Expert: Martin Meyer - 7/4/2008

Question
QUESTION: Sir,
I have a C1920 Gustaf Becker long case clock that chimes Westminster on the quarter hour and strikes the hour after the last quarter at the 12 o clock position which is normal.
My question is this.  The selector lever/arm above the dial has engraved on it CHIME  and SILENT. When you select SILENT should this shut off the strike as well as the chime?
Having just repaired this movement the owner claims that the clock used to be able to strike the hours but not  have the chimes work at each quarter.This can be achieved however by moving the selector leaver slightly away from the silent position creating a situation where the barrel pins just miss the chime hammers which then allows the chime train to run through the quarters with out chiming and then set the strike warning up and strike the hour.  I believe this is a trick situation and not a design feature of the manufacturer as the selector lever/arm plate on has engraved on it STRIKE  SILENT  nothing else like strike only etc.  Your comments would be greatly appeciated.
Regards,
John.

ANSWER: Hi John,

If I understand your question correctly, there are two levers, a Stike/Silent lever and a Chime/Silent lever.

On these older chime clocks I have seen both the arrangements which you describe. I would look at the movement and see exactly how each lever operates. The Strike/Silent lever most often simply lifts the strike hammers back and holds them there.

The Chime/Silent lever may prevent the chime mechanism from operating at all, or it may just move the pinwheel so that the pins do not lift the hammers, as you described above. If the former is the case, the clock cannot be set to strike the hours but not to chime the quarters because, of course, the chime mechanism triggers the strike mechanism. If the latter is the case, the clock can be set not to chime, but will still strike the hours unless the Strike/Silent lever is also set to Silent.

I have often seen older clocks with just the simple designations that you describe, and without notations such as "Strike Only" or "4/4 Chime", even though the actual operation of the levers may amount to "strike only" in actuality. So, I don't think you can go by the designations.

If the Chime/Silent lever moves the pinwheel position when moved a small amount, my question would be, what does it do when moved all the way? If it moves the pinwheel at all, I would guess that it is designed to allow striking when chiming is turned off. But if it stops both chiming and striking when moved all the way, then it must both move the pinwheel, and also disable the chime mechanism entirely when moved all the way.

In short, since the Chime/Silent lever moves the pinwheel, I suspect that the clock is designed to be able to "strike only." The only troubling thing about this is that you specify moving the lever only slightly to achieve the strike-only state. I would expect there to be two distinct positions, which you could feel, and which would probably be separately marked, if this lever has two different settings, one for Strike Only, and one for No Chime Or Strike. The only other possibility that I can think of is that the Chime/Silent lever or the pinwheel, or both, is improperly set up, that the lever should have only two positions, and that, when the lever is moved all the way to Silent, the clock should Not chime, but should still strike.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com


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

QUESTION: Hi,
Thank you for your reply. There is only one (1) lever and only two (2) positions STRIKE and SILENT which I understand silent to be just that no strike and no chime and when in the chime position means chime and strike. By moving the lever slightly away from the silent position allows the the pins to just clear the chime hammers which allows the pin wheels to run one (1) revolution missing all the hammers (and not therefor chiming)but finally at the end of the last quarter setting up the strike warning and then striking the hour/s. I feel this must be a trick situation rather than a design feature as there is only two (2)  positions you can move the lever, Strike and silent otherwise surly there would be another position clearly marked with something like "strike only"
Regards,
John.

Answer
Hi again John,

As there is only a single lever controlling the chime/silent function, I would have to agree with you. On clocks with two levers, one for the strike and one for the chime, the markings are sometimes confusing. But with one lever only, I find it hard to imagine, and have never seen, a third, unmarked position for "strike only". Additionally, if there was a third position, I would expect it to be defined by a "notch", that is, an affirmative position which the lever would slip into.

The mechanism that you are describing, with the hour strike triggered by a pin on the chime pinwheel, is usually found on tubular chime movements. This mechanism generally has a flat spring pressing on one end of the pinwheel shaft. This spring forces the pinwheel to try to move in one direction only. An affirmative locking of some sort on the selector lever holds the pinwheel in position against the directional force from the flat spring. Without an affirmative locking position, when the lever is in an intermediate position, it is likely that it will not keep its position, and will slip back to the "default" spring-loaded position, or jam part way toward that position. Therefore, it is hard to picture a third position which has no affirmative "notch" to hold the pinwheel in place.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com