Expert: John Newman - 10/4/2011

Question
John,
On September 7, 2011 Hummelstown,PA experienced a severe flood from tropical storm Lee.  A close friend of mine home was completely inundated on the first floor destroying all contents.  Among the victims was an Emperor Model 100 M Grandfather clock dating from the 1970s.  It is a Heinz No.77177
403132. It had fallen on the floor,submerged, and coated with fine silt.  The wood case swelled and separated at many joints.  I've disassembled and cleaned it up having little evidence remaining of the "flood".  Best I can tell no gears are bent, jammed or otherwise jammed. Using the original instruction papers as a guide I've discovered only the suspension spring broke.  I found the broken piece in the base of the cabinet. I've since replaced it but have had no success in starting the clock ticking. I can get the chimes to respond by moving the minute hand and pulling on the appropriate weight but not tic-tock at all.  When I activate the pendulum or operate the anchor assembly by hand still no tic-tock, no sound at all. Any suggestions on why not ticking?
Regards,
Ray

Answer
Ray, I think the best way to describe this clock is that it is a movement possibly on its' last leg which has experienced an extreme trauma.  First, the Jauch 77 is historically known for wear that requires quite a bit of labor to restore.  This is because of the multiple components that are worn.  Some can be restored effectively before the labor costs reach the point of converting the clock to a new movement of another brand (Jauch is no longer in business).  

But let's say that that is not the case.  When you say you disassembled "it" and cleaned it up, did you mean the movement, and did you disassemble it completely?  And did you clean and inspect all the components?  This would involve checking the bushings (holes in the plates) and pivots for any scoring or wear.  And when you reassembled it did all the components go back in the same locations?  

The saying we have about clocks is that the purpose of a clock movement is for the power source to overcome enough friction to provide the power to turn the hands.  So the weight is going to turn the wheels (gears) to move the hands, with the motion being governed by the escape wheel.  So why is the escape wheel not turning to allow the verge (part that rocks back and forth to allow the escape wheel to move one tooth at a time)?  First, with the pendulum removed, rock the crutch (The arm that comes out of the top back of the movement) back and forth.  It should stop evenly left and right from vertical.  If not it can probably be slipped slightly right or left to obtain the equal distance.  The older models required that the set screw at the top of the verge be loosened to do this.   Next is to determine if the verge depth is correct, which allows the pawls to enter and exit the escape wheel teeth for the proper action?  If not, the bridge needs to be adjusted.  The bridge is the small plate with the suspension post at the top center on the back plate.  It is secured by two screws.  It can be adjusted up and down to achieve the proper verge pawl entry and exit. If this is all okay, the next thing to do is to see if there is a bind in the time gear train (series of gears).  Is the movement out of the case set up on a test stand?  What I would do is to remove all the weights and remove the bridge.  When the bridge is removed, the verge falls out of position and can be removed.  Now put some pressure on the time chain and observe the escape wheel.  Does it spin?  If the force equal to the 4.5# of the center weight is applied, the wheel should spin rather fast.  If it is not, there is friction in the chime train (series of gears) and it must be found.  Each wheel, as it makes contact with the adjacent wheels should have a little play.  With force applied to the chain you will be able to tell where the bind is if there is no play.  From here on, if there is a bind, it must be found and corrected, which gets into clock repair and requires a few hours of instruction and hands-on work.  I would probably have to observe the actual movement to go any further on advising you.  Try the above things and let me know what you find.  It might be that an experienced clockmaker may have to look at it.  

And one more precaution, you mentioned that you could get the chimes to respond when applying force to the chime weight.  It's best not to put too much additional pressure on the weight as it will start popping the chain links.  I have taken service calls on clocks and have found broken chains with a number of spread links on the bottoms of the clocks.  And if the chime will not work with the normal weight, we are back to square one of an old failing movement, which had lived most of its' life.

John Newman
The Village Clocksmith
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama