Expert: Martin Meyer - 9/12/2007

Question
I bought a Welby starburt clock on e-bay. It runs on 1 D battery and keeps good time (it's actually a little fast), but it whirrs for a few seconds every 8 minutes.  It doesn't seem to have anything to do with the second hand. Can I fix this problem cheaply or should I return the clock and eat the postage.  Thanks.

Answer
Hi Lorre,
    It is usually not very difficult or expensive to replace the entire works in a battery clock. The main problem is getting a works that fits in your clock. Sometimes you need to make a wood mounting piece or use shims to get the new movement mounted correctly. The main consideration is that the handshaft extends through the clock enough to mount the hands, but not so much that it looks bad. Battery movements are made with different handshaft lengths to solve this problem. Your new movement will probably use one AA battery, but should work fine. These movements are available from clock materials houses like Timesavers and Merritts Antiques.