Expert: John Newman - 8/25/2010

Question
QUESTION: My Ridgeway grandfather clock's chimes rings two minutes early.  HELP!

ANSWER: Mike my shop computer with all the notes in it is at my computer guy, getting a virus removed.  But here is the procedure:

Stop the pendulum.  Turn the minute hand through the quarters until you come to the click that trips the hour chime.  It should be two minutes before the hour. Without turning anything on the clock, loosen and remove the hand nut that secures the minute hand.  Carefully remove the minute hand.  There will be a bushing on the back of the minute hand.  It can be round or hex shaped.  Using a good pair of pliers, grasp the bushing.  The hand should be at a right angle to the jaws of the pliers.  This is so you won't pinch your fingers if the pliers slip.  With your other hand grasp the hand, close to the bushing, and slip the hand clockwise to what you think is 2 minutes.  Reinstall the hand and see if it points to the 12.  If not, slip it again until it is right on.  Reinstall the minute hand and nut and tighten.  Run the hand around again and see if it trips on the hour.  If it does, start the pendulum and set the time using the minute hand.  As the clock runs, check the hour trip point again.  As there is always some play in the mechanism, it sometimes has to be redone again.  It usually takes me a couple of tries.  However, the whole procedure takes less time than it does to write these instructions.

One further note FYI concerning the hour hand, if the hour hand is not pointing exactly to the hour or at the incorrect hour when the clock strikes, count the number of strikes and carefully slip the hour hand to that hour.  If it was at the wrong hour, the minute hand can now be turned to reset the clock to the correct time.

Good luck and if you have any further questions, get back with me.

John Newman
THE VILLAGE CLOCKSMITH
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama


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

QUESTION: I lost the hand nut for the minute hand many months ago.
Do you know where I can get another?

Answer
Mike, I need to know the model of the movement.  Send me all of the information you can find on the back plate of the movement.  If you do not have a back access panel, you might have to look through a side panel of the clock, and use a small mirror and a flashlight.  I do this a lot and am pretty good at reading backwards!  Send this information to my shop email address below and I can give you the details of obtaining a hand nut.

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.