Clocks, Watches/Grandfather Clock

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Expert: Martin Meyer - 7/13/2009


Question
I have a grandfather clock that had wound down.  Once I reset the hands and pulled up the weights it quit.  Now with the pendulum off...when I slightly move the minute hand and pull ever so slightly on the center weight it will run.  However if I replace the pendulum and not pull on the center weight it stops from the pendulum losing its back and forth motion.

Answer

Pendulum Leader Assemb
Hi Tom,

There are many possible causes of the clock's failure to run, but it is most likely that the pendulum got out of beat either when the clock ran down or when it was being rewound. Without the pendulum attached, a clock will always run as you describe whether it is in beat or not, unless the gear train is jammed or the escapement out of adjustment.

The beat is the adjustment of the pendulum to make it swing exactly equal distances from dead center to the left, as from dead center to the right. If a clock is out of beat, the pendulum will swing for a few minutes, then stop. The following are instructions to set the beat on a modern grandfather clock. If your clock is an antique (100 years old or more) it will probably require a somewhat different beat setting process. If that is the case, send me a followup and I'll provide those instructions.

Listen to your clock's tick. If a clock is in beat it goes "tick-tick-tick" like a metronome. If it goes "tick-TOCK-tick-TOCK", or makes no tick at all, then it is out of beat. Some clocks have automatic beat setting; try starting your clock with as wide a swing as possible. If it has auto beat setting it will correct its beat as it settles down to a normal swing.

If your clock does not have auto beat setting, the beat will have to be set manually. This is a delicate adjustment which takes some experience to do properly. You may want to have a professional clock repairer do a service call to set the beat. If you want to try doing it yourself, this is the procedure:

Remove the side or back panels to access the back of the movement. You will see that the pendulum top is connected to a strip of metal about 6 inches long. This is the pendulum leader. There will be another flat brass strip (the crutch) which comes out of the back top of the movement, bends to go straight down, then ends in a connection to the pendulum leader. This connection will be either a round post on the crutch going through a hole in the leader, or a forked end on the crutch going around the leader.

Now move the crutch to either side. You will feel a point of slight resistance near the end of the swing. Push the crutch past the point of resistance, just a tiny amount, probably less than you can see. If the uneven ticking sounds worse, or if there is no tick, do the same thing in the opposite direction of swing. Do this in small adjustments on whichever side makes the tick more even, until you achieve the steady "tick-tick" sound.

Adjusting the beat is a very delicate process, and it will most likely take a few tries for you to "get the feel" of the adjustment. But, if you do it patiently and in very tiny adjustments, you will probably be able to correct the beat. Note that I have attached a photo to better illustrate the above parts. This will probably not be exactly like your clock, but all the basic parts are the same.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com

Martin Meyer

Expertise

Can answer repair and service questions for most types of clocks, antique and modern, mechanical and battery. NO watches, appraisals, identification, history, dating, or questions about cuckoo clocks. Website for Modern and Antique Clock Repair: Clockmasteronline.com

Experience

24 Years as owner and repairman of clock repair business, 28 years in the field. Factory Independent Service Center for Howard Miller, Ridgeway and (formerly) Sligh Clocks. Specializing in Fine Antique Longcase (grandfather) clocks. Clock repair Website: (Please remove "Not" from the address - this is a spam protection): www.NotClockmasteronline.com

Organizations
AWCI (American Watchmakers and Clockmakers Institute) and NAWCC (National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors)

Publications
Am also an Expert in the "AllExperts-Antiques-Antique Clocks" Category.

Education/Credentials
Trained by a former Rolex Asia watchmaker, and by a Master Watchmaker/Clockmaker.

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