Expert: Michael Radi - 11/13/2008

Question
Hi,
I have a Pearl Grandfather clock.
It ran well until the weights were pulled up too high.
Now the only problem is it will not chime
I can sometimes help it along by spinning the blade for the chimes
it will work until the next time I pull the weights.
A friend suggested to spray the whole mechanism with w-d 40 to clean it
This seemed to make it worse
What should it be cleaned with to get it right again
Thank you
Richard Voytek

Answer
Hi Richard, WD 40 is not a suitable lubricant for use in clocks for two reasons: (1) It is too thin to stay where it is needed. It may loosen up the works for a short time but will not provide long term lubrication. (2)Most importantly; it goes everywhere. Clock lubricant should only be applied to the very small pivot holes on the front and back plates of the clock. Spraying WD-40 onto a movement will get in the gears, levers and other places where we don't want lubricant to be. It also holds dirt & grime that cause a clock movement to wear prematurely.
Oiling the clock:
To lubricate the clock, put a small drop of clock oil on the holes where the gear shafts come through the plates. For every hole on the front there is one on the back. There is also an oil sink at these locations (an indent in the outside of the clock plates where the pivot goes through). This will hold the oil and keep lubricating the pivot for a year or so.
When chimes slow down, you can usually get them back up to speed by putting a drop of oil on the fan pivot. This is the top of the gear train. There will be one fan on the left side and one on the right side.  The other spot that responds really well is the next gear down in the train (the gear that powers the fan) put a drop on each of its pivots.
Cleaning the clock movement:
Cleaning is much more involved and requires the removal of the clock movement, a dunking in the proper cleaning solution (most effectively in an ultrasonic machine) rinsing, drying and lubricating. I don't recommend that you try this yourself. It should be done by a qualified clock repair person.
I hope this answers all of your questions.