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400 DAY REPAIR
HELP! 400 Day clocks - Weight Driven clocks - Spring Driven Clocks - Cuckoo Clocks
400
DAY CLOCKS
Setting up the clock
Changing the suspension spring
Putting the clock in beat
Cleaning and oiling
Setting up the clockFirst rule is to always move the clock with the pendulum balls either in the lock position or take them off completely. To lock the balls into place, lift them slightly so the lock arm can be moved over to the lock position. These clocks are pretty touchy because of the suspension spring that holds the pendulum balls in the air.
This spring must not get kinked AT ALL and this is why the balls are removed or locked during transit. To operate this clock, first find a home for it on a shelf or mantle that does not shake or get bumped. Hang the balls on gently while the spring is sitting right where it normally sits. Adjust the feet of the clock base so the clock sits level with the balls centered in the middle of the cup below it. In this position the balls should be totally suspended in the air, not touching anything, even slightly. Let the balls settle down from jiggling around and notice where they stop. Now rotate the balls 1/2 of a revolution and gently let go. This should let the balls swing 180 degrees, one full revolution. Some miniature clocks swing a bit more than this, but most swing a bit less, being about 3/4 of a revolution upon settling down.
Do not bother to set the time until about 15 minutes go by and the balls are in there pattern of swinging back and forth with the movements power only. It is the speed these balls rotate that determine how accurate the timekeeping will be. The speed of the balls when you first start the clock will be too fast to have accurate timekeeping and therefore the time is set after they settle into there rhythm. Wait 15 minutes and set the time of the clock by moving the minute hand around until the proper time. Put the dome back on the clock and its done.
When its time to repair a 400 day clock, two things usually need to be done. The suspension spring gets replaced and the movement gets cleaned. These two procedures will fix most 400 day clocks.
If you just dug out your clock from the cellar or attic and have no idea what to check first, the suspension spring is the place to start. If it is bent or distorted AT ALL then it is no good. The suspension spring is just a very thin piece of steel running down the back of the clock. Its purpose is to suspend the balls in the air and allow them to slowly rotate back and forth. If this gets bent AT ALL the clock will not work. The only bending this spring can do is twist back and forth with the balls as they rotate. The spring being bent is the number one cause for most of these clocks working. I would venture to guess that this is the reason for about 80% of these clocks that need repair. You are in luck because they are cheap and it is an easy fix if your the patient type. If your not patient and careful, forget it. Give the clock to someone who is. If you are careful and patient, then put on some soft music and tell your wife to take a walk for awhile and you will get the clock working the way it should.
There are four pieces to a suspension spring including the thin spring itself. First there is the a brass bottom block that the balls attach to. Then in the upper middle of the spring there is the fork attachment that whacks the verge back and forth. (The verge is the wire that sticks straight up from the escapement). Then on top there is the top block that the entire suspension spring hooks onto to be suspended in the air. It is common for the fork and the bottom block to become lost because if the spring breaks, then the clock is stored as broken, it is easy for these Small parts to disappear. If you need replacement blocks, they are available on the parts page HERE or below. There kind of steep in price, but there is nothing we can do about that, there is only one company making them at this time and there a little high in price. Hopefully some one who can make these will read this and contact us with a better deal.
First step is to measure the springs thickness with a micrometer. Second step is to order this size from us at this LINK or from below. The new springs come very long and need to be cut down with sharp scissors. To cut them down, you need to determine the length needed. The length does not have to be absolutely perfect for the clock to run. The spring only must be short enough so the balls are suspended completely in the air, and long enough so the bottom block with not hit the bottom of the movement. Easiest way to find the length fast is to match the old spring up to the new and snip off the excess.
If you do not have the old suspension spring because it is lost, then you must use a different method of finding out the length and thickness. The only way I know to find the thickness of a missing spring is to use the Horolovar 400 Day Repair Manual and hope the clock is in it.
This is a very helpful book because it has views of the back plates of various manufactures among some great repair information. While you have the book and the clock in front of you, you are to match up the back of the clock with the picture in the book to determine what clock is yours and see the suspension spring thickness it takes. Then order the correct size spring from us along with a mixed block and fork assortment. If by chance your clock is not listed in the book, you may want to try the popular spring assortment and give a guess to the size. Most seem to take the size .0032 it would be a good place to start. The thicker the spring, the faster the balls rotate. If the balls rotate to fast or slow, the clock will not keep proper time.
Remove the old spring and take the blocks and the fork off with a precision screwdriver.
This is usually attached to the clock with a screw or pin through the top block. After its disassembled its time to attach the blocks to the new spring that you cut down to size. It is very important not to kink the new spring AT ALL while putting these on. Leaving the set screws in place but still loose on the blocks, insert the new spring just enough into the block so the set screws will grab securely. It is easiest to do this step on the table laying the spring flat down, it will take a Small hole in the table to support the bottom block to lay flat because of its cross pin. Either a Small hole in the table will work or a staking block with various hole diameters could be used and would be ideal.
