Expert: Michael Radi - 8/12/2009

Question
My clock is approximately 30 years old.  It chimes every 15 minutues.  I wind the clock with the key approximately once a week .  It keeps very good time.  Suddenly, the 2 wind-ups for the chimes is impossible to turn resulting in no chimes while the wind-up for the time works perfectly.

Answer
If the chimes are not working and you can't wind the key I'm guessing that the mainsprings are wound all the way up, but your chimes have stopped running for an unrelated reason. There are several things that can cause the chimes to stop running. I would start by oiling the movement. The pivot holes that the two fans have at the top of the movement and the gear that drives the fan need lubrication to run. There is not a lot of power that high in the gear train and a small amount of resistance can stop the chimes.

There is a lot of other clock oiling information on the Internet including my video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9YrBcKiHA4

Let me know if you need more help.
Michael
www.norkro.com
clock parts and repair