Expert: Martin Meyer - 8/22/2009

Question
Good Day... I have a Howard Miller wall clock model # 613-643.  I purchased it quite a few years back and a few months after I bought it I overwound the clock... When I say I overwound the clock I mean that I wound all three to the limit and maybe more.. Of course the clock stopped working correctly.  When I start the pendulum it will run for sometimes 30 minutes, sometimes 3 hours, then stop.  I know I probably did some damage, but when it runs everything works correctly.  Could it be that the pendulum needs adjusting?  Or that something needs to be cleaned??

Thanks...

Answer
Hi Chris,

The idea of "overwinding" is probably the most common myth in clockmaking. A clock cannot be wound too tight, unless it is wound so hard that the mainspring breaks, in which case the spring becomes completely unwound and the winding key turns freely without ever winding the mainspring. Unless this is how the center winding shaft now behaves, your clock is fully wound, and is not running for some other reason.

The most common cause of a wall clock's failure to run is that the pendulum is "out of beat". If a clock is in beat it goes "tick-tick-tick" like a metronome. If it goes "tick-TOCK-tick-TOCK", that is, an uneven ticking sound, then it is out of beat. Please browse my previous answers where I have discussed setting the beat in detail.

However, an out of beat clock usually stops within a few minutes of starting the pendulum swinging, and the erratic running which you describe is more often caused by either need for lubrication or worn bearings in the movement. A professional clock repairer can both lubricate your clock and examine it for bearing wear.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com