Expert: Michael Radi - 1/4/2010

Question
QUESTION: FRANZ HERMIE SERIES 111.  M/N: 451050H
GRANDFATHER CLOCK

The mood dial does not work.  does not hold the weight so i believe we are missing the Advance Pin.  Can you help me find one or could it be a different problem?

ANSWER: It would take some hands on diagnosis to figure out why the moon dial is not working. Usually they can be repaired. There are a lot of different configurations so I don't know what the pin would look like, what wheel it is on, etc......
When you say it does not hold the weight, what do you mean?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: the cog that keeps weight from falling.. it is free rolling... when weight is pulled up it goes right back down again.  there is nothing holding it. the moon dial does not move and the chimes do not work.  (this is how my dad explained it)

Answer
There are two unrelated issues with your clock. The moon dial has nothing to do with the weight.
I doubt if you will be able to find the correct gear with the pin for your moon dial but the pin can be replaced by drilling a hole and inserting a new pin.
The problem with your chain gear will be with the click or click spring. Sometimes the click spring breaks, sometimes the click snaps back and ends up under the spring and just needs to be re-seated.
In either case the clock movement needs to come out of the clock and the chain gear may need to be removed from the movement in order to do the repair.
Both of these things are repairable but they are moderately difficult.