Expert: Martin Meyer - 12/20/2007

Question
I have a New Haven mantle clock, it is said to be in an Edwardian style and built in 1910. It has a ceramic dial and thin metal hands. The minute hand is loose, it dangles a bit. The clock seems to work well but the looseness of the hand increases or decreases the time by about a minute or two due to gravity. I tied tightening the bolt around the hands but that did not work. I did not want to take the hand off the rod for fear that I might not be able to reasseblemble them. I pulled on the hand after taking the small bolt off the front of the rod on which the hands are positioned, and it did not come off easily, so I decided not to force it until I had more information.  One thought is to create a samll washer out of a wire and use it to put some pressure on the hand by placing the wire/washer in front of the hand and screwing the center bolt on top of it.  I appreciate your thoughts on this.  Thank you.

Answer
Hi James,
    There are brass hand washers available from clock supply houses. You can order an assortment of these and select one which fits best. These are dome-shaped washers and will exert a pressure on the hand and hold it tight.
    Note also, that minute hands on antique clocks are often a bit loose due to wear between the square hole in the center of the hand and the shaft that it mounts on. You may not be able to get the hand entirely tight, and a minute or so of slack is considered normal.