Expert: Kenneth Saunders - 10/13/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I have a key-wound clock that chimes on the hour.  It's fine until it's 3:00 and then it chimes 12 times for each hour until 7:00 when it chimes just the 7.  Any idea why it's confused- and confusing me?  Thank you!

ANSWER: Kinda technical - but the rack is dropping too many teeth- most often caused by the rack tail being bent.    The fix is to make adjustments to the front of the mechanism so it works properly. To do this the front of the movement needs to be accessible either by removing the mechaism from the case or sometimes the dial can be removed to gain access. Easy job for a pro.


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

QUESTION: Wow- quick response, Ken. Thank you! It makes a lot of sense to me to do what you suggest.  I have the clock face off and can see the parts involved but can't determine which of 3 parts might be the rack "tail".  I have a couple of images I put up and wonder if you might identify the part to be bent slightly. It's at http://picasaweb.google.com/kemcclain/Misc
I've labeled the 3 parts in red- 1,2, and 3.
I hope this is allowed; I'm new to this site.  Thanks again!  Karen

Answer
#3 black arm is the rack tail and it drops on the hour all the way down so the left end of it rests on a step of the "snail" -- the snail shaped brass disk attached to the hand shaft or the "hour pipe"
   each decending step adds one strike till the rack end drops almost to the handshaft itself in the center of the snail (12 o'clock)- next hour after it only drops one notch on the uppermost step of the snail. run the hands around while watching the successive striking and you will find the fault -- if the rack tail end hits each progressively lower step properly it will stike properly --tail is not hitting the steps properly where it strikes wrong. if 3 is fine and 4 becomes 12 strikes then the rack end is probably missing the snail step on 4 etc. and falling behind it perhaps???