Expert: Martin Meyer - 5/8/2008

Question
My Kundo 400-day is running fast, and I've tried adjusting the pendulum to no avail. Could this be flutter, and would raising the fork possibly help. Also, could a cleaning/oiling help this?

Answer
Hi Marty,

Cleaning and/or oiling will not affect this problem.

I would not recommend adjusting the fork position unless you have actually observed flutter in the escape wheel. If the escapement does flutter during normal running, this will definitely make the clock run fast. Otherwise, changing the position of the fork can cause additional problems. It is a good idea to verify the correct position of the fork by reference to the 400 Day Clock Repair Guide.

If there is no flutter, except when you are turning the minute hand, and if the motion of the pendulum is in the normal range (approx. 270 degrees), then the regulating problem is in the suspension wire. As a starting point, the wire should be the correct overall length, from top block to bottom block, per the 400 Day Repair Guide. If the clock still runs fast, you can try installing a slightly longer suspension wire. If you can't do this without the pendulum bottoming out on the base, then you can switch to a slightly thinner wire. Sometimes, the next thinner size wire will be too thin, and the clock will then run slow. In this case, instead of switching to a thinner wire, you can make the original wire a tiny bit thinner by carefully running sandpaper up and down both sides of the wire, being careful not to kink or bend it. This is a somewhat laborious process, as the sandpaper thins the wire by only very small amounts.