Expert: William J Perkins - 1/27/2010

Question
QUESTION: The chimes on my clock are off, they chime about 5 minutes before the hands reach the quarter minutes. It is a Tempas Fugit, no pendelum, I wind it once a week. Can you advise me as how to get it to chime when it is suppose to?? Thank you

ANSWER: Tempus Fugit is a dial style, not the name of the clock.  It is a Latin phrase meaning "time flys".  Presuming your clock to be pretty standard here is how you would correct this problem.  Looking at the clock you will find the minute hand is secured to its shaft by a hand nut.  Stop the clock, remove the hand nut and the minute hand.  Turn the minute hand over in your hand and you will note that the square hole that position the hand on its shaft is in the form of a pressed in bushing.  Take a pair of pliers and turn that bushing so that when the hand is returned to its shaft it is in a position 5 minute later than when you removed it.  This will likely take quite a few trial before you get it right.  When the correction is achieved, secure the hand to its shaft with the hand nut.  Start the clock and reset to correct time.  That should do it.  Regards WJP

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

QUESTION: Do I understand that the back of the second hand is the flat side with the front being raised? If so then do I turn the bushing on the flat side? Once it "sets" on the 5 minutes later position I can assume it is fixed? Thank you for your patience and your answer.  

Answer
No!  Just the opposite, the back has the raised bushing, and it makes no difference from which side you turn, it is just much easier from the projecting side.  And, yes, that should do the job for you.  Problems such as this are frequently caused by turning the hands backwards.  Regards WJP.