Expert: Martin Meyer - 9/13/2009

Question
I was given a Centurion 35 day clock, it has two sides to wind and so I did, but the pendulum won't stay running, i give it a swing but it keeps slowing down and stops, the clock was running when I got it, help please

Answer
Hi Thea,

There are a number of possible causes of this problem, but the most likely is that the pendulum is out of beat. When a clock runs only a few minutes and stops, this is most often the cause. With the clock hanging on the wall (for now I'm assuming that it is a wall clock), start the pendulum with just enough swing to keep ticking. Now listen to the tick: if your clock is in beat, the tick sound should be "tick-tick-tick", steady like a metronome. If it is out of beat, the sound will be uneven, "tick-TOCK-tick-TOCK". If your clock is out of beat, move it side-to-side on the wall in VERY small amounts, trying one way and then the other, until the beat evens out. The amount you move it will probably be less than you can notice when you're looking at the clock. If you have to move it so much that it looks crooked on the wall, then you'll need to have a clock repairer set the beat for you.

If your clock is a mantle clock, use the same procedure, but use thin cardboard shims under one side or the other until the beat evens out.

Finally, always make sure that you wind the clock all the way, as far as it will go on both winding shafts. This will take a considerable number of turns on a 35 day clock.  http://www.clockmasteronline.com