Expert: John Newman - 10/21/2010

Question
QUESTION: I have a mantle clock with a standard Seth Thomas/Hermle 340 movement. To make a long story short a fellow in Indiana replaced the movement and sent it back. It keeps perfect time but the Westminster chimes are not working. It makes a few dings here and there but not the standard chimes. Is there an easy fix?

ANSWER: Jim, I would think the clockmaker that installed it would be able to help you.  Have you contacted him?  I'm not saying this to shirk any answer, but I always welcome question from customers that still might have a problem with some work I have done, as the information might be unique to the particular clock.  

Now that I have said that I will be glad to answer your question.  I believe this model has a silver lever that pivots from the bottom left extruding plate on the back of the movement.  This is a shipping or silencing lever.  For the chimes to function, it has to be rotated out of the way of the hammers.  If it is and the problem still exists, it could be that the chime hammers were not secured before shipping (usually with a piece of foam wedged between the hammers and chime rods).  If not secured, rough handling can knock the hammers out of alignment.  And the alignment procedure is rather precise on this type of set up.  To check this out, insure the transport/silence lever is rotated out of the way and that there is no packing material inserted in that area.  Observe the hammers as you run the clock through the chimes.  The best time is at the hour when the Westminster tune plays the full 16 notes.  First, check to see if all 5 hammers are in alignment at rest.  Watch to see if all hammers are lifting about one hammer length before striking.  Are they hitting there respective rods equally?  Another thing is that you will notice that there are five hammers.  Four are for the chime notes and the fifth hammer is for the strike.  The fifth hammer arm has a metal strip that also lifts two of the chime hammers to give a three hammer strike.  If the metal strip is not adjust correctly, it could be too high, preventing two of the hammers from hitting during the chime notes.  There are some other causes deeper into the chime mechanism, but I do not think they would be causing this problem on a new movement.  Look at what I have suggested and get back to me on what you find.

John Newman
The Village Clocksmith
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama





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

QUESTION: Hi John - Your advice is clear and I did as you suggested. I found that the hammers are indeed rising and falling as they should. I could "see" the Westminster 16 notes being played by the hammers but moast all the notes were "silent". The chimes are obviously out of whack and I really don't want to make it worse. I don't want to bad mouth another professional but I'm very disappointed that with a week's worth of "bench testing" the clock the guy didn't notice it wasn't chiming correctly.
So I guess I'll try to find a local clocksmith and suck up the extra cost. That's what I should have done in the first place. Many thanks for your great advice. At least I know why it's not working.
Best and blessings
Jim

Answer
Jim, thanks for the nice comments.  It could be that the clockmaker did check it out and it was knocked out of whack during shipping.  One more test.  Using a small screwdriver or similar thin tool, carefully lift each hammer about one hammer length and see if it hits correctly.  Remember, the first two hammers (closest to the front of the clock) are independent and the next two chime independently but are lifted in unison with the fifth hammer to strike.  As you lift them are they striking the rods correctly? If it is possible, send me a clear photo from the back of the movement showing the position of the hammers at rest.  Maybe I can detect something and send you some chime hammer alignment instructions.  My email address is below.

John Newman
THE VILLAGE CLOCKSMITH
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama

klokdok@juno.com

(Due to the number of Allexperts questions and
the workload I have at my clock shop, I regret
that I cannot answer personal email questions on a timely basis
other than Allexperts follow ups.)