one flew over the cuckcoo's nest

[jmb]

Hello all,  got a problem with my cuckcoo clock, i bought recently.  

the cuckcoo is out of sync with the time, so at 1 o'clock it cuckcooed 3 o'clock so i stopped the pendulum waited till it was actually 3 o'clock and started the pendulum.

it cuckcooed once at 3.30, which is correct but at 4 o'clock it cuckcooed 7 o'clock.  since then every hour it cuckcooed random hours.  can anyone out there  help before i go cuckcoo.!

Mike

[KarlvonKoln]

Welcome to the forum!  Well, it certainly sounds as though your clock has put the "cuckcoo" in cuckcoo clock.  There's typically a stepped cam in the striking train that is aligned with the hours, and while I have never seen a cuckcoo movement out of its case, I'm assuming they work the same way.  If it is TRULY striking at random, we're just going to need to see pictures of the movement, in front, in back, either side, whatever you can send us.  There are experts here that can help on that front.
But...BUT!...if it actually is only striking three hours off each time (or two if the first incident was 3 pm at 1 pm) and it does this CONSISTENTLY each and every time, then I have a much, much simpler answer.  Well, it's simple if you have a clock hand puller:
1- Wait until it strikes an hour.
2- Stop the pendulum the moment it is done striking.
3- Pull off the hands, and put them back on pointing at the correct hour and minute for the strike the clock just made.
4- Start the clock again.
If (and only "if") the clock is off in its striking by the same number of hours each time, then this could be the easiest solution.
If not...well, then we'll need to wait for some serious clock experts to chime in (pardon the pun).  Good luck.  Let us know what has transpired.

[oldhippy]

Thank you for your introduction and welcome to this friendly forum.

There are two main striking movements with cuckoo clocks rack striking and count wheel striking. As KarlvonKoln mentioned could you show the movement the back plate will do. 

[KarlvonKoln]

We were waiting for ya, OH.  I'm mostly here just to see pics of a cuckcoo clock.  (Could be a heritage thing.)

[watchweasol]

Welcome to the forum  as Old Hippy says we need pictures of the clock movement, there are several makers. Regula  1day   and 8 day movements,   Hubert Herr and they are different, some with automata/music  some just music so you see the need for pictures.

[oldhippy]

3 hours ago, watchweasol said:

Welcome to the forum  as Old Hippy says we need pictures of the clock movement, there are several makers. Regula  1day   and 8 day movements,   Hubert Herr and they are different, some with automata/music  some just music so you see the need for pictures.

Don't forget there are spring driven and fusee cuckoo clocks.

I'm moving this to the clock corner 

[watchweasol]

Absolutely They come in many forms,  I was in York and there is a shop full   paradise.

[jmb]

thanks for the replies chaps but i have a problem , to get a photo of the movement i need to remove the bellows and the sound boxes. well on most of these clocks  there is a screw on each side of the case to do this, unfortunately on this clock no screws the sound boxes are glued in and i dont fancy trying to remove them without causing damage.

so i am going to leave it for now till i really need to be at the movement for a  service or any major problem.

thanks for the help anyway.

Mike

[watchweasol]

Hi  Most unusual for them to be glued in as that makes removing the movement a pain. Have the bellows ever been screwed in and it is some ones bodge.   If you need bellows material I have plenty just let me know. Do you have a picture of the rear of the clock, thanks      

[oldhippy]

The modern ones are glued. 

[watchweasol]

Is it a ploy to deter people from timkering with the clock.

[KarlvonKoln]

I wonder if the entire front of the clock could be more easily removed, rather than the movement being dragged out the back (after somehow chiseling or yanking the bellows out). 
Are you able to see if the movement is mounted to the bottom/floor, or to the backside of the front?  

[oldhippy]

Normally when you remove the dial from a cuckoo clock you are left with a round hole not big enough to carry out adjustments , the other thing is its to close to the rest of the case. You will need to remove the bellows, don't forget to unhook them first and careful no to bend the thin wires. Are you sure the bellows are not held in with pins as you say no screws are visible 

Here is a photo of what a modern cuckoo clock movement looks like showing the front which is hidden behind the dial. 

