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A recent Clockmakers Newsletter article was titled "A
Short Course: Clock Repair 101" because it offered some advice
to beginners. A Waterbury shelf clock was used as an example.
The case and movement are pictured here.
Lesson one was just this: always use a letdown key to help you
release the mainspring power! It;s the only safe way to do it.
A set of letdown keys is about a $20 investment that should be
one of your first expenditures. Beginners, don't skip the step
of letting down the mainsprings and cleaning them! Once let down,
mainsprings should be unhooked from the winding arbors and thoroughly
cleaned.
Other lessons
for the beginner are the repair of scored pivots and worn pivot
holes. Early on, consider buying a small lathe to enable you to
polish the pivots (the ends of the arbors). Hand methods may be
employed, at first, to replace the bearings (bushings). But as
soon as you can afford it, buy a bushing tool. The picture shows
a Keystone bushing tool in use. Here's a tip: it's a mistake to
rebush pivot holes unnecessarily. Many old American clocks came
new with rather loose fitting pivots. If you find the holes are
still round, rather than oval, they are not worn! Tight bushings
spell trouble in the form of clocks that stop.
The escapement is the least understood part of the clock movement.
Beginners should concentrate on a few basics. Don't try to adjust
an escapement unless the escape pivot holes are in good condition.
If the pallets are worn, soften the steel of the tips, polish
the faces, and reharden. Only then can the escapement action be
adjusted.
Old clock movements seem complicated until you have worked on
a few of each type. Almost any clock will have much to teach you.
Clocks picked up in yard sales, antique stores, and clock marts
are almost certain to have worn and improperly repaired parts.
Ask questions, study all the sources you can find, and you will
learn from each new repair.
Thanks for looking in on this page. I'm Steven Conover, editor of Clockmakers Newsletter,and I'd like to send you my informative, entertaining newsletter every month. In addition, I provide e-mail, letter, or phone help on clock repair questions. In computer-age terminology, that's free technical support for subscribers!
