Expert: William J Perkins - 12/21/2011

Question
Hi,
I really need help with my grandfather clock. Its driving me nuts! I bought a 1985 Ridgeway grandfather clock (with triple chime) at a yard sale recently. When I brought it back and put on the weights and pendulum, etc, it worked perfectly (time, chimes and gong) until I meddle with it when it was 10 minutes behind the correct time. I simply moved the minute hand 10 min forward and after that, it chimed the wrong number of chimes on the quarter, half, three-quarters and hourly mark. What I did next was that I kept moving the minute hand clockwise round and round the face to get the correct number of chime and gongs, without stopping for the chimes on the quarter, half, three-quarter or hourly mark to complete its chime and gongs. After some trial and error of moving the minute hand back and forth, I finally got it to chime and gong correctly, BUT it now chimes and gong ONLY every other hour. Simply put, it chimes on the quarter, half, three-quarter and hourly mark and gongs also on the hourly mark but stops altogether for the next hour and then resumes the correct chimes and gongs on the next. PLEASE HELP!!

Answer
I suspect you might have bent a lift pin in the time works of your clock.  The time works being the lifts gears etc. located behind the dial and fixed to the movements front plate.  If you can remove the dial, reinstall the minute hand and walk the clock through a series of strike sequences, carefully observe the functioning of the lift pins and the count levers.  If you are mechanically inclined you will find the problem.  As I said I suspect a bent left pin, another quite likely culpit is a lift pin wheel slipping on its axel.  You have allready learned to allways allow a strike sequence to complete before moving the hand forward.  I hope this helps you.  Regards WJP