[watchweasol]

As Old Hippy says check that the bellows are not held on with pins. The conventional way was a pin and a screw, you removed the screw and wiggled the bellows of the pin. no problem. It is not logical to glue them in as removing them could result in broken bellow assemblies

https://frankenmuthclock.com/pages/cuckoo-clock-questions-answers      This link is very good on the cuckoo clock and will give you a lot of useful information.  would it be possible to post a picture of the clock front and back as some are constructed with enough room to remove the mechanisn without the bellows.  It depends on style and case design.  I have two cuckoos both the same stlyle one larger then the other but both require the bellows to be removed before te mechanism

[LittleWatchShop]

I just took in another cuckoo clock to repair that is very small and thus the bellows need to be removed in order to get the movement out.  The bellows have a screw AND glue.  I can see the glue along the sides of the bellows.  Now I face the challenge of removing them ever so carefully.

Before jumping in, maybe there is some new insight from @watchweasolor @oldhippyor @clockboy???

[watchweasol]

Hi  Thats a PIA normally they are screwed and a small pin provides the stability so someone has done a belt and braces job on them. There is a couple of ways to get them out best probably with a scalpel blade between the case and bellows or try dampening the join and softening the glue or again warming the wood from the outside with a hair dryer and using the scalpel, Which ever method you choose it will be a long and carefull adventure.    Can you post some pic's of the bellows and movement please                  good luck

[LittleWatchShop]

Yeah, I took this picture after the post.  It looks to be glued pretty solid.  The movement is out  of focus, but it is a Regula one day movement.

[LittleWatchShop]

Here is another.  As you can see the glue goes across the span of the bellows. 

[LittleWatchShop]

I have hung it on the wall to see if it is running--seems to be.  The lady could not remember how or when it stopped (maybe it didn't) but the hands were broken.  She ordered a new set of hands but never put them on.  So, I suspect that hands are the only problem.  I will see if it runs and keeps time and then, if it does, I will return it to her without removing the movement and doing a proper cleaning.  I am doing this for free anyway.  When it quits running down the road...she can bring it back and agree that there might be an issue when I remove the bellows.

[watchweasol]

Hi By the look of the glue its PVA and as such will not respond to water so I guess  warm it up and work with the scalpel.  I think that what you propose is at this time the best.     cheers

[oldhippy]

Modern cuckoo clock with glued bellows. Should be able to prise the buggers off with care.  

[WatchWood]

PVA normally dries clear. What is the hardness of the glue? If it is hard and brittle it will be something like cascamite, in which case it will be stuck permanently. If it soft it might be a hot-melt glue or a mastic. I would first try using a thin blade, warmed up, and see if it will slide into the glue-line.

Failing that I would get either a hacksaw blade or, preferably a small japanese saw, and just cut along the glue-line.

[LittleWatchShop]

5 minutes ago, WatchWood said:

PVA normally dries clear. What is the hardness of the glue? If it is hard and brittle it will be something like cascamite, in which case it will be stuck permanently. If it soft it might be a hot-melt glue or a mastic. I would first try using a thin blade, warmed up, and see if it will slide into the glue-line.

Failing that I would get either a hacksaw blade or, preferably a small japanese saw, and just cut along the glue-line.

It feels hard.

[WatchWood]

4 minutes ago, LittleWatchShop said:

It feels hard.

Saw it off then. Don't risk trying to prise it off with a chisel as it's likely the wood will split. Shouldn't take long with a hacksaw blade and you'll only lose a few mm off the block. Will likely leave some saw marks on the case wall but these can be sanded out before replacing the block.

[WatchWood]

A tip for when you glue the block back on; glue a piece of paper onto the block and then glue the paper side onto the case. Then leave a note in the case for the next person who repairs the clock. When you put a chisel along the paper glue-line and give a sharp tap the paper will cleave away from the case.