Expert: Martin Meyer - 8/12/2009

Question
When moving my clock it recieved a bad jolt and when setting up the clock we discovered that the chimes and rods do not match up.  The first two sounds in the Westminster chime hit but the last two do not. This clock is 451-050H 94/66 It is an 81.  Do not know what to do to fix the rods.  The hammers since they are contained in the movement should be in the correct position.  There appears to be about 1/2 inch gap between the hammers and the rods.  A couple of the hammers appear to bent away from the rods so is it possible these could be bent when they should not be.  This however would not completely correct the distance needed.Help and thankyou

Answer
Hi Sandra,

It is almost impossible for the chime rods to bend a significant amount out of position without breaking, so the problem is probably in the hammers. The chime rods are mounted in a cast iron block which is mounted to the back panel of the clock with four large screws. First, you should check that these screws are still tight and that the chime block itself has not shifted; the holes in the back panel are oversized so the chime block can be adjusted. If the chime block is firmly in place, the problem is in the hammers.

The hammer wires could be bent, and/or the movement could have shifted on the seatboard, either backwards, sideways or crooked. The movement sits on a wood board and is held there by two long screws which come up through the board and into the movement. The dial may or may not be attached to the movement. You should check that the seatboard screws are tight and that the movement is in its correct position. If the dial is attached to the movement, you can check this by looking at the position of the dial. If it is off-center in the dial frame or has shifted back away from the frame, you must reposition it. If the dial is not not attached to the movement, you can check the movement's position by looking at the hands. They should be in their positions as before the move, not pushed back against the dial or sticking farther out from the dial, and they should remain parallel to the dial when you turn them all the way around. When the movement is adjusted in its correct position, hand-tighten the seatboard screws; do not tighten them with a screwdriver.

If the hammers still do not line up with the chime rods, the problem is that the hammer wires (shafts) have bent. You should hold the wires near their bases, bending only the upper two-thirds of the wire, and taking care not to bend them at their bases. You should line up the hammers so they will hit the rods directly on center, and so that they have an at-rest clearance of 1/16" to 1/8" between rod and hammer face.  http//www.clockmasteronline.com.