Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums Petroliana Value Questions Skelly globe/clock combination

Seeing as the body looks to be original(not sure on logo) and mark believes that the numbers are def old,I agree with him that it may be something,just not sure what yet.the connection between solar making globes also makes it seem like its a gas item.look forward to seeing more about it,and hearing from others. Def a cool item

Ps. I know a place that could do the new lens exactly,if you are interested.!

I love that broken lens with the clock numbers... Personally, if it were mine. I would take it to a Glass Shop and see if they had an industrial "Glass Glue" that would tie the pieces together...

Or if they knew of an Artist that might be able to do something with it... The "older style" numbers really pop when compared to the "newer style" numbers....

http://www.google.com/patents/US1556364

http://www.google.com/patents/US1322968

...I could only find a couple of patents for the Solar Electric Company, both issued to John C. Smith...DB has better luck than I do finding old patents!

Now that's an interesting piece! Never seen one like this before. We know little about Solar Electric Company, other than they made many of the early one piece etched gas globes and possibly some early unusual three piece glass like this one. They made rare 14" glass globes too which you rarely see. I only know them from Chicago, not PA so I've learned something more here. We do not know who made 15" glass globes and the extremely rare 13.5" glass globes that look similar to a Gill glass but with solid sides like this clock here. The fact that we know this is a Solar Electric piece and to me this piece looks like the frames I've spoke about here may answer that question as to who made these frames. Gill glass are never solid like this. Being etched I'd say pre 1926 but I spoke to Wayne and he thinks possibly a bit later like mid 1930s. But the etching leaves me to say 1920s in my opinion. That is classic 1920s etching to me...Skelly used that logo from about 1923 on so that fits too. This opens the door to other clocks like this from other major companies! Great piece. It most likely rested on a wall sconce by a Skelly service station door or wall...Scott B.

I might be interested in getting another lens done if you can supply a contact. Thanks for all your comments. One of you mentioned the diameter which I had not given before. The total diameter of the globe is 15.5". The diameter of the faces and the lens is 14.5". The globe thickness is 6.5". The base is a little smaller than 6" to fit in a 6" ring. I tried to take a close-up of the clock shafts. The outer shaft is ~3/16" diameter. The inner shaft sticks out <1/8" further than the outer shaft. The inner shaft has some threads on one side but none on the other so it might have to be repaired somehow to attach hands. There is no inner rod for a second hand. I also attached a photo showing two items that fit on the base: an aluminum cone that fits up inside possibly to guide wires(?) and a ring that fits around the outside of the glass base. Other globes I have seen have neither of these. I also have two of the rings that are used to hold the lens to the front face. The back face also has a ridge around the circumference so maybe the 2nd ring just goes on there to make the front and back edges match. The rings are chrome(?) plated copper on the outside surface that shows. The back face has no advertising and I never had a 2nd lens so I am assuming there was not one. The replacement lens that I purchased has numbers, etc. stuck to the inner surface. They are not painted on. I no longer have the original lens, only the photos I kept.

Very interesting read and an awesome piece!

Well I went and measured a rare Cuyler 15" glass globe I have and this is the same frame! So now we know who made the 15" glass globes! Thanks...Once the 15" inserts overlap the edge of the frame and are held in by the bands they do measure about 15". Anyway this is the exact same frame for 15" glass globes. Kanotex, Pennzoil, Cuyler and just a couple other companies used 15" glass globes. I have seen one 13.5" frame like this that Waggoneer Oil Company with the steer pictured used. Great clock and thanks for the new data!

Are you saying that your globe measures 14.5" across the front face also? Mine does not have any inserts. It is essentially a one-piece, white glass globe although it does have a seam visible on the base. The lens sits on the face and is held on by the ring. There is a ridge around the circumference of the face. The ring catches on edge on this ridge and the other edge goes over the edge of the ring.

Thats pretty awesome.......

Who could do the lens?

I imagine that one could buy the correct size clear lens... (Scott, might be of help in that regard, as well as T-way and some others?)

It seems to me, that a good artist could easily "reverse hand paint and match", the style of numbers from the image of the broken lens... ( I wish that Nicole was around, to give her opinion)

Or maybe I am "all wet", again?

Twhite,I sent you a private message with info on an artist I know.

Definitely interesting!