Repair Of A Carriage Clock

[Vich]

Ah how well you know me.

 

Cheers

 

Vic

[RonB]

On 12/29/2014 at 11:02 AM, clockboy said:

As a follow on.  I always clean to remove the old clock oil which becomes over time a messy gunge.

 

This is the procedure I use for a simple non striking clock 

1.Strip & clean all moving parts clean plates and check using a loupe that all pivot holes are clean & clear. If not peg wood them out.

2.Check pivots for damage and grooves etc  

3.Polish the pivots (lathe or jacot required).

4.Re-assemble all moving wheels apart from the escapement & barrel. Then give them a spin to check all is free & running straight.

5.Strip & re-.assemble again with escapement & barrel

6.Lubricate give it a wind & regulate

 

Thats It

 

[RonB]

My 30 year old carriage clock started to go slow and then stopped altogether. I read the instructions on how to dismantle the clock completely, which were very helpful. However , I found that it was not necessary to strip the clock mechanism completely in order to get it working perfectly again. I removed the clock from it's case and although there was no visible dust or dirt I then brushed around each pivot using a fine artists brush. I then lubricated each pivot using a tiny drop of Singer sewing machine oil, replaced the mechanism in it's case and restarted the clock. It took a little time to settle into a steady rhythm but is now keeping perfect time again. Although this is not the professional approach, it is one that an amateur could try without harming the clock. It worked for me and I hope it works for you.

[oldhippy]

8 hours ago, RonB said:

My 30 year old carriage clock started to go slow and then stopped altogether. I read the instructions on how to dismantle the clock completely, which were very helpful. However , I found that it was not necessary to strip the clock mechanism completely in order to get it working perfectly again. I removed the clock from it's case and although there was no visible dust or dirt I then brushed around each pivot using a fine artists brush. I then lubricated each pivot using a tiny drop of Singer sewing machine oil, replaced the mechanism in it's case and restarted the clock. It took a little time to settle into a steady rhythm but is now keeping perfect time again. Although this is not the professional approach, it is one that an amateur could try without harming the clock. It worked for me and I hope it works for you.

Never do such a thing. It is harming the clock. There will be dirty oil left around the pivots and it will cause wear not only to the brass pivot holes but in time to the steel pivots. The clock will then need re-bushing and the pivots will need lathe work. 

[Watcher]

Interesting comment. Why does dirty oil cause wear when most of it has been removed and replaced by clen oil? I have, for the past 20 years, been using the same technique every three years on my Sumiswald clock and there is still no measurable play in the pivot holes. Pehaps it is permitted for a bracket clock? I just ask for a lifetime of timekeeping to the present better than one minute per week.

[oldhippy]

Dirt stays in the pivot hole and goes around in the hole with the oil, it can stick to the pivot causing friction, this will cause the hole to wear, it can also cause wear in the pivot. Sometimes the wear can be so bad the pivot becomes looking like a mushroom.