Expert: William J Perkins - 11/25/2007

Question
We inherited a Howard Miller clock with this movement and were interested in running it without the chiming. Is it possible to silence the chime while it still keeps time?

There is a lever that I can push down which will not let the hammers rise/fall, but I didn't know if that would damage the movement or strip some gears.

Any advice?
Thanks so much.

Answer
The lever you discus was provided for the specific purposes of silencing the chimes.  When in silent mode it lifts the hammers away from the chime rods so that the hammers cannot strike the rods.  This permits the train to continue its work without sounding the melody thus preventing the lubricant from emulsifying.  Regards WJP