Expert: Michael Radi - 2/18/2009

Question
I have a grandfather cock from when my mother passed away. It is a Seth Thomas Tempus Fugit pendulum with 3 weights and only the center weight controls it. Stands abour 6 foot. The chimes were too loud so she turned them off. How do i turn them on? I can open by turning a few things on the back and then the top slides back and i can see everything in there but do not know how to turn chimes on. Greg

Answer
Different clock manufacturers use different means for shuttion off the chimes. I'll start with the simple one and hopefully it is what you need. If not let me know.
The chime side is the right side as you face the clock at the front. This is the side we will be working on.
There may be a bar that presses against the hammers to keep them from lifting. When a clock chimes the hammers are lifted away from the chime rods then let go so that they strike the rods. Try to gently pull a hammer away from the rods (toward the side of the clock case) and see if it is locked down or moves freely. If the hammer will not move, look for a bar pressing against the brass wires that the hammers are on. If it is there you just need to move it out of the way. It pivots on a screw or rivet and can be pushed toward the near side of the clock case so that it is out of the way.
Let me know how it goes.
Michael