AboutMartin Meyer Expertise Can answer repair and service questions for most types of clocks, antique and modern, mechanical and battery. NO watches, appraisals, identification, history, dating, or questions about cuckoo clocks.
Experience 23 Years as owner and repairman of clock repair business, 28 years in the field. Factory Independent Service Center for Howard Miller, Ridgeway and (formerly) Sligh Clocks. Specializing in Fine Antique Longcase (grandfather) clocks. Clock repair Website: (Please remove "Not" from the address - this is a spam protection): www.NotClockmasteronline.com
Organizations AWCI (American Watchmakers and Clockmakers Institute) and NAWCC (National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors)
Publications Am also an Expert in the "AllExperts-Antiques-Antique Clocks" Category.
Education/Credentials Trained by a former Rolex Asia watchmaker, and by a Master Watchmaker/Clockmaker.
Expert: Martin Meyer Date: 5/10/2008 Subject: clock runs for 5 mins or so then stops
Question QUESTION: I had a small house fire, and the people that came in and cleaned and repainted moved my clocks. 2 of my clcoks now won't stay running or tick tocking. I know there is something simple because I have had to take it to the repair shop before. It took about 5 minutes to fix. I am over 2 hours away from a repair shop that I know of. I am scared to remove the hands and such without knowing exactly how to do it, and what to do once I do. Can you explain it to me?
Thanks,
Sandi
ANSWER: Hi Sandi,
Your clocks are most likely out of beat. Without knowing if they are grandfather, mantle or wall clocks, I can't be very specific about how to correct the beat.
When a clock runs only a few minutes and stops, the cause is most often that the pendulum is out of beat. First, make sure that both mainsprings are wound all the way, as far as they will go. With the clock sitting on a level surface, or hanging level on the wall, start the pendulum with just enough swing to keep ticking. Now listen to the tick: if your clock is in beat, the tick sound should be "tick-tick-tick", steady like a metronome. If it is out of beat, the sound will be uneven, "tick-TOCK-tick-TOCK".
If your clocks are not very severely out of beat, you can place small shims, like pieces of cardboard from a matchbook, under one side or the other of a mantle clock, or you can tilt a wall clock slightly side to side, until the ticking evens out. If the result is that the clock looks crooked on the wall or mantle, you will have to set the beat manually.
Some grandfather clocks have auto beat setting. If a grandfather clock is out of beat, start the pendulum with a wide swing, and see if it settles down to a steady beat. If a grandfather clock does not have auto beat setting, you will have to set the beat manually.
If your clock does not have auto beat setting, look at the back plate of the movement. You will see that the pendulum is connected to a strip of metal about 3-6 inches long. This is the pendulum leader. There will be another brass flat strip (the crutch) which comes out of the back top of the movement, bends to go straight down, then ends in a connection to the pendulum leader. This connection will be either a round post on the crutch going through a hole in the leader, or a forked end on the crutch going around the leader.
Now move the crutch to either side. You will feel a point of slight resistance near the end of the swing. Push the crutch past the point of resistance, just a tiny amount. If the uneven ticking sounds worse, or if there is no tick, do the same thing in the opposite direction of swing. Do this in small adjustments on whichever side makes the tick more even, until you achieve the steady "tick-tick" sound.
Adjusting the beat is a very delicate process, and it will most likely take a few tries for you to "get the feel" of the adjustment. But, if you do it patiently and in very tiny adjustments, you should be able to correct the beat.
These are very general instructions for all types of clocks. I am attaching a photo of a grandfather movement, showing the parts I discussed above. Mantle and wall clocks will be roughly the same arrangement. On most antique clocks, you will have to bend the crutch slightly, rather than just push it. IMAGE: Pendulum leader assembly
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QUESTION: They are both wall regulator clocks. The only way to get to the movements are to remove the face and the hands. How do I remove the hands? Should I set it to a certain time to remove them and replace them? Thanks so much for the info.
Answer Hi again Sandi,
For purposes of replacing the hands in the correct positions, it is preferable to set the time at 12:00 before removing them. There should be a hand nut, or sometimes a taper pin, which holds the minute hand. Just unscrew the hand nut or pull out the taper pin. Then pull the minute hand straight off. The hour hand is a simple friction fit, and you pull it off also. It is sometimes tight, and you may need to work it back and forth a bit to get it off.
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