You are far better off soaking the while shebang in a mild solvent like isopropyl alcohol, and then using a hypo to put very light oil on the bearings. In time all oils evaporate the lighter fractions and become more viscous.
Isn't that the whole point of graphite? After the solvent has gone what is left is the intended lubricant?
For me the energy associated with spring is the issue, assuming it's not that modern?
Why does that matter more for a carriage clock?
So sorry. Wrong video. I meant this one:
A carriage clock does not have a pendulum but a delicate escapement similar to that of a watch.
Were you to follow a number of the suggestions here, you'd gum up the works.
You have received a number of the usual old wives' tales so favoured by good engineers who are not actually horologists but if you follow them then it is possible that you'd get something that seems to work and would do so for a couple of months or years but which would cause problems later on.
But you're talking about a 30 year old clock that is of value to you and which I assume you expect there to be another 30 years of good service.
I've made my viewpoint clear and do not intend to comment again but suggest that you take the clock to that professional who has quoted you a price.
The reality is that mechanical clocks should be serviced every 3 to 5 years, but this rarely happens and clocks run faultlessly for decades until a problem such as yours manifests itself and then there is an unfounded assumption that because there has been decades of operation then it must be a simple fault that has brought on the problem when it may be the accumulation of several faults finally making the straw that breaks the camel's back.
I hate YouTube videos that spend 12 minutes to explain something that would take a paragraph of text that can be scanned in a few seconds.
The movement shown looks brand new and shiny. I think it is saying that you "dig the old out" with a peg and then lubricate it with new clock oil.
By all means try it.
I find that the expensive consumable with watches is the leather strap, which typically lasts a couple of year before the leather wears or the buckle falls off. I don't like metal bracelet or expanding straps, and silicone rubber straps give me a rash. But Amazon is a lot cheaper than a watch shop for those. I've always used Amazon for batteries.
To each his own. I've had one of the segmented steel straps for at least twenty years, and it is the most comfortable one I've had. It's also very finely adjustable, unlike the buckle type. The battery is a CR20xx lithium coin cell, obtainable anywhere, but as it lasts for many years (allegedly ten, and I'd believe that), that hardly matters.
Interesting because last year one of the monthly lecturers at the Bristol branch of the BHI was from the manufacturer of (quite expensive!) watch straps and said that they were expected to last only a coule of years.
Actually, if interested, there's a meeting next Monday ...
The problem with buying batteries is that you then need to fit them yourself. The watch stall in the market will supply and fit them.
Thanks, Gareth. That's *extremely* helpful. I'll take it to a decent specialist.
Provided the watch does not need to be sealed to guarantee waterproofing, it is usually quite easy to replace the battery. I've done it with several watches; all that is usually required is something like a small, sharp knife which is used to prise the back off the watch. Sometimes the battery is a slide-in push fit, other times it might be held in with a small screw.
My watch, a Casio, has a solar re-chargeable battery. Its predecessor lasted for 17 years before the mechanism failed,
I have a Tisso T Race Touch watch which requires a specialist service centre to replace the battery at a cost of about £ 60, Several local jewellers hace tried with no success
You can get things called "spudgers" for removing clip-on backs.
The ones with a screw on back you can usually remove by resting it sideways on a piece of cardboard and pressing on one of the slots with a screwdriver.
I did that several times with my Seiko, until I decided to get one changed by a jeweller. I forget how much he charged, but he left the (admittedly perished) rubber seal out, so it had no water resistance at all. I think he would have charged £12 to do it properly by replacing the seal.
My Pulsar charges its battery with a (rather noisy) eccentric weight that drives a generator. I've had it for ten years.
I've had my Pulsar for 11 years and I can't hear the generator but then I am rather hard of hearing. Perhaps I should try with my hearing aids in!
I even have the right tool to unscrew a sealed watch, but these days I simply CBA to bother.
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