Expert: John Newman - 11/25/2009

Question
My clock has 150 westminister chime weight driven
movement.Model#4878, Barwick clocks. Problem: The
clock chimes late for example; the hour chimes 10
minutes after the hour,the quarter hour chimes 10
minutes after the quarter hour, the half hour chimes
10 minutes after the half hour.
                     Please advise

Answer
Jim, below are my notes on aligning the minute hands of a clock:

SYNCHRONIZING AND ALIGNING HANDS ON MODERN CHIMING CLOCKS


ADJUSTMENT FOR ALIGNING THE MINUTE HAND:

If the clock has a pendulum, stop it from swinging.  If it is a
balance wheel type do not try to stop it.  Turn the minute hand
through the quarters, allowing each one to chime until it gets to
the hour chime and strike.  Disregard the position of the minute hand.  
Without turning either hand, remove the hand nut and the minute hand.  
It should have a brass (sometimes painted black) round or hex
bushing on the back.  Using a good set of pliers and the hand
at a right angle to the pliers (this is to keep you from pinching
your fingers in case the bushing slips from the pliers), grasp
the bushing with the pliers and GENTLY slip the minute hand to
what you estimate to be where it should be pointing to the hour.
Put the hand on the handshaft and check to see if it points to
the 12.  If not, readjust it.  When it looks good, secure
it with the hand nut.  Run the minute hand around to the quarters
checking to see if the chime trips right on at any quarter or the hour.  
Sometimes a few tries are required due to the play in the
components of the clock.  Then reset the clock to the correct time
and if stopped, start it again.


SETTING THE MINUTE HAND TO THE CORRECT CHIME:

If the minute hand is consistently out of sync with the The chimes,
it has probably been installed in the incorrect position. It will fit
on the square minute hand shaft in one of four different positions.  
Only one is correct.  The way to determine the correct one is to install
it temporarily on any of the positions and move it forward, letting each
chime complete it's tune until the hour chime has finished and the hour
has struck.  Count the number of strikes.  Now slip the hour hand to the
hour that just struck.  This positions the hour correctly.  As the minute
hand was installed at any position, it might not be pointing to the 12.  At
this point do not turn anything.  If the minute hand is not point to the 12,
remove it and replace it in the 12 position.  Now install the hand nut and
tighten.  I usually use a pair of pliers to carefully tighten the nut a
little tighter than hand tight, but not too much.  This will help keep it
from loosening in the future. Then turn the minute hand to reset the clock
to the correct time.  The chimes might not be in sync, but they should
correct within one to two hours.


SETTING THE HOUR HAND TO MATCH THE STRIKES:

If the hour hand is not pointing to the hour that strikes, probably, the only
thing wrong is that the hour hand on your clock was slipped out of position
when setting the time or something like that.  The hour hand is slipped to sync
it with the actual hour.  To bring everything into the correct operation, the  
minute hand is moved through the quarters, letting each complete it's tune until
the hour chime has finished and the hour has struck and counted.  Then slip the
hour hand to the hour that just struck.  Then turn the minute hand to reset the
clock to the correct time.  The chimes might not be in sync, but they should correct
within one to two hours.

I also included the hour hand position.  I hope this helps.

John Newman
THE VILLAGE CLOCKSMITH
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama