How do you set a moon phase dial?

Find the current lunar phase in a modern almanac or online. Most clock mechanisms allow you to gently push the disc forward with a finger until the correct age displays in the aperture. Never push the disc backwards. The jumper spring rests against the saw-tooth edge of the disc, and forcing it in reverse will bend or snap the spring.

I have noticed that some of these have numbers printed over the top of the arch, what do those actually mean?

Those numbers represent the age of the moon in days, running from one to twenty-nine and a half. A new moon starts at zero, concealed behind the hemispheres, and slowly tracks across the arch. By day fifteen, the full moon sits dead centre at the top of the dial. Rural owners used these numbers to calculate tides or plan journeys on well-lit nights.

Why does my moon dial stick?

The drive pin on the hour wheel is likely failing to engage the teeth on the lunar disc. Old grease and dirt build up behind the dial plate over decades. A basic clean of the motion work usually resolves the jamming without needing replacement parts.

The painted ship on my dial looks like a warship but the clock case seems quite plain and provincial, did they mix and match these parts originally?

Dial makers in large centres like Birmingham painted thousands of blank iron dials for the national trade. They offered standard patterns including warships, ruins, and country houses. A provincial clockmaker would order a batch of these pre-painted dials and fit them to their own movements. The local cabinet maker then built a case to the client's budget. This separation of trades explains why grand naval scenes often appear in modest rural oak longcases.

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A moon phase clock features a rotating painted disc visible through a semi-circular arch in the dial, originally designed to help rural households track lunar cycles for night travel and agricultural planning without needing a printed almanac.

19th century

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Long Case Clock

From Hedley Wilson

£3,200

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19th century

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A 19th Century French Perpetual Calendar/equation of Time Slate Clock by Brocot

From Gutlin Clocks

£3,500

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19th century

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Clean 19th Century Painted Axe Moon Dial Longcase Clock ' John Wyat, Altringham'

From Abersoch Antiques

£875

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Moon Phase Clocks from the 19th Century

Long Case Clock

A 19th Century French Perpetual Calendar/equation of Time Slate Clock by Brocot

Clean 19th Century Painted Axe Moon Dial Longcase Clock ' John Wyat, Altringham'

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