French Mantle (Slate) Clock Movement

[Folkvisor]

Someone used small nails instead of tapered pins to fasten the plates on the posts.

The metal is soft and they are hard to remove without wrecking the nail. I've tried everything I can to get them all out but I've only been successful with one.

Any ideas? It would be nice if people would use the right parts!

[oldhippy]

A pair of cutters should do the trick. I had a top and side pair made by Linstrom from Sweden. They often come up on ebay and bloody good they are.  You can grab hold of the nail or pin and pull from the side of the plate. Have you tried a flat end punch and small hammer or has the nail or pin not gone through the holes.    

[Folkvisor]

I will go buy some side cutters. I had a pair but it seems they've disappeared.

Thank you for the idea.

[Folkvisor]

I got 2 out. Good thing I'm not getting paid by the hour!

I am using nose pliers and a string lifter made from a pitchfork tyne from my piano tools. Seems to work...

(The side cutters I bought don't get close enough to the side of the clock. I'll keep looking for better ones.)

[Folkvisor]

One of the pins is bent. I doubt it will pull out. 

I think the only solution is drilling it out after smoothing the end of the pin down to the brass post. It is slightly smaller than 1/16" so perhaps a 3/64" drill or 1/32?

Any suggestions? I think the pin is soft enough not be a problem for a drill; however, guiding the drill may not be so easy.

[oldhippy]

Just make a tiny start punch mark. Use a smaller drill then the pin, drill right through, then insert a reamer and ream it out, you might find with a little pressure the pin might start to move round and the reamer might push the rest of the pin out.

[Folkvisor]

OK, will do. I need to buy some smaller drills in Winnipeg next week. They don't have anything smaller than 1/16" in town.

But I do have a small reamer.

I take it that it's best to grind the old pin down to the post first as well.

[oldhippy]

Just be careful not to damage the post.

[Folkvisor]

I plan to use a drill press after I get the watch at an angle that makes it possible to use a drill...very carefully...

[Folkvisor]

I am presently engaged in drilling the pin out of the hole in the brass stanchion or whatever you call it. It is a slow process but it is working. I'm taking my time. I hope this is the only pin that needs to be drilled.

I'm beginning to hate French Slate Clocks...LOL

Dave

[Folkvisor]

This clock will only work if it is slanted towards 11:00 o'clock. It will stop if it is level. I'm wondering if, after I have the front plate off, I will find that something is stuck in the works causing this. Any ideas why this is happening?

Would it have something to do with the self regulating mechanism?

[clockboy]

It is most likely out of beat. There are vids on you tube on putting a clock in beat.To get it in beat you have to adjust the crutch. Here is a vid.although not a french clock the principle is the same.

 

 

[oldhippy]

You will need to bend the crutch a little.

[Folkvisor]

Yup. Did that and now it runs at 12 o'clock.

I was also wondering if the clock should be able to run if it's lying down with the crutch up.

I finally got the pin out. The post is a bit mangled but it will still hold a pin. 

Would it be OK to just dip that corner of the clock in some naphtha to clean the filings off that were created by drilling out the pin? 

I'm pretty sure the clock isn't dirty. It looks clean. I think it just needed to have the crutch bent a little. We will see how it runs now. 

Everything is pinned on this clock; I'm not brave enough to take much more apart...

Dave

 

[oldhippy]

It is never a good idea to let the clock escape without the pendulum (it is called tripping) as it can cause excessive wear and tear to the teeth to the escape wheel. I would just brush away the fragments from the drilling and may be use your watch blower.  

[Folkvisor]

The pendulum 'rod' is bent. I have wire bending pliers so I will probably use those to put it straight. I guess just bend it and put a straight edge along it to see how it's coming along. 

These French clocks are pernickety...

[oldhippy]

Could be difficult to get it bang on. You should be able to buy a new rod.

[Folkvisor]

I can see it being almost impossible to bang on. I use the wire bending pliers for damper wires on grands; regulating them can be extremely tricky.

[Folkvisor]

It's pretty well straight. I put it on the clock and it seems to work pretty well. 

Maybe I'll put the dial and hands on and see if it keeps time. 

 

[oldhippy]

9 hours ago, Folkvisor said:

It's pretty well straight. I put it on the clock and it seems to work pretty well. 

Maybe I'll put the dial and hands on and see if it keeps time. 

 

If the pendulum swings without any added motion, in other words in a  straight line it should be ok, if not replace it.

[Folkvisor]

It basically swings back and forth without any extraneous motion.

No I am having an issue with the striking mechanism. It doesn't want to engage and I'm wondering if something is not turning or some pin somewhere isn't engaging.

The 'snail' is just smooth and has no 'steps' in it. I can't find anything with this type of snail on the internet.

Always something.

Dave

[oldhippy]

I'll post late tomorrow as I won't be home for the best part of the day to help you out.

[Folkvisor]

OK, thank you. I'll read your post with great interest but won't be able to do anything until the 22nd.

Dave

[clockboy]

Dave your clock does not have a snail wheel but a count wheel. When it it gets to the strike time does anything turn ie the warning wheel etc. I have added a couple of vids the first the guy explains how a strike mechanism works and the second is a vid of what your clock should be doing.

If you lift the arm B the count wheel A should start to turn. This is what the guy is doing in the second vid simulating the strike.

 

 

 

 

[oldhippy]

Do we know its a count wheel strike?