Expert: Martin Meyer - 8/10/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hello again Martin,I won a S.T. grandfather clock at an estate auction last week and got it for a really good bid. It was sold asis [it wasn't running] so when I got it home and started mounting the pend. and weights, the reason it wouldn't run was they had the heavy weight on the wrong chain. It runs now but the Westminster chime sounds of key and the chime has like the hammer is too close to the chime rod, it has an almost double chime. Any advise on how to adjust this? Thanks  Ron

ANSWER: Hi again Ron,
    The order of weights should be (as you're looking at the clock): heaviest on the right, lightest on the left, the remaining weight in the center, which may be either light or heavy.
   The chime hammers are on the ends of vertical brass wires. Access the hammers through the side panels (or rear if there are no side panels). The wires are soft and can be carefully bent to adjust them. ALWAYS hold the wires steady near the bottom, and bend them only above that point; never bend the wires at the bottom. Make sure each hammer lines up squarely with the chime rod. The correct at rest clearance between the hammer and the rod is 1/16 to 1/8 inch. Make the clock chime, and adjust within this tolerance range until you don't get a double hit, a clunk, or too faint a sound.
    Thanks for your question.   Martin

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Martin, well the G.F. clock is running good and the chimes strike great. [after a miner adj.] Now I would like to know what to do with a sort of sour note in the Westminster chimes. One of the notes sounds off key. Any suggestion will help. Thanks  Ron

Answer
Hi Ron,
    If you mean that the note sounds like a double-strike, a clunk, or a metallic sound, the adjustment is the same as I described before.
    However, if the problem is an actual off-key sound, or a dull sound (lack of resonance) and the chime hammer is rebounding back from the hammer to the correct tolerance, as I described before, and not touching the pendulum or another chime rod, then the problem is in the chime rod itself.
    Chime clocks are not musical instruments, and a flat or sharp note is not uncommon. There is a (supposed) remedy involving filing on the end or base of the rod, but I have never had any success with this method, and neither have other very experienced clockmakers that I know.
    The chime rods must be replaced in a tuned set, not just one rod. And, just to make things worse, The rods are screwed into the chime mounting block so hard that it is almost impossible to remove them without ruining them. Occasionally the application of heat from a torch will loosen them, but I have not found this to be very successful either.
    When I replace chime rods, I replace the entire assembly, mounting block and all. You must select one that is as close as possible to the original in rod length, number of rods on each side, block shape and configuration (whether the rods go down straight or in a widening arc. Also, the holes in the block may not line up, and you may have to redrill the holes in the case back for the new block. It can be a rather big job, and many clock owners opt to live with the off-tune rod.
   Thanks again for your question.   Martin