Expert: Kenneth Saunders - 2/19/2007

Question
Thanks so much for the answer and quick reply!

So...When the lever contacts the balance wheel spring, it presses the outer part of the coil closer to the shaft of the wheel effectively compressing the spring making it oscillate faster, and conversely?
If the open end of the coil spring breaks- making the spring shorter- and I re-anchor that end, will that change the dynamics of the oscillations as well?

Thanks again.
Mike.

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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I recently got an old clock as a gift and the wood housing seems to have a four inch by two inch 'socket' built into it, underneath the housing. I can only assume that the clock was used as a 'topper' or 'finial' for another piece of furniture.
The clock was made in Wurttemberg and has a serial number of 1386 printed on an old paper tag glued to the back.
Anyway, the clock is quite old and looks to have been serviced by submarine engine mechanics.
I found the spring that supplies energy to the balance wheel, bent, at the anchor point on the frame. I straightened it and re-anchored it with the round wedge.
The speed adjustment lever that sticks through the back of the clock no longer controls the speed of the wheel and the clock runs out of control and gains hours instead of minutes or seconds.
The spring runs through a slot in the lever and I don't know if it should contact the inner or outer race of the spring to slow it or speed it up, nor do I know where to locate the lever within the specified arch of the control indicator cut in the back of the rear cover.
I could use the 'trial and error' method, but I elected to try an expert.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Mike.

-----Answer-----
michael: slot in the lever should be positioned to encompass the outer end of the balance spring in the 1st quadrant nearest that round wedge. Make sure all the coils of the balance spring are free and do not touch each other while rotating. The longer the spring the slower the clock runs- the adjuster lever encompassing the end of the spring changes the effective length as it is adjusted.

Answer
michael: guess I did not explain well--the lever has on it a little loop that encircles the section of spring nearest the outer end. By moving the loop closer to the end of the spring or further away from the end - the effective length of the spring is first longer then shorter- slowing it down and then speeding it up. does this help?