New Cuckoo Clock & Some Questions

Posted: Sat Jan 15, 2011 2:53 pm     Post subject: New Cuckoo Clock & Some Questions

I just received a new Hekas one day Cuckoo Clock as a gift. I've wanted a Cuckoo Clock for as long as I can remember, I've been fascinated by mechanical clocks since I was a kid.

I have some questions.

1) My clock has a night shut-off lever. The instructions say to never move it to the off position while the clock is sounding, but something got "confused" in the clock when I moved the lever to the "on" position around five minutes 'till the hour. The clock wouldn't sound after that until I'd moved the hands around a few times, then it was back to normal. As I was moving the hands around I noticed the clock makes a sound roughly five minutes before the clock strikes the hour and half hour. It sounds like something sliding into place, so could turning the sound on after that piece has slid into place cause the clock to stop sounding?

2) I've read that one day clocks need to be wound every 30 hours, so you have a bit of leeway. My clock seems to run for almost exactly 24 hours, so if I'm even ten minutes late winding it, I find it stopped. Is this normal?

3) As the pendulum swings back and forth there's a very faint "squeak", you have to be right by the clock to hear it. Looking inside I think it's just the wire that the pendulum hangs from rubbing against the wire that ends in the elongated slot, so it's probably normal, but I don't want the clock to wear out prematurely. Bear in mind this is a brand new clock.

4) I'm VERY curious about how the mechanics work. I know how basic pendulum clocks work, but the Cuckoo mechanism is a mystery to me. How does it count the hours? Is there any source online, or any books, that describe the mechanics in detail?

5) How critical is the front to back leveling? I first hung the clock on a nail and it was rocked forward a bit, so I put a molly bolt in and adjusted the screw so the back of the clock is flat against the wall. For left right placement I just used a level. The clock is running very well, and only loses a few minutes a day, which I'm trying to adjust out with the pendulum.

I really love this clock! The tick-tock as my wife so eloquently put it, "makes our home sound like a real home". It's beautiful to look at, and the sounding of the hour and half hour "grounds" the day somehow. If only I could hang another one in my cubicle at work...

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 6:07 pm     Post subject:

i want to thank you for buying a mechanical clock.

the mech operates at 5 mins to the hr and half hr to warn that it is ready to strike and is normal.

sometimes the shutoff lever can jam the mech on newer clocks. depend how the mechanism operates to stop the sound. nothing can be done to remedy this - maybe ear-muffs? LOL

it should really run for 30 hours - maybe the chain is too short. does the clock stop because the chain rings touch the case?

the squeak - you are right in that it is the wires rubbing. the clock may have been stored in a warm place before you had it or not been oiled there. a tiny drop on the end of a needle is all you need. the less the better as oil attracts dust which turns to dirt which acts as grinding paste which wears the clock.
this is what people don't understand - it may only be two or three years old but it needs a clean and oil so lasts 40 or 50 years instead of no service and getting worn out COMPLETELY after 6 years.

there are many books but one cuckoo's i like is by Karl Kochmann - black forest clockmaker and the cuckoo clock. it has diagrams of mechanical operations and how they work.

Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:38 pm     Post subject:


Thanks. I finally found a diagram online that showed me what I think is happening. A toothed mechanism called the "rack" is what I'm probably hearing.

Yep it stops when the rings are flush against the bottom of the case, the clock is mounted over 6' from the floor. When the clock has run down the weight doesn't touch the floor. The chain is the one that came with the clock.

It's not QUITE a squeek, more like just a rubbing sound. It's so faint it may be normal. The clock was brand new, still factory sealed, and I only set it up a week ago. But who knows how long it sat at the store?

Thanks for the recommendation! And thanks for all the advice!

I found one problem with Cuckoo Clocks. Now I want MORE but I doubt my wife wants several clocks in the house all making noise on the hour and half hour. Personally I'd love at least one on both floors of the house.