Expert: Martin Meyer - 5/7/2008

Question
QUESTION: I have replaced the 1050-020 movement of a 1970's vintage Linden clock with a new Hermle movement of the same model. I find that when the movement is tightly wound the clock strikes and chimes very rapidly but as the week passes the chiming and striking gradually slow down. Is this the normal operation of the movement? If not, is it possible to adjust the chiming/striking rate so it remains constant and is this very difficult to do?

The chime selector arm is out of register with the marks on the face. When the arm is in the "silent" position, the pointer on the arm lies half way between the SILENT and WHITT marks on the face. When moved to the next position down, the pointer lies half way between the WHITT and ST. MICH marks etc. When the arm is moved down to the last position, the pointer touches the end of the slot in the clock face but does engage the Westminster chime mode. Can the arm be adjusted so it points to the correct position on the face?

When the movement was first placed in operation, it played the Whittington chime melody whether the lever was in the Whittington or St. Michaels position, just as the old movement it replaced had been doing. Now, after a few weeks in operation, it plays the melody appropriate for the position selected. What, if anything do you make of this?

Thanks again for your previous help with this, my first clock project.

ANSWER: Hi Anthony,

First, I will assume that you have purchased a brand new movement, not a refurbished one or a "new old stock" closeout. A new 1050-020 movement chimes fairly rapidly (but not excessively so), especially in comparison to most grandfather clocks' chiming rate. Without actually hearing the chime, I can't tell if your clock is chiming too fast or not. If properly wound, i.e., wound all the way on all three keys, as far as they will go, the chiming rate should not slow down noticeably until the clock is almost entirely unwound (about 8 days). There are a number of possible causes of rapid chiming and rapid running down, but these are all internal, and I have never seen this problem in a brand new factory Hermle movement. It is possible, however, that the movement is defective. The most common cause of the problem that you describe is incomplete winding. You should also lubricate the movement properly with clock oil (browse my previous answers for lubrication details), because these movements are often have too little lubrication, even though they are supposed to be lubricated when you purchase them. If neither of these remedies help, you may want to consider returning the movement as possibly defective.

The chime selector lever often does not line up exactly with the marks on the dial. This can be at least partially adjusted by slightly bending the chime selector lever so that it points more closely to the correct marks and, more importantly, does not "bottom out" on the slot in the dial before it is fully in the correct top or bottom positions. But, the correct setting is always when the lever "clicks" into position, not when the lever points exactly to the indication on the dial.

If the selector lever is engaged correctly in position, and if you can see the pinwheel move forward or backward when you change the lever setting, the movement should chime the correct melody, unless the pinwheel is not adjusted properly. This is a rare defect in a new movement. It is more common to see a condition where the pinwheel does not move smoothly into its correct alignment due to lack of lubrication. However, it is important to note that the Whittington and St. Michael chimes sound extremely similar, and most people cannot tell them apart. They are identical on the first quarter, and end identically on the third quarter. The best way to determine if you are getting these two different chimes is to look at the sequence in which the chime hammers lift on the second quarter (half hour). Counting the rearmost hammer as #1 and the frontmost hammer as #8, these are the  sequences: Whittington: 1 3 5 7 2 4 6 8   7 6 5 3 4 2 1 8.  St. Michael: 1 7 6 5 2 4 3 8   4 5 6 3 7 2 1 8.


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

QUESTION: Since I have no oil or tools, I did a search but could not find specifics on what oil/tools would be best to use to oil my movement. What type oil do you recommend. Do I need to buy oil pins or is syringe type oiler satisfactory?

Answer
Hi again Anthony,

There are many opinions about oil and oilers among clock repairers. Pen oilers and other long-tipped oilers are very popular because they are easy to use and get into inaccessible spots. However, they often dispense more oil than you want and cause dripping on the plates. Dip oilers are very precise, but slow and troublesome to use. It's really a matter of personal preference.

The type of oil to use is strongly debated. Any good quality synthetic clock oil should be okay. However, there are anecdotal reports of oil incompatibilities causing problems resulting in gumming up of movements. Some clock repairers recommend using Etsyntha 859 oil because that is the oil used by the manufacturer. This is a very expensive oil.