broken cuckoo clock, turned into chain opening jig!

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:15 pm     Post subject: broken cuckoo clock, turned into chain opening jig!

Hi all, its my first post here. I wish I could say that I had the foresight to find you before something broke, but luckily it isn't my nice mantel clock that I'll hopefully now be taking better care of!

I'm a rummage sale addict. Yesterday my addiction was justified (in my wife's eyes) when I came home with a pretty little cuckoo clock. Here's the stamping on the back of the workings:

HUBERT HERR
TRIBERT GERMANY
UNADJUSTED AND NO JEWELS

Its apparently modern enough to be the first clock on this manufacturers page:
http://www.hubertherr.de/english/traditional.asp

The former owner said that it was dropped, though I don't see any damage to the woodwork. Its actually on the wall telling time right now, but the chain that controls the cuckoo and chime isn't assembled anymore.

..ok lemme explain that last one

there were a lot of links open and unconnected in the box. there was a bit of the chime chain still in the clock when I first got it. When examining it, I pulled gently on the chain in the winding direction and it pulled the last couple inches out quite easily (and unintentionally). The links of the chain that went through the workings came out open and individually!!

I can obviously put all that chain back together and I'm sure I can re-thread it into the right spot, but I'm rather impressed with the internal problem. Is this something that I could even hope to tackle? Times are tough and there is no way for me to pay someone to fix it.

Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 8:12 pm     Post subject:

Sorry did you state what the internal problem is?

Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:13 pm     Post subject:

If I knew the specific mechanical problem I wouldn't have posted for advice. There isn't a way to get a good look at that section of the workings without disassembling quite a bit of clock.

I posted the symptoms in hopes that someone has run into something similar and could point me in a good direction.

Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2011 1:38 pm     Post subject:

I am having a difficult time wrapping my brain around your real issue as I see it. You have no problem spending money at a yard sale for someone else's junk but, when you do find an item of value, you expect those of us who have spent many years and lots of bucks on our own education to offer professional service to our customers to come to your aid and help you out of your "problem" for free?

I have to agree completely with you, times ARE tough and all of us who try to make a living with our knowledge and our hands, are slowly being pushed out of the big picture by the "technology" of our times. Real craftsmen and the trades that they have followed throughout the years are quickly becoming nothing but a one line mention in the history books and it saddens me to take a defensive attitude rather than come out and try to help someone who may really need some free advice. But I detect an "attitude" with your reply that immediately turned me away from offering anything other than this: take your clock to a qualified clock repair shop and get an estimate on fixing your problem. You will be surprised how inexpensive the repairs will be. I know this for a fact and it is time you found out that a dollar well spent is worth much more than any free advice you can muster out of a public forum ............... in more ways than the obvious.

Good luck with your clock.