Expert: Michael Radi - 3/22/2009

Question
My great-great-grandfather built this clock in 1978, I was just gave the clock. It does not chime on the hour, it does it quarter after. Do I need to take it to someone that works on clocks or is there something I can do at home. It survived a house fire, and means alot to the family. What do I need to do??

Answer
There are many things that could cause your clock to stop striking. The lever system is complicated and can be hard to diagnose. The first thing to do is to oil the strike side. The fan at the top of the gear train is the first place to oil. The fan is on a shaft, the ends of that shaft go into holes in the movement plates. A small drop of clock oil at the ends of that shaft will sometimes get the strike going again.
Michael
www.norkro.com
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