C-clip removal

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 1:31 pm     Post subject: C-clip removal

Hi all

My first post in this forum.

I am just getting started in horology and have done a fair bit of reading about this fascinating hobby. And yes, for me it is, and will remain, a hobby. I acquired and old Westminster chime clock as my first "subject" for disassembly. It was not working and a look in the back revealed why. Quite apart from years of dramatic over oiling, the movement is black with old oil the suspension spring had been replaced with a length of string. (It is an English rather than American movement).

I have started to disassemble it but have got stuck at the first hurdle. What it the correct and non damaging way to remove the c-clips from the arbors on the strike and chime assembly on the front of the movement?

I have bodged it for now but there has to be a better way. Something as simple as this does not get covered in all of the books I have read so far so any help will be appreciated.

Cheers

Alan

Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 3:45 pm     Post subject:

It's a bit tricky Al, but you can get the hang of removing those clips if you take your time and think about what you need to do. I have a really neat pair of specialty pliers, the real use for which I cannot imagine, but they work really well on C-clip removal and installation. I will try to take a photo and post it here on this thread in a day or so.

You can use a pair of either flat nosed or needle nosed pliers but the trick is to put one jaw on the edge of each "leg" of the c-clip (at the same time) and the other jaw on the pin that is holding the lever or time gear in place on the front of the clock. It takes a bit of practice and a pair of pliers that aren't worn off on the edges so you get a good purchase on the edge of the c-clip. As you balance your pliers on the pin and the edge of the clip legs and try to keep from slipping off, also try to block the clip from launching itself across the shop with your other hand, thumb, finger, whatever you can place in front of it as it slips over the notch in the pin.

So it is a combined procedure of placing the pliers, one jaw on the edge of each c-clip leg, the other jaw just above the body of the c-clip and on the pin that holds the lever or gear in place on the front of the clock, while trying to cushion the effect of the clip popping off the pin and wanting to take flight with your other hand/finger/whatever. You will find that, once you move the legs of the clip toward the pin spreading the clip somewhat, you can many times get a thin scratch awl or some kind of pointed tool in the other end of the clip and carefully pry it off of the pin. Just make sure you keep a finger on the round part of the clip so it doesn't take off and go airborne!! They have set records of flight for distance and also for falling into places that you would never find them again!! Oh, and try not to punch a hole in your thumb with that sharp pointed tool if you happen to slip off the clip!!

Good luck.

Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2011 7:02 am     Post subject:

Hi Clockguy. Thanks for taking the time to give such an informative reply.

I have taken many c-clips off before but without exception they were considerably bigger. Large vehicle engine sized and so I always had a set of circlip pliers that would do the job and if I got stuck I could always resort to a punch and hammer. Clocks, however, are a different matter.

After reading your post I did think carefully about what had to be done, and the size of the arbor and clip. I concluded that if I was going to put side pressure on the top portion of the arbor that pressure had really got to be parallel to the length. The slot for the clip is the obvious weak point and most certainly it should not be leant on at an angle. My answer was to modify a pair of pliers so that one jaw was slightly longer than the other by the thickness of the clip. Out with the files. The result was that I could now hold the pliers so that the working face of the shorter jaw was indeed parallel to the arbor while the longer jaw rested on the two ends of the clip. I noted your words of caution about flying objects and used a piece of cloth as a catchment. All went well. Well, at least for the first three. A squeeze, the clip pushed out to half way at which point I could use another pair of small nosed pliers to pull them off. Brilliant.

Number four, the final one, not so good. The rack hook arbor clip was obstinate. It rotated in its slot easily enough prior to my removal attempt so I was misled into thinking it would be just as easy as the rest. That proved not to be the case. Much pressure had to be applied to the pliers before, finally, the clip submitted. Sigh of relief. It was only after I found the top of the arbor on the bench.......

On looking at the pliers I realised what had happened. The metal of the jaws was soft; they were only a cheap pair; and removing the previous clips had resulted in small indentations in the face of the longer jaw. The final clip had rested in these notches and had been unable, therefore to spread open when I applied the pressure. Several lessons learnt here, not the least of which is not to buy cheap tools. I have now slept on the problem and have an idea for a proper tool. I want to get the clock finished first but have the intention to draw out my thought properly and make an working prototype. If all is OK I will report back in due course and post the results.

This is long winded I know, but that is just me. I am grateful though for your input and felt that you would like to know what happened.

Cheers

Alan

Posted: Mon Aug 08, 2011 11:25 am     Post subject: c-clip removal

Maybe I oversimplify this task, but I find that most c-clips in clocks can be removed with moderate pressure on the open end of the clip with an apropriately sized screw driver. Of course, I remain at the ready to catch any clip that pops off. Often it will only release from the arbor and not come off, but at that point it is easily gripped with sharp tweezers and lifted off. Sometimes, depending on mood and other conditions, I will use the small flat-nose pliers I modified for removing taper pins. They are slotted on one blade to allow the taper pin to pass through when I put pressure on the pin's other end. I just use the pliers at a slight angle, with the solid blade resting on top of the solid end of the c-clip, and the slotted end usually fits pretty well on the clip's open end, allowing enough movement to at least release, if not completely remove the clip.