Very useful insight :) two of the clocks I have to repair are pendulum clocks so I'll subscribe and have a look at what you can offer on repairing pendulum clocks, one is a regular French mantel clock of the last century, the other is a 1930s British Westminster chime Mantel clock. great short video thank you for posting
Outstanding! You know, it has to be hard for an expert such as yourself to impart upon the general populous the essential wisdom needed to do this work - especially if this is how you make your living. It's incredibly valuable to me and I know it cost you something to learn. So, thank you.
Thank you. I remember well what it is like to be a beginner and how difficult it is to get information that is "trustworthy" so your comment is appreciated. M
Great video, I am looking into doing my first ever service on 1930 Westminster mantle clock and did not know I had to fully release all springs before any disassembly, got the fully synthetic oil and hope to do a full clean and service if it needs it.
@@howtorepairpendulumclocks thank you ,Mathew I only did it once foregot to wind down, when taking the plates apart, no injury but damaged the teeth on several wheels,never again. Working on the clocks 7 days a week keeps me going and takes my mind of the horrible year I had in 2020. Then this ongoing pestilence kicked in 3 weeks later.
Great! If you are a Kindle unlimited user, you can access our book for beginners for free! Good luck on your learning journey. For the record, $450 seems like a fair price for a professional overhaul. Matthew
4:11 It is better to try wiggling the barrel with a finger. If there is the tiniest amount of tension in the mainspring, you will not be able to wiggle it. While some may be tempted by it,do not remove the pallet to let the escape wheel runaway. That may damage the wheel's pivots. However you may let the chime side to run freely. The fly on the last gear will dissipate the mainspring's energy in the air without runaway. Furthermore manipulating a train wheel with tweezers may scratch the wheel.
Excellent camera work sir...I have several clocks I need to do exactly this...thinking I will throw them in my ultrasonic...oil a bit...and see if that's the issue for some of them...probably not and will need pivot holes redone...but I am a beginner so will try the basics first. Be safe and thanks again.
The problem putting them in the ultrasonic tank , is if they are mainsprings in a barrel, and not the open type, some of the cleaner will stay in the barrels and rust the mainsprings. I always take them apart clean and re assemble without the springs in, then check the pivot holes for wear If they need re bushing I mark the holes take apart and re bush the pivot holes.
You mean by just letting the clock run down? Yes you can but not ideal as the bearings on a clock that is being repaired are typically dry and contaminated. That may be your only option. What is important is to get all the power off the spring before you disassemble the frame nuts. M
Hi Joshua Letting the power of a spring can certainly help diagnose what is the problem. A clock cannot be overwound as such. Normally what happens is the springs dry (lack of lubrication) and it binds. When you let the spring down, if it is not smooth/makes a lot of noise, that may be the case. Otherwise you may have a problem with what is called depthing. That is the mesh of gears that deteriorates due to wear in the bearings. Matthew
@@howtorepairpendulumclocks Yes. When I got the movement out of its case, all three mainsprings were not winding down no matter how long the clock functioned, as if it had a tiny little spring. Strange, I thought. When I used my let-down tool, (the first time I’ve used one), the click springs had plenty power. When I let the mainsprings down, they seemed to have plenty room to unwind. I have gotten one click lever to go into its ratchet wheel but there’s a space between the others and their click springs. There must still be power in the click springs. I noticed the plates are very mucky and slimy. I think someone has set about it with WD40 at some time. There’s a line of muck along the bottom of the front plate. I think it is either the WD40 and dust, or it’s been over-oiled at some time. I think maybe the clicks have oily muck round where they pivot, and of course, everywhere else on the movement too. This clock only cost me £30, so I’m going to use it as something I can learn on, rather than one I have to fix within a certain time. I’m going to take the springs out and see if a little bit of bending will fix them, although that wouldn’t fix much as long as the clock is grimed up. I’m a complete newbie at all this btw.
Brilliant - concise, not patronising and hugely helpful - Thanks
Thanks Barrie. Appreciated. Matthew
Very useful insight :) two of the clocks I have to repair are pendulum clocks so I'll subscribe and have a look at what you can offer on repairing pendulum clocks, one is a regular French mantel clock of the last century, the other is a 1930s British Westminster chime Mantel clock. great short video thank you for posting
Good luck with those projects.
excellent work - I followed this advice and fixed a clock - fantastic ! many thanks
Thanks Marko. Glad it was of use.
Thank you. A very clear explanation. Just what I needed to give me confidence to tackle my first ever clock cleaning.
Thank you
You are the best, Sir. Thank you for this clear and concise video. I will be careful.
Thank you
A well-done, no-nonsense video. I appreciate your concise instruction.
Thank you! Glad it was of use. M
Outstanding! You know, it has to be hard for an expert such as yourself to impart upon the general populous the essential wisdom needed to do this work - especially if this is how you make your living. It's incredibly valuable to me and I know it cost you something to learn. So, thank you.
Thank you. I remember well what it is like to be a beginner and how difficult it is to get information that is "trustworthy" so your comment is appreciated. M
What a brilliantly clear explanation! Many thanks!
