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Clocks, Watches/sleigh grandfather clock i think

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Expert: - 1/23/2011


Question
my uncle has relocated to Ireland and his clock was transported here.  However we were about to put the pendulum and weights on last night and discovered long chime bars lying in the bottom of the inside of the clock.  We assumed these pushed up in the slots but dont appear to stay in place.  When looking closer they appear to have broken away from their placement.  would we be able to fix this or would it need to be done by a clock smith by the way we dont know anything about clocks HELP pelase

Answer
Margaret, I believe that would be a Sligh clock.  The chime rods were probably not secured prior to transporting and vibrated during the move.  The vibrations caused the rods to stress and they broke off at the narrowest point of the rod, which is near the plug.  As some of the rods broke off, it could be that others are stressed and will also break off.  Because of this I would recommend replacing the complete set of rods or the complete chime block assembly.  If the rods are the screw-in type I would have to remove the assembly, secure it in a vice and use a special set of tools to remove and replace the rods.  They are installed with great force to insure quality sound.  The cost of a tuned set of rods and the labor replacing them (or having to tune a set) comes close to the cost of a new chime rod assembly.  In replacing the assembly, the available units do not always have mounting holes identical to the original ones.  Therefore, new mounting holes have to be located and drilled in the sound box or board.  My suggestion would to be to look for a local clockmaker and see what could be done.  If this is a problem, let me know.  I would have to ask you for some measurements of the chime rod assembly, including the mounting holes to see if it would be a direct replacement.  I would also have to know the way they are actually mounted in the case.   I could then give you some sources for the assembly.  I do have instructions for aligning the chime and strike hammers after the assembly has been installed.  This usually has to be done even after a movement or chime assembly has been removed for service.  Sorry it wasn't something simple that you could resolve.  Let me know what you would like to do.

John Newman
The Village Clocksmith
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama  

Clocks, Watches

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John Newman

Expertise

As much as I would like to offer values of clocks, I am not a certified appraiser and will not venture into giving an unresearched guess. There is very little published information on what I consider to be the value of "modern production clocks". Considerations are what the clock originally sold for, the condition of the case and movement, and particularly the area in which you live, the demand and the economy. ALSO, WATCHES ARE NOT MY FIELD. However, I can advise the clock owner on proper maintenance of a clock to keep it running, small corrections and adjustments and how to move a clock without damaging it. I can also advise on obtaining parts for clocks. It helps if you can send any information on the clock movement which is usually found on the back plate of the movement. I have been a clockmaker for about 35 years and was plant engineer in the mid 90's and later operations and engineering consultant at Emperor Clock Company in Fairhope, Alabama. I now have my own clock shop.

Experience

One of my greatest accomplishments was traveling to China to assist a clock factory in building clocks to the standards which we required. With the proper specifications and quality control, some beautiful clock cases were built. The factory people from the wood carvers to the plant manager were very congenial, friendly and I left a lot of wonderful friends when I returned from my trips.

Organizations
Chamber of Commerce Small Business Committee

Publications
Horological Times, a publication of the American Watch and Clockmakers Instute. Collaberated column author, with Photos and ideas for clock movement conversion article.

Education/Credentials
Associate of Science Mechanical Engineering Technology Emperor Introductory Clock Repair (Eventually taught a portion of the class after becoming employee)

Awards and Honors
Small Business of the Quarter (Prattville, Alabama) Leadership Class of 2009 (Autauga County, Alabama)

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