new to board with questions

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 3:58 am     Post subject: new to board with questions

Hi , I just aquired a Ridgeway grandfather clock. It won't stay running
and the weights do not drop. They were pulled up very high and hard to
remove. I was able to remove the center and rt hand weight. They have no markings but both weigh 9 lbs each. I'm told one of them should be heavier than the other 2 and it should be on the Rt hand side but it is on the left and won't drop. Can any one offer some advice? Thank you!!

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 5:04 pm     Post subject:

the only way to make it drop is operate the chime/strike.

As its probably a few years old have it serviced. depending on what type of clock it is depends which heavier weight goes where. Generally it goes on the chime side. Some may not have a heavier weight at all.

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 5:51 pm     Post subject:

I plan on having it serviced. Meanwhile how do I get the chime strike to operate and drop the weights? I would at least like to have it running when
it is serviced. Thanks!

Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 7:32 pm     Post subject:

If the movement will currently chime, then you should be able to run the chime/strike weight down. Just make certain you have the chime lever in a chime melody position (for example: Westminster). Also make certain the night silence feature (if applicable) is turned off. Last, make certain you have the weight mounted. From this point, simply run the clock. As the clock runs and chimes on every quarter hour/hour, it should allow the weight to drop accordingly. You will have to let it run for a few days...

Just as an example, let's say that a mechanical movement has a 50" weight drop over the course of 8 days. This means that the weight will only drop a little over 6" in a 24 hour period. It is for this reason that I mention that you will probably have to let it run for a couple of days (as weight drop will not noticeably happen all at once).