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Question
I overwound my grandmother clock and now it keeps stopping
about every 10 minutes or so. It is still chiming correctly
every 15 min. and on the hour it strikes the right time. Can
you offer any advice
Paul, I doubt you overwound your clock. Being a grandmother clock it could be a spring driven or weight driven. And is it a floor clock? You did not say. I receive a lot of questions from Internet and shop customers that say that the clock was just overwound. The only way I consider a clock being overwound is that if a spring wound clock is wound so tightly that the key bends or breaks or something snaps inside the movement. On weight driven floor clocks (and some wall clocks) I have only found a couple that were actually pulled and jammed so tight that the weight hook had wedged in the board that the movement mounts on. The problem you have is probably that the pendulum/escapement was knocked out of beat. A clock in beat sounds like tick....tock....tick....tock. If it is out of beat it will go tick..tock......tick..tock and eventually stop. The more modern pendulum floor clocks have an auto beat feature. The pendulum is held over to one side and released. As is overswings, the beat is set as the pendulum swing narrows down until it is running at its normal swing. If it is not an auto beat, you have to slip the escapement mechanism by slipping it over to one side or the other until you hear an even beat. If you do not hear the beat at all, there could be another problem (If it is not working at all the pendulum will swing for a few minutes. If you will get the information off the back plate of the clock movement and send it to my shop email address below, I can probably identify it and give you more information, along with a photo showing the adjustment.
John Newman
The Village Clocksmith
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama
klokdok@juno.com
Note: Because of my commitment to answering Allexperts questions within a prescribed time limit and the large backlog of clock work at my shop, I regret that I cannot answer personal email questions on a timely basis.
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Answers by Expert:
John Newman
Expertise
As much as I would like to offer values of clocks, I am not a certified appraiser and will not venture into giving an unresearched guess. There is very little published information on what I consider to be the value of "modern production clocks". Considerations are what the clock originally sold for, the condition of the case and movement, and particularly the area in which you live, the demand and the economy. ALSO, WATCHES ARE NOT MY FIELD. However, I can advise the clock owner on proper maintenance of a clock to keep it running, small corrections and adjustments and how to move a clock without damaging it. I can also advise on obtaining parts for clocks. It helps if you can send any information on the clock movement which is usually found on the back plate of the movement. I have been a clockmaker for about 35 years and was plant engineer in the mid 90's and later operations and engineering consultant at Emperor Clock Company in Fairhope, Alabama. I now have my own clock shop.
Experience
One of my greatest accomplishments was traveling to China to assist a clock factory in building clocks to the standards which we required. With the proper specifications and quality control, some beautiful clock cases were built. The factory people from the wood carvers to the plant manager were very congenial, friendly and I left a lot of wonderful friends when I returned from my trips.
Organizations
Chamber of Commerce
Small Business Committee
Publications
Horological Times, a publication of the American Watch and Clockmakers Instute. Collaberated column author, with Photos and ideas for clock movement conversion article.
Education/Credentials
Associate of Science Mechanical Engineering Technology
Emperor Introductory Clock Repair (Eventually taught a portion of the class after becoming employee)
Awards and Honors
Small Business of the Quarter (Prattville, Alabama)
Leadership Class of 2009 (Autauga County, Alabama)
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