Expert: John Newman - 9/16/2010

Question
I think that the cleaning lady was trying to help me and pulled the chains to the max.  Now I can not get it to do anything.  Is there a way to release the chains so that the clock pendulum will swing? I am on a limited income, therefore hate to have a clock repair to come to the house. Thank you.

Answer
Carole, the way a clock works is that the weights provide the power to run the time, chimes and strike.  As they function, the weights descend and then are wound by pulling them back up.  Usually winding the weights all the way up does not stop the clock unless they were pulled up with such force that the hooks were jammed into the board on which the movement is mounted.  This does not happen very often.  Let's try a couple of things.  First, move the minute hand around like you are going to set the time.  Do the chimes work on the quarters and does it strike on the hour?  If so, let's try the actual running.  It could be that the pendulum was knocked out of beat when the weights were pulled up.  Start the pendulum and listen for a tick tock.  The tick tock should be even, like tick....tock....tick....tock.  If it sounds like tick..tock......tick..tock, it is out of beat and will not keep running.  Most of the later model floor clocks have an auto-beat set up in which you hold the pendulum all the way over to the side and release it.  That will cause it to set itself, even if the clock is not exactly level.  If this does not work it could be that the pendulum hanger or suspension spring was knocked out of configuration.  If this is the case, I will need to know the model of the movement.  Then I can send you a photo of a representative movement.  Reply to my shop email address so I can send the photo.  This information can be found on the back plate of the movement.  If there is a panel behind the movement, it can be removed and the information read.  If access can be gotten from side panels, the information will have to be read using a small mirror and flashlight.  Also, if you can send me a clear photo of the back of the movement I can determine if something is out of place.

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

(General Note:  Due to the commitment I have for answering Allexperts questions and follow-up information,
and the excessive backlog at my shop, I regret that I cannot answer other questions from
this email address in a timely manner)