Expert: Martin Meyer - 1/19/2008

Question
Hello! I just purchased a antique wind-up wall chime clock. I was having a hard time getting the clock to keep working, without stopping. So I thought, maybe I'm winding it up on the wrong side. So then I proceeded to wind-up the other side, and then the key spun around a few times hitting my thumb and now the chime doesn't work. Anyway, do you think I broke the chime? The funny thing is now, I got the pendulum finally balanced and the clock has now been working for about an hour. I'm so upset. Stupid me!!!! Is is costly to fix?  Thanks for any help, someone out there can give me...

Answer
Hi Lorena,
    Your original problem may have been that you weren't winding both keys, or the pendulum may simply have been out of beat.
  The cause of the winding  problem is most likely that the mainspring either broke, came loose from its connection to the shaft or the barrel, or the click (the ratchet that keeps the mainspring wound) broke. None of these would have been caused by anything you did. On antique clocks, replacement or repair of the mainspring usually requires complete disassembly of the movement and an overhaul of the movement.
    Repair costs vary widely depending on the movement and the problems being corrected. If a complete overhaul is required, the cost would be relatively more expensive than if only a partial repair is required.