Expert: Kenneth Saunders - 2/16/2007

Question
Hi, Ken:

I have updates on the Web page, with some photos taken a bit to the side. http://members.optusnet.com.au/~auzbusiness/clock.htm

Moving the beat adjuster seems to be a better mechanism. I wonder, though, if after having moved the crutch, if it is no longer centered where it ought to be with the armature (not sure of proper terms). It seems to me that it would have to be set to the correct angle (perpendicular?) with the armature that controls the release of the time. Once that is achieved, perhaps the beat adjuster will work correctly.

I currently think it is balanced, but it only lasted about half and hour and stopped just before the chime.

Cheers,

Michel
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Hi, Ken:

I've been playing around trying to get it to be balanced. I guess it is quicker for you when you are experienced, but I think that I did manage to balance it. The result, though, was that it still only ran, sometimes for 15 minutes, sometimes for 6h, then stopped.

I have some photos and video again, loctated temporarily at http://members.optusnet.com.au/~auzbusiness/clock.htm.

I figure that I'm either still not quite in balance, or something else. The only other thing that I can see that looks odd is this thin metal band that holds up the crutch is a bit bent, and the wooden pendulum shaft is warped about 4mm.

Any other suggestions?

Kind regards,


Michel


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Hi, Ken:

Thanks for the quick response.

I suppose that the clock might be a bit unbalanced. I have temporarily uploaded a video of it, if you have Windows Media Player to check it out (http://members.optusnet.com.au/~auzbusiness/Clock.wmv).

I have tried pushing it to both sides, but I feel no resistance or anything else. The pendulum just "bottoms out" on the brass peg in the plate of the works on either side of the pendulum. I have noticed that there are small X's scratched on the plate, presumably by the repairman. When the pendulum swings, it does not swing centred between these X's, rather slightly to the left.

I have checked the level of the clock. The pendulum is not near the weights (to and fro), and a level placed on the top edge of the brass backplace of the mechanism shows it is level (side to side).

One thing that I forgot to mention was that it would only last a few minutes if I did not lift the centre weight and release it before starting the pendulum. And, one time today, I tried to get it going, it lasted only two minutes, but when I pushed the pendulum to one side, the quarter-hour chime released and ran.

The pendulum is a brass weight on a wooden stick.

Is there any other way to centre it. FWIW, I'm an engineer and would like to hear any explanation you care to give. I'm facinated by this clock and would like to learn more.

Michel
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I have a grandmother clock (that's what my father said it was) which stops soon after restarting. Recently, it sometimes runs for 8 hours and sometimes only for 15 minutes. The only pattern that I have recognised is that it seems to stop exactly 3 minutes before a quarter-hour chime.

I brought the clock from Canada to Australia, packed as per instructions from the clock repairer who looked after this clock from when my grandmother had it. The clock is approximately 30 years old. He repaired it a few times from 1985-1990 when it stopped working. He also repaired it a few times when it passed to my father. It passed to me in 1997, but I only needed him to look at it once, and I believe he did a complete clean and oiling then.

The plate on the back has a logo with AJK in the centre of a gear, "Original Kieninger, Made in Germany, No (0) jewels adjusted" and stamped beside this "73  RK  93cm." I have looked at the Kieninger Web site and downloaded the manual for Floor Clocks. It mentions the weights that should be used as being of 3kg mass each. One thing that I do remember was the clock repairer in Elmira, Ontario telling me to make sure I marked the weights correctly because they weren't the same. I did mark the weights, "1", "2" and "3", but then when we got to Australia, I didn't note if I started the numbering from the right or the left. Anyway, it has been working for two years and has only stopped when I forgot to raise the weights. I just checked the mass of the three weights with a digital kitchen scale and they measure 2kg, 2.5kg and 3kg, left to right as you face the clock. Oh, yes, the chimes are Westminster.

Any help would be appreciated.


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Michel:

The weights are on correctly. . The sound of the ticking must sound even or balanced on either side. Not over-swinging one side or the other.
  If it is not sounding even, then push with your hand the top third of the pendulum over to the side that has the excessive overswing. You may feel some resistance but gently push a bit more then try the sound of the ticking after swinging the pendulum freely.
  If the sound is not improved in the balance then do more pushing -if it is now sounding like excessive swing in the opposite direction then push the pendulum to the other side till it sounds a pretty even tick. Clock should run then.
  If this clock has an all metal pendulum assembly (no wood stick) then you can balance it by giving the pendulum an extra wide swing- almost till it hits the sides and then let it slow to the normal arc.

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Michel: nice video--from the sound the clock is out of beat. The pendulum has too much overswing to the left in the video or to the right if you are facing the clock dial. Remove the two threaded pins that the crutch is "bottoming" out on on either side on the back plate then follow my instructions about moving the crutch or upper pendulum hanger to the left (in the video) beyond where the pin was to get the beat even --you should be able to hear the uneveness in the video--advise
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your last photo shows that you have a beat adjuster built into the pendulum hanger -- the knurled knob showing on the left side in the photo - adjusts the beat left or right as needed- it moves the center contact point of the horizontal round crutch pin. got a side view of the back of the clock?
Your second video the sound of the tick indicates it is still quite a bit out of beat-with over swing to the left as you watch the video. Tweak the knurled knob a few turns and hear the beat change!

Answer
Does it run with the hammers held back like your photo shows or does it still stop before chiming? Everything else looks ok- perpendicular is not necessary. Try one drop of light oil on the tips of the two verge teeth (that catch and release the teeth of the escape wheel and make the ticking you hear)