Expert: Michael Radi - 10/12/2009

Question
I have a Mauthe chiming wall clock. Is there a way to decrease the volume of the chimes?  thanks

Answer
Hi Pat,
There are a couple of things that might work but there is no sure fire method to lessen the volume of the chimes. The loudness of the chime is mostly affected by the wood case but I have had success by using one of two methods:
Adjusting the hammers. The hammers rest about 1/8" from the chime rods, when a hammer is dropped the momentum actually carries the hammer beyond the resting point and the hammer hits the chime rod one time. The hammers are attached to brass colored wires that you can bend so the hammer sits further away from the chime rods. This will lessen the force of the blow to the chime rod. It will take several attempts at bending the hammer wire to get the hammer to strike but with less force.
The other thing that can be done is to change the hammers. Usually these clocks have a white plastic tipped hammer. You can purchase new leather tipped hammers for $5.00 each. This should cause the chime to be more mellow. You can even push a needle into the leather hammers to soften them up.
If you are interested in changing the hammers you can purchase them at the following link:

http://www.norkro.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info%26cPath=106%26produ...
They come in 3 lengths so you will want to measure them (not including the mounting screw)
Michael