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Clocks, Watches/Emperor Grandfather Clock chimes and manual

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Expert: - 5/15/2010


Question
My wife purchased a grandfather clock. The clock looks new and she did not give very for the clock.  The woman she purchased it from said a child had pulled one of the chains to far up. It was out of the clock so I put it back by fishing a small wire around the gear. I believe it was the hour chime chain. This is all of the information on the back of the clock; 79, Made for Emperor Clock Company, by Hermle Black Forest Clocks, 451-050H,94cm/66.  I set the clock up and it seemed to work fine. Then I noticed it was losing time and not chiming. I have read several of your answers and have the weights setup with the heaviest on the right as I face the front,have set the moon phase dial, and have turned the pendulum nut to the right several time to speed up the time. I almost have the time set but it still will not chime. I can hear it click on the quarter, half, and hour. If I put very slight pressure on the top of the chime weight it will chime. Do you know what the problem could be and also where I might find an owners  and/or repair manual? Thank you for your help.

Answer
Sam, looks like you have done a good job in replacing the chain and regulating the clock.  The "79" indicates the the year it was made, 1979.  We don't know when the clock was last serviced, but it should be serviced every 7 to 10 years.  After that, the lubricants can become gummy and start slowing down the chimes and affecting the other functions.  The chimes will fail and the strike will not work if the chimes aren't functioning.  Also there could be worn parts that need to be repaired.  It would probably be best to have an experienced clockmaker evaluate and service it.  I do have the movement manual for that movement.  Contact me at my shop email address below, and I'll discuss the details with you.  It would help if you could send me a clear photo of the back of the movement, as there were a couple of different versions, so I can choose the correct manual.

John Newman
THE VILLAGE CLOCKSMITH
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama
klokdok@juno.com

Note:  Because of the number of Allexpert questions and follow ups,
and the excessive backlog in my shop, I regret that I can only answer
the Allexperts related questions in a timely manner.

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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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