Expert: Martin Meyer - 1/14/2008

Question
1.  I need to move it across the country.  Should I take the movement out of the case or brace it somehow within?  What are the best procedures for doing this?

2.  On that clock, it has several selector chime positions.  The silent is not working.  When I set it to silent, there is no chimes but the hour still strikes.  I thought it should be completely silent in silent mode.  Whats wrong?

Thanks

Answer
Hi Doug,
    For moving, don't remove the movement from the clock, but make sure that the screws holding it to the mounting board are tight. Remove the weights and pendulum. Secure the chime rods with stryofoam, masking tape and rubber bands so that they do not rattle around in moving, which can cause them to break. Then secure the chains or cables with twist ties or rubber bands so that they do not come out of the movement. Finally, use a piece of masking tape or rubber band to hold the chime and strike hammers against the rods. You may still need a clock repairer to set up your clock, level it, put the pendulum in beat and adjust the chimes.
    The chime mechanism triggers the hour strike, so if your clock is not chiming but is striking, the pinwheel that lifts the chime hammers must be rotating. First, make sure that the lever is set to "Silent", not "4/4 Silent" (if it has that setting). Next, look for a second silent lever near the "9"; this is to silence the hour strike.
    Finally, if your clock doesn't have either of these features, remove the right hand side panel (your right, as you look at the clock, not the clock's right) or open the right side door. If your clock has neither, you will need to remove the back panel to get a look at the movement. Observe the action of the pinwheel and chime hammers as you turn the minute hand to a quarter. The pinwheel should turn and either not be lifting the chime hammers, or be lifting them but the hammers are not hitting the chime rods.
    If the hammers are not lifting, move the chime selector lever a small amount, and find the position that it must be in to lift the hammers. Sometimes the correct position of the lever does not line up with the markings for it on the dial. If the hammers are lifting but not contacting the chime rods, you need to carefully bend them so that they are  between 1/16" and 1/8" from the chime rods when at rest.
    There are also other possible causes of this problem which only a professional clock repairer should address, such as a loose gear or the movement's having shifted on the seatboard to an incorrect position.