Drop in recoil movement?

Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:25 pm     Post subject: Drop in recoil movement?

I'm rebushing and adjusting a c. 1880 Ansonia mantle clock (5-1/2"). This one's a between-the-plates verge (not that this question is that specific). Can't remember if this matters on a recoil movement but....

Does the drop have to be pretty even on this type of movement? I have a large drop on one pallet, small on the other. Seems to me that if the pallets clear the escape wheel it is unimportant on a recoil movement but I'm not sure. I'm hesitant to spread (collapse) the verge to adjust this as I don't know the hardness (red brittleness) of the part. Drop ratio is probably 1:2 or 1:2.5

Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:34 pm     Post subject:

Do not try to spread the verge. It is brittle. I learned the hard way. Mine broke. I would try it after the bushing job, as-is, and if the pendulum has a good wide swing, leave it alone.

Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 3:53 pm     Post subject:

Thx wow. After the bushings, the drop is not actually as bad as it looked before. Perhaps the escape wheel or verge was oscillating a little in the worn holes in the plates. It's still uneven, but less than half of what it appeared to be.

Am I right in thinking that drop evenness is very insensitive in a recoil escapement? Of course provided there are no interference issues.

Side note: Bushings... done. My fixture worked swimmingly. Movement was reassembled last night. I had to move the escape wheel on the pinion shaft to get an unworn part of the verge as I was afraid of not being able to get a replacement. This morning it still runs quite healthily and the strike side seems flawless. A few days of test running and it's on to the regulator.