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Clocks, Watches/Hamilton Wall clock pendulum 3 hole
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Question
This gorgeous wall clock has a small plate at the front of the base stating: November 1961 598 or is it S98? I forgot to wind it this week and as a result was moving the hands slowly through a 4 hour lapse and letting it chime appropriately every 15 min. I got in a hurry and missed allowing it to chime at the top of the hour and pushed the hands backwards to it. Now it won't chime at all and the pendulum stops. This happened just 30 min. ago. Please advise.
LV, Most Hamilton clocks I have worked on have the modern production movements. They have the self-synchronizing chimes. The means that you use the minute hand to set the time and do not have to wait for the chimes to play on every quarter. When you have finished setting the clock the chimes will probably be off, but they will self-correct within one to two hours. The pendulum stopping might be a separate problem. Firs check the beat of the clock. To be in beat it should go tick....tock....tick....tock. If it goes tick..tock......tick..tock, it is out of beat and will stop. To correct this, start the pendulum and move the bottom of the clock to the left or right until the beat is even. When it starts the chimes should correct and play. Let me know how it does. If it still doesn't work, get back with me. Please reply to my email address as I am signing off Allexperts for a few days of vacation but will still be receiving emails.
John Newman
The Village Clocksmith
Old Prattvillage
Prattville, Alabama
klokdok@juno.com
Note concerning questions not related to Allexperts: Because of my commitment to answering Allexperts questions within a prescribed time limit and the large backlog of clock work at my shop, I regret that I cannot answer personal email questions on a timely basis, other than Allexperts follow up questions. I will try to answer these emails as soon as I can. Thank you for your patience.
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| Rating(1-10) | Knowledgeability = 10 | Clarity of Response = 10 | Politeness = 10 |
| Comment | You saced the day and were exactly right on both issues. The clock is working fine now. Thank you so very much. | ||
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Answers by Expert:
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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