Expert: Martin Meyer - 8/17/2008

Question
How do I clean the  garrard clocks, can I dip them in something to restore there brightness ? thanks doug

Answer
Hi Douglas,

As there are numerous styles of Garrard clocks, many with wood cases, I believe you are referring to cleaning the movement.

Immersing an assembled movement in clock cleaning solution is never a good idea, and will usually cause major problems. It is not possible to thoroughly remove cleaning solutions from many parts of the movement, especially the spaces between the bearings and the pivots (gear shaft ends) that turn in the bearings, and the mainspring barrels with the mainsprings inside them. Using a rinse solution will not solve this problem.

The only workmanlike method of cleaning a clock movement is by fully disassembling the movement. This is a complicated and expensive repair which must be done by a professional clock repairer. Even in these cases, the front and back movement plates are never polished, except for movements which are exposed to view, such as 400-Day clocks. This is because polishing is time intensive and increases the cost of a repair without providing any mechanical benefit.

Many modern (20-21st Century) clocks have lacquered main plates when they come from the factory. This is a purely cosmetic feature which makes the movement look very shiny and attractive to the initial purchaser. The lacquer is difficult to remove, provides no mechanical benefit, and is likely to chip or flake off as the clock ages. Clock repairers generally leave this lacquer alone when overhauling a movement, unless it is flaking so badly that it must be removed. Many professional clock repairers consider this coating a mechanically bad procedure, and would prefer that it not be used at all.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com