Expert: Kenneth Saunders - 1/21/2011

Question
QUESTION: Hello. My clock has no name, but there are the letters FHS on the movement and the number 331.050. My problem is that the two chimes are totally out of sync. The chime that strikes the number of hours strikes in the middle of the chime that strikes on the quarter hour. This is probably due to my fiddling where I shouldn't have! Would appreciate your advice on how to get it sorted. Many thanks.

ANSWER: Franz Hermle and Sons   351-050  good German movement still in production

chime is on the quarters

strike is on the hour

if the 16 notes of the quarter chime followed by the hour strike occurs at 15 minutes after the hour instead of when the minute hand is pointed at 12, then you need ot remove the nut holding the hand on and put it back on pointing at 12 and put the nut back on.

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

QUESTION: Thanks very much for your prompt response. The problem is the chime and the strike are both happening at the same time - so you just get a lot of noise! It used to chime on the quarter hour and strike on the hour, now it doesn't chime on the quarter hour but chimes continuously for about a minute (about 64 notes) on the hour and at the same time the hour strikes. So it's like the chime doesn't come to a stop on the correct number of chimes and whilst it is still chiming the strike does its thing as well. I've messed it up haven't I? Would a photo help?

Answer
just out of adjustment

on the front top right of the mechanism are two cams held by set screws on shafts sticking out
from the front of the movement.

the right one is a 4 lobed quarter chime cam with progressively wider spaces between the shut off notches- corresponding to the lenth of each quarter chime sequence

the left one is round with a steel pin sticking out the back

two hooks lock on the steel pin at 1/4 of the hour but only the front hook the other quarters

the front hook is on a lever that has a pin in its' middle that rides the edge of the 4 lobed quarter chime cam.

when the hour tune finishes (16 notes) the riding pin and the front hook need to drop and lock on the steel pin--if the left round cam is out of position the hook will not catch the pin and it keeps chiming.

the round cam is loose on the shaft and might have moved - or you messed with it and you need to loosten the setscrews on it and adjust it CW or CCW to the proper position and retighten.