Expert: Martin Meyer - 8/11/2009

Question
QUESTION: Hi
I recently acquired this delightful Junghans clock and have set it up so it keeps good time and chimes correctly.  Is there an easy way to quiet the chime (at night) or do you have to bend the chime hammer away from the coiled chiming rod?
Regards
Grant

ANSWER: Hi Grant,

Vienna regulators generally do not have a provision for silencing the strike, although in the field of clocks "never say never". You are probably correct that bending the hammer shaft is the only easy way to silence the strike. It would be possible to have the hammer, or the strike mechanism itself, disabled by a professional clock repairer. This is a reversible modification, but, of course, not on a nightly basis. Additionally, bending the strike hammer shaft is certainly not an acceptable method of silencing the strike nightly. Repeated bending of this soft brass wire will certainly break it eventually.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com

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QUESTION: Thanks Martin for your response.  I wondered if I could achieve the same result by not winding the chime spring?  I presume that by winding only the clock mechanism, the chime would not sound (and how do you best determine which spring operates which?)
Regards
Grant

Answer
Hi again Grant,

The spring on the left (looking at the clock) powers the strike, and the one on the right powers the time/pendulum. However, I would not recommend leaving the strike spring unwound, as this may occasionally leave the strike mechanism in a mid-strike position and jam the time gear train, thus stopping the clock. http://www.clockmasteronline.com