Expert: Kenneth Saunders - 5/17/2008

Question
QUESTION: I have an Ansonia mantle clock I believe from the 1970's.  Recently, I moved it from my father's home to my home, the chimes are off.

There is a small "trigger" near the pendulum that can be used to set the chimes.

After I set the chimes to the correct hour the clock will work fine for several hours, then (usually) during the night) it will start chiming incorrectly again. I don't see a pattern to this. (ie. always 1 hour off) It varies.  Sometimes, but not always, it will chime the hour on the half-hour.

The clock seem to work fine until I moved it after my father passed away.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.  

Sincerely,

Glenn W. Miller II

ANSWER: need a little more help with this "trigger" thingey! original Ansonia's would be from the 1870's NOT the 1970's - can you help me here? You wind this in two places or three?? chimes refer to the quarter hour sounds from a clock with 3 winders. A striking clock does it on the hour and the half hour.

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

QUESTION: Thank you for responding.  The clock has two winders and strikes on the hour and half-hour.  Near the pendulum there is a small wire which when raised allows you to correct the strikes.  Unfortunately, this seems to only work temporarily.  To use this I raise the wire which hangs down and the clock can be taken through the strikes (10,1,11,1,12,1,1,1,2,1 etc.) until I get to where the clock SHOULD be striking correctly.  Like I said though, within a few hours the strikes are off again.

Thank you with your help with this.  I am sure the clock is from the 1960's or 1970's.  My dad sold these clocks new in his furniture store which he purchased in 1960.

Sincerely,

Glenn W. Miller II

Answer
well, ok - the date of the clock is not needed to advise you further.
My experience has been that if this is the 1970s it might probably be a "31 day" oriental manufacture mechanism made after the name "Ansonia" was sold by the original company that quit making them in 1929.
this has a count wheel system of striking -- a wheel visible from the rear on the right side front of the mecanism. Deep notches are shut-off notches and the others are "count" notches. the "L" shaped lever rides the count notches when tripped and the clock continues to strike until the lever drops into the deeper notch on the wheel and the striking stops. Two deep notches seperate the count notches because the second shut off notch is for on stike for the half hour.

  Popular problem is to have the system "over run" the shutoffs and it then may finally shut off anywhere --"adding strikes" to the clock so the bongs are for more than the hands indicate for the time.

  Minor adjustment in the wires that trip and stop the count wheel are needed to insure a "positive" shut off action.
  1) the L shaped lever may not be hitting the shut off slot squarely and thus not deeply and quickly enough to allow the locking wire to positively stop the strike.
  2 the locking lever is internal in the mechanism but affixed to the same shaft as the L shaped wire is. Tricky but minor adjustment in the relationship between these two wires is neeed to make the shutoff positive. Removal of the mechanism is needed to make the ajustment easy to see.Bending with pliers is needed.