Expert: Martin Meyer - 2/26/2008

Question
QUESTION: I'm replacing my Hermle movement with a 340-020.  Can you give me some insight into what needs to be done to perpare the movement before and after installation?  Movement is brand new - out of the box.  It's replacing a 1972 341-020 that died so years ago due to excessive wear.  Thank you.

ANSWER: Hi Gary,
    Installation of this movement is relatively uncomplicated. If the mounting pieces on your old movement are different from the ones on your new movement, you may want to transfer the old mounts to the new movement. If you do this, remove only ONE nut at a time from the front plate, so that you do not disasemble the entire movement and be left with a pile of loose gears. Sometimes some adjusting of the position of the movement on the mounts is necessary to get the handshaft and winding holes all aligned.
    The bushing at the center of the minute hand will probably have to be adjusted to make the clock chime when the minute hand is exactly at the hour and other chime points. Insert a small screwdriver or square steel rod into the square hole in the minute hand bushing, then gently rotate the minute hand on the bushing until, when installed, it lines up with the "12" when the clock strikes. The hand will turn hard on the bushing, and it will probably take a few attempts before you get it exactly lined up.
    Also, remember that the minute hand can go on its shaft in any of four different positions, and only one of these is correct. Determine this by mounting the minute hand in any position, then turning it to each of the four chime points. When you reach the chime point where the movement strikes the full (16 note) chime sequence and also strikes the hour, this is the point where you should reinstall the minute hand pointing to the "12".

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Martin,
Movement is in and clock works are fine, but the chime seems to be sluggish.  I've not yet fully attached the hands and am cycling the minute hand to activate the chimes.  I've noticed that the chimes are reluctant to always cycle through ..... almost like there's not enough power in the mechanism.  Any thoughts on what may be causing the loss or how to adjust accordingly?  Thank you.  

Answer
Hi Gary,
    If this is a brand new movement and not a refurbished or new-old-stock movement, this should not be happening. You can tell the manufacture date by the capital letter stamped above the movement number. M=2000, N=2001, etc. If its older than "S" you may want to apply a very small drop of clock oil at each point where a gear shaft end enters the front and back main plates. The chime hammer "tails" come to rest against a steel post; there should be a slight film of clear clock grease along this post at the point where the hammer tails come to rest against it.
    Make sure that all three keys are wound all the way. Next, check that the chime hammers are not hitting against each other or any part of the case, or hitting the chime rods between two rods rather than square-on.
    The movement mounting pieces (that attach the movement to the wood case) should be aligned properly, so that the when you install the movement in the case, a mounting piece hole is directly over a hole in the wood of the case. In other words, you should not have to force or twist on the movement to get it to line up with the holes in the case. This can cause the movement to "rack", that is, put a twisting pressure on the front main plate.
    Other than these things, I would check the movement closely for any point where parts may be hitting the case. Excluding all these possibilities, about the only possibility left is a bent gear shaft in the chime train. This sometimes happens if the shaft is accidentally pushed on during installation.