AboutKenneth Saunders Expertise any mechanical clock question -no watches- no battery clock questions and no appraisals-ie: "how much is my clock worth?" type questions please! Attach a photo if possible and note all markings on the rear of the mechanism- thanks
36 years as a professional clock repair person- still a full time clock repair service owner
Experience 36 years as a professional clock repair person- still a full time clock repair service owner.
Question our clock will tick away quite happily chiming properly on the hour and half hour then all of a sudden after quite a few hours it will chime (say st 0930) 9 times at the half hour then chime once at 10 am then be out of synch from then on - how can we adjust it?? thank you
Answer This has a count wheel system of striking -- a wheel visible from the rear on the right side front of the mechanism. Deep notches are shut-off notches and the others are "count" notches. the "L" shaped lever rides the count notches when tripped and the clock continues to strike until the lever drops into the deeper notch on the wheel and the striking stops. Two deep notches seperate the count notches because the second shut off notch is for on strike for the half hour.
Popular problem is to have the system "over run" the shutoffs and it then may finally shut off anywhere --"adding strikes" to the clock so the bongs are for more than the hands indicate for the time.
Minor internal adjustment in the wires that trip and stop the count wheel are needed to insure a "positive" shut off action.
1) the L shaped lever may not be hitting the shut off slot squarely and thus not deeply and quickly enough to allow the locking wire to positively stop the strike.
2 the locking lever is internal in the mechanism but affixed to the same shaft as the L shaped wire is. Tricky but minor adjustment in the relationship between these two wires is need to make the shutoff positive. Removal of the mechanism is needed to make the adjustment easy to see. Bending with pliers is needed.
Perhaps a pro is needed to do the adjustment for you.
To fix it with the hands till it messes up again - just move the short hand- hour hand to point where needed. Moving the minute hand between 8 and 11 and then back to 8 will advance the mechanism one half hour step each time.
