Grandfather clock

Posted: Tue Dec 26, 2006 8:33 pm     Post subject: Grandfather clock

My mother-in-law pulled two of the three weight chains up too far on her grandfather clock and it appears they are now stuck. Any tips on freeing these up? Thanks

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 4:10 am     Post subject:

Probably the weight hooks are hung up on the movement shelf. The easiest way to release a jammed weight is to rotate the weight while exerting downward pressure on it. Guide the hook through the hole in the shelf while advancing the time to the next quarter hour, allowing the clock to chime. It may be necessary to advance the clock through several quarter hours until the weight hook clears the shelf. In the case of the time weight remove the pendulum, allowing the clock to tick rapidly while guiding the weight in the same manner until the hook clears the shelf.
A feature found on a few clocks is a ring on the chain a few links up from the weight hook. The ring is a little larger than the hole in the movement shelf. When the clock is wound the ring hits the movement shelf first preventing the weight hook from getting hung up on the shelf.

Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 7:35 pm     Post subject: Hung weights

Thanks for the info. When I have access to the clock I will try your suggestions and hopefully resolve the problem. Happy New Year.