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Tips for Clock Owners

3/6/2016

6 Comments

 
Clocks should be lubricated once every three years and cleaned every third oiling. The pivots should be polished when the clock is cleaned, if they haven't been polished for 12 years or more. Pivot polishing reduces wear on the plate holes which makes the clock run longer before it needs new bushings.

To adjust your clock so that it runs faster, turn the nut on the bottom of the pendulum to the right; left to make it run slower. Use care not to raise or bump the pendulum [excessively] so that it doesn't knock it out of beat or worse yet, fall off!

Care should be exercised when pulling or winding weights not to wind them so high that you can't remove them in the event that the clock needs to be moved or serviced.

The pendulum and weights need to be removed before a clock is moved. If a large clock such as a grandfather clock is moved beyond the confines of your home, say across town or out of state, I advise you to contact a clock technician such as myself to prepare it first.

There are basically two things that keep a clock from running. 1. lack of power 2. being out of beat. Lack of power is the result of one or more conditions, but most often it is due to lack of (or contaminated) lubrication. Another cause is worn pivot holes or bushings. Being out of beat is the result of the pendulum being handled too roughly or the clock being moved. You can listen to the "tic-tock" sound to determine if it is in beat. You should hear an even space in time between the two. If it sounds uneven like tic...tock.......tic...tock instead of tic...tock...tic...tock, then it's out of beat. If it's a small clock, sometimes this can be remedied by placing something under one side or the other of the case.

Over-winding a clock is like clenching your fist too tight; it will only go so far! That is a common misconception for why a clock won't run. See the paragraph above for the most common reasons for a clock to stop.


6 Comments
BurtSilver link
3/29/2017 08:15:48 am

Thanks for the information on clock maintenance. I have an old clock that I want to move to another room, but I want to make sure it is safe. Thanks for mentioning that I should remove the pendulum and weights first. I will make sure to do that.

Reply
Tracy Rymer
3/29/2017 08:33:47 am

You are very welcome Burt. please be gentle with the pendulum while removing and reinstalling it, as it's easy to knock it out of beat. If it stops after you move it, call me and I'll explain how to put it back in beat.

Reply
Ashley Maxwell link
3/2/2018 09:18:47 am

I had no idea that a clock could stop running because the power had run out or because it is out of beat. Thanks for explaining how a clock technician is the best person to contact for fixing problems such as these. My father is looking into repair services for his grandfather clock that has stopped working.

Reply
Taylor Bishop link
5/22/2019 11:09:39 am

I wanted to thank you for going over some tips for clocks. It's good to know that you shouldn't wind the weights too high so you can't remove them. Maybe it could be good to know where the weights should sit, especially if that's entirely dependent on the clock.

Reply
Luke Smith link
12/11/2019 08:48:47 am

We have an old grandfather clock that was given as a gift to my parents' wedding that we have to include in the transport once we start moving to our new townhouse. Thanks for the advice that we should seek help from a clock technician when we're going to move it because we don't know how to handle the transport of such vintage items. I'll ask my mom to find a clock technician that can also give us tips on how to preserve the machinery of the clock aside from assisting us in the transport.

Reply
Adam Golightly link
7/8/2020 03:38:00 pm

Thanks for your tips about how the clock being out of beat and the loss of power can prevent a clock from running and can sometimes be solved by lubrication and can be explained by time. My brother has a really nice tower clock in his front room that adds a lot of character but it has started ringing out of time. Getting it repaired by a professional could be really useful and allow him to keep better time and be safer.

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