Expert: Martin Meyer - 7/7/2007

Question
QUESTION: I have a 24 year old Grandfather clock (made by Ridgeway) that has a 451-053H Hermle mechanism.  The brass is worn on the hammers where the tumbler rides, and the hammers are no longer being lifted enough to strike the chimes.  

I've found a new mechanism, but I need to know how difficult it is to replace it before I place the order.  Is this a project for the average person, or is it going to take a special talent and special tools?

ANSWER: Hi Neil,
    The Hermle 451-053H movement is still available. It is also essential that you provide the pendulum length. There are two numbers below the movement number, one above a line, and one right below the line. The pendulum length is the number above the line: 85cm, 94cm or 114cm.
    The difficulty of the replacement depends greatly on the individual clock. The hardest part is removing the movement from the clock. If you can do this, the rest is usually not too hard.
   In summary the job involves (details would be too long to go into here): removing the old movement, replacing the moon gear on the center shaft in exactly the correct position (if your clock has a moving moon dial), mounting the new movement in the correct position on the seatboard (or other mounting assembly), (sometimes) transferring the chime shutoff lever from the old movement to the new, attaching the dial to the movement, mounting the hands in their correct positions, readjusting the minute bushing to synchronize the chime with the time, reinstalling the new movement in the clock, adjusting the chime and strike hammers to strike the chime rods properly, putting the clock in beat, regulating the clock for accurate timekeeping.
    This is a lot of steps, but none of them are especially difficult if you know the correct methods. The job can usually be done without special tools, other than small screwdrivers. You should research these methods on the web before doing the repair.
    Thanks for your question.   Martin

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

QUESTION: Sorry, I forgot the add the 94cm to the part number.

Can you point me to a web site or two that may go into specific details on the fine tuning methods?  It looks like the mechanism is pretty easy to get out.

Answer
Hi Neil,
    You can order the movement from Butterworth Clocks, www.butterworthclocks.com. They can provide the movement, but not installation instructions, as they are wholesalers.
    As far as instructional websites, I would recommend that you just do a web search. I don't really keep up on this type of site.
     Thanks, Martin.