Expert: John Newman - 8/17/2009

Question
QUESTION: I've got a German cuckoo clock from the early 70s that's been in storage for around 30 years. The mechanisms are dirty and probably need oil, but everything seems to work except the far left chain, which is the main drive for keeping time. The chain has been pulled all the way to the top and we can't seem to find a way to get it to release so we can pull it back out a bit. The center chain (chime) pulled back out nicely and the right chain (dancers on turning disc) works fine, too. Any idea on how to get the main drive chain to release so we can put the weights back on? I can give you the info off the works if you need them.

THANK YOU!!

Angela

ANSWER: Angela, I'm not sure I understand exactly what you are explaining. When you say everything is working nicely, do you mean that the cuckoo and music box are working okay with the weights on?  Also when you refer to the strike and music box/dancer chains being pulled out nicely, I imagine you are referring to winding them by pulling the weights up.  There are rings on the ends of the chains to do this.  Are you saying that the ring is not visible on the time chain and you can't wind it by pulling it down?  If the hook end is the end that you say you cannot pull down, it would come down as the clock runs.  If you cannot pull the time chain ring down, it is jammed.  Actually, if the clock has been in storage for that long, it will probably need servicing by an experienced clockmaker.  Most of the cuckoo clocks need more frequent service because of the way in which they are manufactured and there are more things to check such as the cuckoo bellows, the linkages and mechanisms for the dancers and music box.  If you want to answer the above question so that I can make sure what is happening, maybe I can tell you a little more on what to do.

John Newman
THE VILLAGE CLOCKSMITH
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ok, what I'm saying is that the cuckoo/music/dancers *would* work if the time part would work. The weight end of the chain is pulled all the way to the top and the clock will not tick/tock on its own. If you PULL on the weight, it will tick/tock and the chain will move down slowly, but not with just the weight alone. The other 2 mechanisms seem to be loose and working, but the clock will not run. The bellows, dancers and music box all work and their chains came down fine when pulled from the weight (hook) end. It's the time train that appears to be stuck. Again, it WILL tick/tock when you pull on the weight.

The innards are old, dirty and rusty on the non brass parts, so it may just be dead. But if it is dead, there's no harm in trying to see if I can get it started at least briefly, right? I don't really want it to run all the time anyway - it's very noisy if my memory serves. :-)

Our grandfather clock has sticking issues, too, so I think it's just the cuckoo's time train sticking. I've got some clock oil on the way to see if I can encourage it to move more freely. Having fiddled quite a bit with our grandfather clock, I'm familiar with how these things work - but the cuckoo is VERY small and hard to work on! Our grandfather clock has stopped chiming, so I need to work on it, too, although I don't care for the chiming that much - and it keeps better time now without the chime than it did with it! Weird!

Does that answer your question(s)?

Thanks SO MUCH for your free advice. I really appreciate it!

Angela

Answer
Angela, that cleared it up perfectly and you did a very good job in diagnosing it.  One thing is that the weights are what power the clock, and when the trains are "stuck" the weights won't do their job and just sit there.  Pulling on the time train weight gives it a little more power than the weight itself to overcome the friction in the train.  You are correct in that the dirt, rust, and old oil are going to keep it from running, and also that the cuckoo is very small and difficult to service.  To do it correctly, you have to remove the bellows, bird, music box and all the wires that control it.  Without doing this you cannot get to the bushings and pivots in the front of the movement to inspect and lubricate it.  After servicing it, everything has to be put back in place, aligned and adjusted.  These movements are very inexpensive and it actually costs less to replace one than restore it.  Good luck and I hope you get it running.

John Newman