Grandfather clock runs short while the quits

Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:24 pm     Post subject: Grandfather clock runs short while the quits

My grandfather clock will run about one minute with the pendulun attached. If I run it with the pendulum removed it continues to run. Is the something I can adjust, oil, etc. myself to fix the problem? I acquired the clock yesterday at an estate sale.

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 1:07 pm     Post subject:

It sounds as though you will need to adjust the beat. If you know that the movement and clock case (the movement most importantly) are level, then the next step is to make certain the pendulum is in beat. The pendulum typically attaches to a metal piece called the pendulum leader. The pendulum leader, in turn, is typically fed over the crutch arm above the pendulum. The crutch arm is an arm/post that extends out the back plate of the movement.

Remove the pendulum, and then remove the pendulum leader from the crutch arm. Take note of how you remove these items, as you will replace them after you have made adjustments. When you gently swing the crutch arm either left or right, you should encounter slight resistance. This crutch arm should be adjusted so that it will swing an equal distance from center to left as it does from center to right. If it is uneven, then you can push through the slight resistance so that you can gain an even swing. Replace the pendulum leader and pendulum, and then swing the epndulum to see if any further adjustments would be required. This manual adjustment would be typical for many brands of mechanical movements.

Current movements may feature an automatic beat adjustment option, which simply involves overswinging the mounted pendulum so that the crutch arm will self correct.

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 2:53 pm     Post subject:

Thanks Chris, I will follow these instructions and tell you what happened.
The movement is a Franz Mermle, 451-053 and probably has never been cleaned/oiled since it was new. It is a Montgomery Ward product, with Piper on the face of the clock.

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 3:55 pm     Post subject:

I tried the beat adjustment you recommended, but no luck. I the clock was running without the pendulum last night, but I stopped it and haven;t been able to get it going again, with or without the pendulum. I get a couple of beats and it stops.

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 7:48 pm     Post subject:

Another thing to check would be the suspension spring. If you follow the pendulum leader (described previously) up past the crutch arm , you will note that it is attached to a square metal plate with two prongs on either side. This square metal plate is attached to a second metal plate via thin bands of metal in between the two plates. These square plates (attached by metal bands) make up the suspension spring (which is secured into the rear post on the movement). Check to make certain either metal band is not broken (as your pendulum will not swing if so).

If all else fails, then you are correct that the movement should be looked at for a cleaning and oiling. If this is the original movement supplied with the Montgomery Ward case, then we can estimate its date at anywhere from 10 - 30 years old (possibly even older). Movements should be oiled every 1-3 years and cleaned every 3-5 years. Since you probably do not know when the movement was last cleaned or oiled, you can err on the side of caution and look into having this done.

Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 1:28 am     Post subject:

I have a fair do-it-yourself capability and have tinkered with clocks, not seriously, and if set of instructions for the process I feel I may be able to follow them sucessfully. Now that I have bragged, shoot me down or give me a place where I might obtain the oiler, oil, cleaner, and grease and some good INSTRUCTIONS!!! Either option is ok, but I have some confidence I can do the job.

Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 3:23 am     Post subject:

on cleaning the movement you will need to disassemble it, scrub each piece with cleaner and dry to simplify. Then reassemble, oil, and grease.

Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 4:44 pm     Post subject:

Chris, I checked the suspension spring and it is as you described.
Since I think the movement is dirty, and hopefully not worn, I applied a light pressure to the weight driving the movement and the beat was slightly stronger and the pendulum swing was reasonably consistent from side to side. When I removed the additional pressure the pendulum stopped in about 15 seconds.
Can I draw from that experiment that my suspecion of a dirty movement is somewhatt valid?

Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 1:32 pm     Post subject:

I think a good cleaning and oiling would be the next option to look into. Klockit carries a service manual for Hermle movements (#99251), which may prove helpful. Oiling kits/oilers are available as well (#99127, #99125, & #99030). Klockit does not sell the cleaning solution, but there are other sites out there where you can find it.

In my opinion, despite mechanical experience, you may want to start with the service manual initially. It is probably best to understand what you are getting into before you invest in oiling kits and cleaner. While I am confident that you should have no problems oiling your movement, cleaning may prove to be more complicated. That being said, please note that my mechanical movement experience is humbly general (at best).

As a side note, there may be other books out on the internet that will cover servicing a movement. You may wish to try a search for "Mechanical movement repair books" or "mechanical movement servicing books".

Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 6:17 pm     Post subject:

End note: I have been told that this is an excellent book...

http://www.clockmakersnewsletter.com/basics.html

Posted: Wed Jun 02, 2010 2:56 pm     Post subject:

Chris
I cleaned the movement, assembled, and found the hour tube as it came through the face of the clock had rubbed a half moon in the aluminum over the years. Jacked the movement up as I reinstalled it after the cleaning and it ran after fooling with the beat adjustment. I also found the suspension spring broken, I may have done that, but I am not convinced that I did. There was, luckily, a spare stapled to the frame inside the top of the clock.

Thanks to you and the other folks for their response to my query.