Expert: John Newman - 1/10/2011

Question
We recently acquired a model 300 Emperor clock. The suspension spring and the center weight rod and weight hook had been broken. Attempts to contact Emperor Clock Co in Fairhope, AL by phone was unsuccessful. Do you have these parts or can you tell us where to acquire them? We are assuming the movement is a model 200m since there is no lever for selection of chime tones, however, the right weight filler weighs 10.5 lbs, a specification for the 300m movement. One weight chain is shorter than the other 2 & we are assuming that this is the chain for the center weight. If we can acquire these part, we will see if the clock will operate in its current condition. Except for the weight & spring, the clock appears to be in excellent condition. We have the manual that came with the clock. However, should we not be able to get the clock running properly, what services do you provide and what procedures should we follow to acquire your services.

Answer
Doris, Emperor was bought by Hermle Black Forest Clocks in the late 1990's and they closed the Fairhope, Alabama doors in June of 2005.  I had been the plant engineer at Emperor and later engineering and operations consultant until they ceased doing business in Fairhope.  They moved Emperor to their facility in Virginia where they now sell the newer line of Emperor clocks.  If you had contacted them, they would have referred you to me.  I purchased all of the older Emperor parts and agreed to handle all of the questions concerning information and parts that I have, and I also buy Emperor parts I find on the Internet and elsewhere.  For this I have acquired the unofficial title of "Vintage Emperor Clock Consultant".  I have quite a few of the Emperor floor clocks I have bought locally at estate sales, etc, because of the excellent solid wood used in the construction.  There is very little that has to be done to restore these clocks.

Your Model 300 was a nice case.  The movement(s) used were the 200M (Westminster) and 300M (triple chime).  The "M" suffix usually indicated that it was fitted with a moving moon dial, but I have seen some without it.  The best way to determine the model is to count the chime hammers (located on the right side as you face the clock).  If there are four hammers on the chime side it would be the Westminster 200M.   Eight hammers would indicate a triple-chime 300M.  

You are correct in that the 10.5# weight should be used with the triple chime.  The Westminster model should have an 8.8# weight.  Sometimes people will put a heavier weight on a clock to get it to function, but this just causes the movement to wear faster and is not the proper fix.  All chains should be the same length.  However, if the shorter chain allows the clock to run at least 8 days, then there is no cause for lengthing unless you would just like them to look the same.

I do have the suspension spring, weight rod and hook.  I will need you to remove the rod from one of the other weights and give me the exact length of the rod with the hook and nut removed.  It would help if you sent me a clear photo of a hook and bottom nut from one of the other weights, as there were a few different designs.  Also, occasionally the threads differed, as the weights and parts would be obtained from different manufacturers.  The threads will be no problem, as I can send you a complete rod/hook/nut assembly to fit your weight.  If you will reply to my shop email address I can give you all the details.

As far as the services are concerned, right now I have a backlog of work and am not accepting any further work for a while. When you contact me let me know the area in which you live and I'll see if there are any of my Internet Clocksmiths Group near you, if needed.  I will have to say that when servicing these older movements with a lot of wear, sometimes it is more economical to replace the movement rather than restore.  But that can only be determined by looking at the movement and evaluating it.  That particular movement is not manufactured any longer but there are still some NOS (new old stock) movements found every now and then or replacement conversions available.  If you will, get me the information I have asked for and we'll see what we can do.  Once you receive the parts, don't hesitate to contact me if you have problems getting it to run.

John Newman
THE VILLAGE CLOCKSMITH
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama

klokdok@juno.com

(Due to the number of Allexperts questions and
the workload I have at my clock shop, I regret
that I cannot answer personal email questions on a timely basis
other than Allexperts follow ups.)