Broken Hour Strike Spring

Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 1:51 am     Post subject: Broken Hour Strike Spring

We have a Ridgeway wall clock with Westminster chimes. It has a Hermle 341-020 movement and is 29 years old.

Immediately after I wound the hour strike, BAM! the spring broke. The clock no longer keeps time well which makes it unusable. I have no clock repair experience, and am wondering if it's something I could tackle myself. I haven't called any clock repair places yet but I'm guessing it might cost as much a new movement. Any suggestions?

Posted: Fri Aug 13, 2010 1:22 pm     Post subject:

I would not recommend tackling this yourself. This is something that an experienced repair person should handle. Although my knowledge of mechanical movements is general at best, my understanding is that a repair of this nature could be potentially dangerous if you do not know what you are doing.

Since you have an idea of what the main problem is, it should be much easier to get a general idea of how much the repair would cost. It never hurts to ask... If the repair is too much, then look into replacing the movement (341-020 is still manufactured, but you might need to reference the pendulum designation which would typically follow the model number on the back of the movement - example: 35 cm or 45 cm).

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 12:20 am     Post subject:

cost of a new movement is $269. Would be best to replace it with a new one, cleaning of the movement, and repair of the spring would probably run around $175-$200.

http://www.clockworks.com/hermle/340.html

Posted: Sat Aug 14, 2010 6:19 pm     Post subject: Broken main spring

If your clock is 29 years old it will need a good cleaning as well as the spring needed replaced.
You will need a let down tool to remove the tension off the old spring and the other springs. You also will need a spring winder to put the new spring back in. I also like to clean the spring and use Slick 50 to lub it. I always wear leather gloves and eye protection when working on the springs.
So, if you have not done this before you might buy a good book on clock repair before you do it.
Over the years I have bought all the tools and read many books on clocks. I enjoy being able to repair mine own clocks. You might save a little money but the rewards are in doing it yourself. Just learn the right way.
and the tools are not cheap