I have a grandfather clock that does everything correctly, the pendulum swings, the chimes ring on the quarter hours, and the gong counts the correct hour. However, the hands stop running. The pendulum swings, the tick-tock still can be heard, but the minute hand stops. If I move it to another position it will run again. Sometimes it will go for over and hour and then stop. Any ideas?
Senile dementia?
Need to pull the mechanism out and watch the gears while it is operating, see what is happening. Takes a lot of patience. Maybe there is a shaft which is sliding in the gear it is attached to and needs to be soldered?
I did this with a similar clock which would stop running after awhile, no ticking (different problem than yours). I finally noticed that one little finger on a gear was slightly bent, and this is where it was stopping. So I carefully bent it to where it should be, then that fixed it.
Out of time? Not a joke. That is the term for when the pendulum is not adjusted correctly. Your "move it to another position" tends to suggest that. Listen to the the tick/tock, it has to be even, i.e., both sounds evenly spaced. If they aren't, it is out of time.
If it needs adjusting you can try DIY if you have the instructions. If not, you have to take it to someone who knows how. It also needs to be carefully leveled -using the pendulum not a level - for the location where it stands.
Harry K
Thanks. I knew about the out of time thing and how to level it. I'm pretty sure that was done correctly. I'm beginning to think it needs cleaned and oiled. When I move the minute hand manually, I can feel the tension change as it goes around the dial.
Anybody there got a *really ugly* face?
Seriously, if it's a nice old clock get a pro to give it a good cleaning and tuneup, great old stuff deserves professional treatment so future generations can continue to enjoy them.
Mechanical clocks, if not properly cleaned and lubed will suffer accelerated wear of the many bearing surfaces in them, making future repairs far more costly.
HTH,
Jeff
"rile" wrote
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To be, or not to be? Definitely "to be". In 'Murica we talks English muchly good.
You need an elderly German watch maker. "Ve haf vays to make you tock...."
Usually lubrication failure. Needs the services of a pro watch repairman. Not likely something you can fix as a first time repairperson.
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