Glad you found it of use. Matthew
Yes indeed. Thank you. I was really very stuck until you gave me some light. And I will try to be careful.
Great. Glad it was of use. You might like to check out our Facebook group. Matthew facebook.com/groups/424742035582369
Great video, I am looking into doing my first ever service on 1930 Westminster mantle clock and did not know I had to fully release all springs before any disassembly, got the fully synthetic oil and hope to do a full clean and service if it needs it.
Excellent presentation of the technique. thank you.
Thanks for your kind feedback
Excellent! Clear and precise!
Thank you!!! Appreciated.
excellent lesson
Thank you! Appreciated.
Thank you, it is always best to know what you are doing instead of losing a finger or worst!!
Thank you
I wish I had watched this two week ago. Ah well. My finger is almost all healed up now.
Thank you for a great video I just learned a new term let down I'm not a horologist I'm a hobbyist
Thanks Tim
A good demonstration on how to let the power off a clock.
Thank you for the positive feedback.
@@howtorepairpendulumclocks thank you ,Mathew I only did it once foregot to wind down, when taking the plates apart, no injury but damaged the teeth on several wheels,never again. Working on the clocks 7 days a week keeps me going and takes my mind of the horrible year I had in 2020. Then this ongoing pestilence kicked in 3 weeks later.
Keep going!
@@verybigkittens7550
I didnt have access to a let down tool so I tightened a drill chuck around mine. worked well
Thank you for the very good video.
Perfect! this is exactly what I am tackling - thank you for video
Thank you
Excellent….thanks !✋🏼5️⃣
Thank you!
Excellent video
Thank you. I'll try adding more soon.
@@howtorepairpendulumclocks i sent you an email this is excellent
My fingers would had loved to see this great video 👍🏽🤕
¡Gracias por compartir!
Good video! Just got a $450. estimate from Clock Smith to clean my 1908 Sessions wall clock. Think it's time for me to learn how to do it!
Great! If you are a Kindle unlimited user, you can access our book for beginners for free! Good luck on your learning journey. For the record, $450 seems like a fair price for a professional overhaul. Matthew
4:11
It is better to try wiggling the barrel with a finger.
If there is the tiniest amount of tension in the mainspring, you will not be able to wiggle it.
While some may be tempted by it,do not remove the pallet to let the escape wheel runaway. That may damage the wheel's pivots. However you may let the chime side to run freely. The fly on the last gear will dissipate the mainspring's energy in the air without runaway.
Furthermore manipulating a train wheel with tweezers may scratch the wheel.
Good video.
Thank you
Excellent camera work sir...I have several clocks I need to do exactly this...thinking I will throw them in my ultrasonic...oil a bit...and see if that's the issue for some of them...probably not and will need pivot holes redone...but I am a beginner so will try the basics first. Be safe and thanks again.
Good luck. Thanks for the positive comment. You may want to check out our new clock repair book, it is aimed at beginners.
The problem putting them in the ultrasonic tank , is if they are mainsprings in a barrel, and not the open type, some of the cleaner will stay in the barrels and rust the mainsprings. I always take them apart clean and re assemble without the springs in, then check the pivot holes for wear If they need re bushing I mark the holes take apart and re bush the pivot holes.
Thank you
Can you safely unwind the spring without the ratchet wheel? I mean, just the motor by itself? I may have disassembled a bit too much.
You mean by just letting the clock run down? Yes you can but not ideal as the bearings on a clock that is being repaired are typically dry and contaminated. That may be your only option. What is important is to get all the power off the spring before you disassemble the frame nuts. M
After figuring out the hard way what happens when you don’t release it, I’ve decided I should learn how to do it before I break something
Always learning.
Could this work on a clock that quit working after it was wound?
Hi Joshua
Letting the power of a spring can certainly help diagnose what is the problem. A clock cannot be overwound as such. Normally what happens is the springs dry (lack of lubrication) and it binds. When you let the spring down, if it is not smooth/makes a lot of noise, that may be the case. Otherwise you may have a problem with what is called depthing. That is the mesh of gears that deteriorates due to wear in the bearings. Matthew
I let down my three springs tonight and now it’s all of the click springs that have no power either.
The click springs no longer function?
@@howtorepairpendulumclocks
Yes. When I got the movement out of its case, all three mainsprings were not winding down no matter how long the clock functioned, as if it had a tiny little spring. Strange, I thought. When I used my let-down tool, (the first time I’ve used one), the click springs had plenty power. When I let the mainsprings down, they seemed to have plenty room to unwind.
I have gotten one click lever to go into its ratchet wheel but there’s a space between the others and their click springs. There must still be power in the click springs. I noticed the plates are very mucky and slimy. I think someone has set about it with WD40 at some time. There’s a line of muck along the bottom of the front plate. I think it is either the WD40 and dust, or it’s been over-oiled at some time.
I think maybe the clicks have oily muck round where they pivot, and of course, everywhere else on the movement too. This clock only cost me £30, so I’m going to use it as something I can learn on, rather than one I have to fix within a certain time. I’m going to take the springs out and see if a little bit of bending will fix them, although that wouldn’t fix much as long as the clock is grimed up. I’m a complete newbie at all this btw.