Longcase clock repairs

[antonyh]

This a picture of the back plate of a longcased clock movement I'm working on, just to show the lengths that the bad repairer will use to botch a job up.
I've had to replace a good few of the bushes, realign the pallets, as they weren't even in line with the escape wheel. 
They had used a piece of Mainspring to reface the pallets , forgetting that that they are supposed to be at the same angle as the originals otherwise they really aren't a lot of good. 

That's just for starters. 

It's just one of those jobs I really wish I hadn't taken on. 

[RogerH]

Good luck!

[clockboy]

This is the joys of being a horologist. I am working on a non working smiths 8 day clock. The screws that hold the plate together were loose. So far a baldly torn mainspring, gathering pin missing + gathering plate loose, click spring broken + many bushes including  barrel bushing to be replaced. 
Explained to customer repairs will cost far more than the clock is worth but still given the go ahead..

Edited May 17, 2022 by clockboy

[Neverenoughwatches]

2 minutes ago, clockboy said:

This is the joys of being a horologist. I am working on a non working smiths 8 day clock. The screws that hold the plate together were loose. So far a baldly torn mainspring, gathering pin missing + gathering plate loose, click spring broken + many bushes including  barrel bushing to be replaced. 
Explained to customer repairs will cost far more than the clock is worth but still given the go ahead..

Hi clock boy are you and OH the best folk to ask about this sort of repair. I have a Smiths napoleon Westminster chime clock i would like to have a go at repairing, I'm hoping it just needs a service. I doesnt seem to have enough power to run with the pendulum on, and the chimes seem out of sync. No. On the movement is K6A 549. Any advice would be appreciated, im not quite ready to start yet as i have some wristwatches to finish off, but i wouldnt mind a hint beforehand  as where to start. Thanks

[oldhippy]

That longcase clock has been well and truly botched up it's going to take a lot of careful work to put that back into a good working order. The style of the pillars tells me its a late one around the 1800's.

 

Now onto the chime. Have you ever repaired a striking clock? I advise you to undertake a strike first so you understand the workings. I admit there are many videos on Youtube showing chiming clock repairs. The Smiths one you have is very common so yes we can help you with it. I suggest you take plenty of photos, You are going to need a clock mainspring winder, do you have one? You will need clock cutting broaches.  I need to know this before we go into what to do. 

[clockboy]

Agree 100% with OH. If this is your first clock a Westminster is not a good one to start with. All the chimes have to be aligned and assembly can be tricky as well. A mainspring winder is a must for these movements as the springs are strong and can cause a lot of damage to yourself and the movement if they unwind without control. 

[LittleWatchShop]

I am servicing my third ST strike/chime this week. Very complicated getting warning wheels properly calibrated along with auto-correct, snail, lifting cam...not for the feint heart. Nevertheless, with lots of pictures, you can do it.

[watchweasol]

One can anly concur with the advise given, startwith a strike only before moving on to the westminster as there are many complications, the auro correction , the timing of th warnings,  and the cams and levers.  You need to do a bit of research and reading before attempting the westminster.

Hi  There is a site by Barrie Smith (no relation) on siths clocks you might find usefull reading. Attached a couple of picks explainging the fromt plate levers.  They differ from clock to clock but do the same job.  De Carles book on clock repairing and Mike Watters book worth a read also Laurie Pennman and Brian Loomes.

[LittleWatchShop]

@watchweasol, these are great diagrams!  I am still trying to get all of the terms straight in my head.

This morning I finished this Westminster.  Put about four hours into it yesterday and another two this morning.  This is my third one of this movement type.  All three were slightly different...mainly in the going train and motor.  The strike and chime were pretty much the same except that one of them used  Lenz's Law instead of a conventional fly.

I picked this one up on ebay for a total of $86 (including tax and shipping).  Not as good as my $6 thrift store find!!

Once testing is complete, I will give it to my son.

The motor on this clock is different than the others.  It looked more modern.  Indeed, there is a note inside the door...the motor was replaced in 1979. 

[watchweasol]

Hi LWS  Thats a nice old guy, there is always somthing that appeals about a clock. On holiday I found one that plays a musical box on the hour but had to back down I have a house full of clocks, so had to leave it shame.