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Clocks, Watches/Boston Ship's clock

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Expert: Martin Meyer - 8/3/2009


Question
Clock was a retirement gift to my Dad 40 years ago. Recently, I noticed that it rings 10 bells at 5 o'clock, and 6 bells at 7.  Other times seem to be correct number of bells.  Can you explain?
Thanks,
George Ward

Answer

Rack and Snail
Hi George,

Ship's bell clocks have a variant of a "rack and snail" strike mechanism. I have attached a photo of a rack and snail strike mechanism, but it is NOT a ship's clock. The clock in the photo has a snail with 12 steps so that it can ring all 12 hours. The snail on a ship's clock, instead, has three sets of four steps each. When the clock strikes, the rack hook lifts, allowing the rack to fall, so that the rack tail hits the correct step on the snail. From this position, the clock strikes once for each notch on the rack, as the gathering pallet picks up the rack one tooth at a time.

At 5:00 your clock should strike 2 bells. If it strikes 10 times, the rack is not being lifted to a completed position after 2 bells. There are many possible causes for this, all rather technical:  the rack may be slipping back down after each strike or after the final strike due to an incorrect adjustment of the gathering pallet and/or the rack hook, the gathering pallet may not be picking up a tooth of the rack, or the rack tail may be out of alignment with the snail, missing the snail when the rack falls, and dropping much farther down that it should. An examination of the clock by a professional clock repairer would be necessary to determine the exact cause of the problem, and why the error only occurs at 5:00, which is quite unusual.

The clock striking 6 bells at 7:00 is correct. Ship's clocks divide the day into six "watches" of four hours each. The watches start at 12:00, 4:00 and 8:00, all of which count 8 bells each. The bells increase by 1 bell each half hour, and therefore the hours are always even numbers of bells, and the half-hours are always odd numbers. Thus: 12:00=8 bells, 12:30=1, 1:00=2, 1:30=3. 2:00=4, 2:30=5, 3:00=6, 3:30=7; 4:00=8, 4:30=1, 5:00=2, 5:30=3, 6:00=4, 6:30=5, 7:00=6, 7:30=7; 8:00=8, 8:30=1, 9:00=2, 9:30=3, 10:00=4, 10:30=5, 11:00=6, 11:30=7, and 12:00=8 bells once again.  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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