Expert: Kenneth Saunders - 9/6/2007

Question
We have a Westminster chime clock acquired some 35 years ago in Barbados at auction. The 1/4 chimes are working fine after all this time. The hourly chime (which was working fine) I have somehow disturbed and is not working but if I rewind the spring, it will continue to chime until it winds down! I did discover and have kept an oval shaped piece of metal with a pin on the back and it also has a wide "w" shape cut out on one side. Is this part of the hour chime mechanism and would I be able to put it back in the clock and again start the hourly chime? How difficult would it be to put back and how do I go about it?
Thanks for any help you can give me!

Answer
"Is this part of the hour chime mechanism and would I be able to put it back in the clock and again start the hourly chime? How difficult would it be to put back and how do I go about it?"
 Yes it is. if you can remove the mechanism from the case it goes back on the front side and if nothing else is broken it should be easy to put back. The hands come off and the mechaism comes out thru the back. I would need the numbers etc. from the back brass plate to be more helpful.