question about grandfather clock

Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:56 pm     Post subject: question about grandfather clock

Hi, My name is Scott and I have a couple of questions about an ethan allen grandfather clock my mom has. My grandparents bought the clock in 1986 and it is the statue of liberty model. My mom got it about three years ago and she has let it just sit. I was over at her house and wanted to get it going since it seemed like such a waste to let such a nice clock just sit there. I couldn't tell you when the last time it was serviced or cleaned was but My guess would be somewhere between 10 years to never! I am planning to call someone in to clean/service it once it is running good.

I tried to do as much research on these clocks as I could but didn't come up with a lot. I contacted ethan allen for an owners manual but they said they couldn't help me. I got it running and it seems to be fine except it keeps running fast. I tried turning the nut on the bottom of the pendulam and it is as far down as possible and still running about 6 minutes fast a day. Can anyone explain what might be the causes of this since the pendulam is adjusted all the way down?

Also is there anything I can do myself to clean or service this clock since it hasn't been done in a lone time. I'm still planning on calling someone in to service it but I would like to learn a little about cleaning/servicing the clock so I can make sure it stays clean and working well in between servicings. I'm mechanically inclined, just don't know much about these clocks.

And lastly can anyone shed any light on where I might be able to obtain an owners manual for this clock?

Thank you for any information you might be able to provide, Scott

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 5:25 am     Post subject:

you will need to get it cleaned, oiled, and checked out. If the clock has been sitting that long the oil has probably dried up.

Once yiou get it cleaned you can oil it every couple of years, Klockit sells a kit and books.

Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 3:14 am     Post subject:

Thank you amrad. I will make some calls and try and find a reputable clock repair place and have it cleaned.

Does anyone know where I can get an owners manual for this clock? I tried ethan allen and they said they can't help me find one. Not sure where else to look. Tried searching everywhere I could think of on the web with no results.

Thank you , Scott