Expert: William J Perkins - 5/11/2010

Question
QUESTION: i have inherited my mom's 1980 cable 3 weight grandfather clock.  it runs almost perfect  the only problem is the hour bonger ALWAYS strikes 12 times regardless of hour it is at  i can clearly see the "paw" and what appears to be cog of sorts that i think should regulate the hour strike but they dont meet each other (the paw is slightly to the front of the cog. there is a set screw on the cogged gear am i correct to slide that forward slightly to achieve contact.   have looked everywhere for an exploded view of the movement but can't find one  thanks tim

ANSWER: To correct the deficiency of your clock you will have to remove the face from the movement.  Doing this will expose the elements you need to repair.  Your clock has what is called a rack and snail strike system.  The parts I will address are a toothed semi circular element called the rack, which is advanced one tooth for each hour struck, and a stepped cam resembling the shell of a snail, which determines the number of teeth to be activated in the rack.  In operation the rotation of the hour shaft moves the snail at the same rate as the hour hand.  The snail has 12 steps on it, the highest one sets the strike to deliver 1 blow of the gong hammer, the deepest step causes 12 blows.  Shortly before the clock is to strike, the strike train is unlocked and the racks lever drops onto one of the steps on the snail to allow the correct number of blows to be delivered.  Upon the hour the strike train is released, a cam starts to rotate through each exposed rack tooth, performing the proper blows to the chime rod(s).  When the last tooth has rotated through, the train locks itself.  In your situation the lever on the rack is not falling into contact with the snail, allowing it to drop all the way down each time it strikes.  What you need to do is to determine why the rack lever is not falling on the snail steps.  There are a number of possibilities.  1, the rack lever is out of place due to a loose or missing washer and/or pin.  2, The pin on the rack arm that is supposed to contact the steps of the snail is missing or bent, in either case you would need to repair or replace the defective parts.  I is possible I might have an exploded view of your clock movement. To determine I would need you to send me all the information that is stamped upon the clock brass backplate.  I will also need your e-mail address to enable transmission.  Regards WJP

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

QUESTION: thany you so much for your reply while waiting i have been examining the movement moving and the strikes for days i am a very tech inclined person and have found exactly what you have described thpin on the rack arm is loose    it is still attached but pushed out to the edge of the rack not allowing conact with the snail i pushed it in on the rack carefully and now it strikes closer to the to the hour time (off 2 strikes) but i am sure it is because the the pin is cocked slightly not allowing the right amount of teeth to fall when the pin hits the snail.  here is all the numbers on the movemnet brass plate (the best i can read them)  and the registration number on the clock movement numbers 1133719 and vw3259cc  serial plate on the clock is 247819.  i would really like an exploded view but more so can you purchase replacement parts like the rack arm without having to replace the whole movement ??????   you have really been a lot of help thus far thank you so much my email adress is mack-daddy@embarqmail.com

ANSWER: You will have to expose the clock movements backplate to achieve the information I require to assist you.  The information contains coded data needed to identify the movement.  Without this knowledge you couldn't hope to buy parts.  That aside, I doubt you need a new rack.  I believe inserting a new pin would resolve the problem.  You might have to remove the movement from the case in order to read the data upon the backplate.  You would surely have to in order to effect the required repair.  Regards WJP

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

QUESTION: the first 2 set's of numbers are what i found on the movements back plate again they are 1133719 and vw3259cc i will recheck them but this is what i read a pin sounds logical but if it's loose like it is i am concerned if it is  a press fit it will do the same thing

Answer
You would use a taper pin to do this job.  Put the smaller end through the hole, then press it in until a tight fit is achieved, then cut to size,(allow for dressing/filing) file the cut end smooth.  To my knowledge Howard Miller used movements from Jauch, Kenningen, Urgos %26 Hermle.  Each of these firms provided many different models.  The identity on all of the is clearly delineated upon the movements backplate and no where else.  Regards WJP