Expert: Martin Meyer - 1/30/2010

Question
Hi  1930 no label/name clock. Clock works well has two cental key holes left and right of the arms join, the clock chimes once on the half hour and then of the hours on the on the hour However the time the chimes actually chime is at 5 past and 25 to, the clock chimes one hour out 8 fo 9 etc.  Only wound it once since getting this week and did this at 5 past 1 which I assume has a bearing on the miss timing of the chimes.  Please could you advise which keyhole is to wind the clock and which one is to set the chimes (I am assuming thats what they are for) and how to set the chimes so they are in sinc? Also my family think it chmes too loud can I turn the chimes either /down or off too?
Thanks

Answer
Hi Toni,

There are a number of questions here. First, the striking at +:05. On a clock as old as yours,  I can't tell you with certainty what the right correction method is. I will give you the instructions for modern clocks, which will probably be correct. If you do not find a minute bushing, I would recommend that you take no chances, and have a professional clock repairer do a service call.

Your clock has a minute hand with a bushing for this adjustment. At the center of the hand is a circular or hexagonal piece with the square hole which fits on the hand shaft. This piece is riveted onto the minute hand, but can be turned to adjust the hand to point exactly to the :12, :15, :30 and :45 points when the clock chimes.
  
To perform this adjustment, insert a square-sided awl or small screwdriver in the square center hole. Hold the minute hand tightly near its base, and turn the screwdriver or awl, so that the bushing turns, thus changing the orientation of its square center hole. Be careful not to bend or break the minute hand as you do this. The bushing will usually be quite tight, but will turn with enough effort. If the bushing is not tight, and turns very easily, you should set the hand on an anvil and give the bushing a couple light taps with a small hammer to tighten it up. After adjusting, put the hand on its shaft and turn it to see if it correctly lines up with the chime point. This is a very precise setting requiring tiny adjustments, so it will almost certainly take several adjustments to get the hand in synch with the chime. It is very difficult to get the synchronization perfect, but an acceptable standard is plus or minus 20 seconds from the exact chime point.

Striking the incorrect number of hours is a question that I have answered many times in this forum. Please browse my previous answers, most recently "Jeff - Chimes out of sync" in the category "Clocks, Watches".

The time that the clock said when you wound it has no bearing on the problem. Except in rare cases, the left hole winds the strike and the right winds the time (as you're looking at the clock). There is no adjustment for volume on these clocks. They can occasionally be adjusted by a clock repairer to strike more lightly, but the result is usually some tones missing altogether. Some clocks have a chime shut-off, but there are numerous designs for this, which would go beyond the scope of this forum.