Expert: Martin Meyer - 3/24/2008

Question
Hi I have a grandfather clock maybe 1960's with a Urgos Westminster chime movement. This question is about the chime rods. When the Westminster chimes it is a pleasant, in tune sound. But when the hourly strike occurs, the sound it all off, it sounds similar to pushing a bunch of keys on a piano at the same time. I tried lowering the hammers to strike a different spot on the rod but did not work.
Do you have any suggestions, maybe shortening the rods?
Thanks, Tim

Answer
Hi Tim,
    The hour strike rods are a tuned set. Shortening them will change the tones and make the sound worse.
    The hammers should not be lowered on their wires. They should be near the top of the wires. You should adjust the hammers by bending the hammer wires so that all hammers hit the strike rods dead on. They should be adjusted so that their at-rest postion is 1/16" to 1/8" away from the  rods. When the hours strike, the hammers should hit the rods and rebound. If they hit the rods and stay in contact with the rods, you will get a "dead" sound. You should also make sure that none of the rods are in contact with another rod or any other part of the clock. If needed, VERY gently bend the rod so that it is not in contact with any other part. These rods are delicate, and there is always the possibility that bending it will cause it to break at the base, inside the mounting block.
    If all these adjustments are correct and you still get a dissonant sound, one of the strike rods may be bad. Because they are a tuned set, these rods must be replaced in a complete set. It is sometimes nearly impossible to get the old rods unscrewed from the chime block, and in these cases it is necessary to replace the entire chime block and rod assembly. Both rod sets and chime block assemblies are available from clock supply houses like Timesavers, Merritts Antiques or Empire Clock.