Expert: Martin Meyer - 10/30/2008

Question
Dear Martin What position is the lever to activate the chimes?  Can the chiming springs be over wound?  If so, can they be released?  The clock works but I've something affecting the chimes.

Answer
Hi Robert,

Chime silent levers can silence the chime in either the up or down position in different clocks, so I can't be sure which is the arrangement in your clock. However, I believe that, if the silent lever is at the 3:00 position in the dial, it is more likely that the "down" position is "Silent", and the "up" position is "Chime".

The mainsprings cannot be overwound. They should all be wound all the way, as far as they will go. Underwinding is the most common cause of chiming problems. The only exception to this is if a mainspring is wound so forcefully that the spring breaks, and it would take a great deal of force to do this. When a mainspring is broken, the key will turn freely and never tighten, or will tighten for a couple turns, then audibly snap loose again.

Letting down the mainsprings should never be attempted except with a proper mainspring let-down tool, and with knowledge of the procedure. Otherwise, serious damage can be done both to the clock and to your fingers.

If the problem is not in the Silent lever setting, then it involves an internal problem with the chime mechanism. There are many possible causes of this, including need for lubrication, bearing wear and jamming due to broken or misaligned parts.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com