Expert: Martin Meyer - 10/29/2008

Question
I have the named clock with pendulum and chime. The pendulum no longer moves even after inserting new batteries. It worked for a couple of years after receiving it about 11 yrs ago. The pendulum does swing freely when set in motion by hand.

The chime also does not work. I had it turned off because my wife did not like the chiming. I have tried the various settings and different combinations without success.

Would appreciate any suggestions to remedy these problems.

Thanks for you help and time.

Answer
Hi Donald,

Battery (quartz) movements are in sealed plastic cases and are not designed to be repaired. First, clean the battery contacts with fine sandpaper or the eraser end of a pencil. Try a couple sets of batteries or test the batteries with a voltmeter, to make sure that they are fresh. Also, make sure that you are using only alkaline batteries; do not use old-fashioned acid "heavy duty" batteries or rechargeable batteries.

If none of this helps, there is no alternative but to replace the movement with a new one. I would try Howard Miller first (www.howardmiller.com/) for the best chance at getting the correct movement, so that no modification is required.

If the movement is no longer available from them, quartz movements are available from clock supply houses like Timesavers or Merritts Antiques. You will need to get a movement that 1)fits in the space for it in the clock case, 2)has the same hand shaft length as the original movement, 3)has a hand shaft diameter that fits in the hole for it in the dial, and 4)is compatible with your clock's pendulum length. Additionally, on some clocks, the pendulum goes down from the movement through a slot in the case. If this is how your clock is designed, the new movement must have a pendulum which is positioned so that it will line up with the slot when the movement is mounted. Finally, the pendulum may require some minor modification of its top hook to fit the new movement.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com