Expert: Martin Meyer - 11/1/2009

Question
I have a Howard Miller grandfather chain/weight driven clock.  I need to install new chains.  I have installed the outside chain but the middle and the sprocket closest to the chimes are seemingly impossible to get to.  What is your experience in chain installation

Answer
Hi Deron,

The two outside chains can often be threaded in far enough to catch a tooth of the sprocket, then the sprocket turned manually until the chain comes through the other side. You should always remove the "pull" end (as opposed to the hook end) of the chain before doing this so that it does not get jammed in the gears.

The center chain is a much bigger problem. It is occasionally possible to feed the chain up onto the sprocket from underneath the seatboard, by use of some tool like a long screwdriver. But this method rarely works and is usually immensely frustrating. I routinely remove the movement from clock to install the center chain. This can be easy or can be a big job, depending on the clock. I'm not able to give you any guidance on how to remove the movement, because there are many, many construction, and thus removal, methods for mounting movements in clocks.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com