Now with the block ready to be screwed down, hold it with a pair of needle nose pliers to be sure it will not turn and kink the spring. Be sure to get a good solid grip on the block with the pliers, but without gripping so tight the block pops out of them. As you hold steady the block with the needle nose pliers, use you precision screwdriver to tighten up the set screws that secure the block together with the spring end inside. Do this to both sides of the new spring (top and bottom block) then your ready to put on the fork. The fork only has one set screw and is put on toward the top of the spring.
To find out exactly where this spring should go, hold up the suspension to the clock and get an idea on the height it should be put at. It should be able to whack the verge wire back and forth and should be positioned so its sticking straight out of the spring at a 90 degree angle. Its height will have to be low enough on the verge to keep the clock running, but high enough so the clock will not flutter. Fluttering is the term to used to describe the clock running 300 miles an hour even with the balls hung and is the result of having the fork set to low. After determining the approximate place where the fork should be on the spring your ready to tighten up the set screw that grabs on, not really tight however because it will most likely have to be adjusted again later. Best to use the pliers again to hold it secure while tightening.
Now you should have the spring complete with its blocks on and have no kinks in the spring at all. If you did all this in the first shot without kinking the spring, your doing very good. Hang it back on the clock, carefully put the balls back on, and test. Read the operating section on the top to test run the clock. If the clock fails to run after changing the spring read the section on putting the 400 day clock in beat.
To see if a 400 day clock is in beat, turn the clock so it you are looking at the back of the clock with the dome off. Get yourself into position so you can see the escapement action and see the balls go back and forth at once. Now start the clock as described in the operating instructions. Observe the pattern of the balls going one way and having the escapement give a tick then sway back the other way and tock on the other side. Now on the balls path to the outermost place it goes to, from this point start counting evenly until you hear the clock "tick" and then stop counting. This number you counted to, you want to count on the other side also. Now these numbers you counted to should be the same on both sides of the balls rotation or the clock would be considered "out of beat". The numbers counted to is to be same for the clock to be "in beat".
As your looking at the top of the clock you will see how there is a screw that loosens to turn the whole pendulum a bit one way or the other. When loosening this screw be very careful not to kink the suspension spring, it is easy to turn it to quick and far so this happens. Loosen the screw gently, just enough to be able to adjust. With trial and error, of observing the action and moving the beat setter, you will get the beat correct and the clock will officially be "in beat" and ideally should be now running perfectly, if not then check the suspension spring for any kinks.
Cleaning and Oiling
If you are willing to learn how your hermle operates and would like to clean and repair the clock yourself, it is best to start out with the simple kit we have put together for this purpose. It includes The Clock Repair E-Book that guides you through each step of this process and explains the components so you can reassemble the movement and have it run correctly. It is too much information to put in a typical HTML format such as this page because of loading time, so it is all in a downloadable zip file. This E-Book is included in the Basic Clock Cleaning Kit and you get the clock cleaning solution, the E-Book, some brushes, a clock level and clock oil. The E-Book explains what to do with these items. More information on the Basic Clock Cleaning Kit is available at this link. This is a spring driven clock, so be sure to select the Mainspring Let Down tool also. These clocks have a huge mainspring in them so they will run as long as they do, so it is absolutely mandatory that the springs power is released before disassembly.
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Weight Driven
1. Introduction
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Spring Driven
1. Introduction
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Anniversary
400 Day Clocks 1. Introduction
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Cuckoo Clocks 1. Introduction
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OPERATING INSTURCTIONS FOR YOUR 400-DAY CLOCK
To Lock and Unlock the Pendulum Suspension (Paragraphs A, B, or C) Before the pendulum is put into motion, which is the way the clock is started, it is necessary to get it into a free-suspended position.
The pendulum should be very carefully hooked on to the pin block on the suspension spring. Attaching the pendulum to the pin block (and detaching it when necessary) is a most important operation, and great care must be taken not to bend the spring even the least bit! Don’t try to do it with one hand. It’s best to hold the little pin block in position with the finger of one hand while “hooking” the pendulum on it with the other. (When removing the pendulum from the pin block, remember that the pendulum “hook” has to be raised slightly before the pin can be eased out.)
These spring protection pieces, or guards, all located at the back of the movement, have different designs. Some just cover the pin block attached to the lower end of the suspension spring: others actually clamp the pin block so it can’t be moved. The guard itself may be held in place friction-tight, or by a thumb screw. Whatever the design, this protection device must be raised up and away from the pin block and kept away.
With the pin block on the suspension spring thus exposed, the pendulum should then be very carefully hooked on. Attaching the pendulum to the suspension spring (and detaching it when necessary) is a most important operation, and great care must be taken not to bend the spring even the least bit! Don’t try to do it with one hand. It’s best to hold the little pin block in position with the finger of one hand while “hooking” the pendulum on it with the other. (When removing the pendulum from the pin block, remember that the pendulum “hook” has to be raised slightly before the pin can be eased out.)
(Paragraphs D, E, or F)
D. Kundo Clock
The pendulum locking lever is in the back, under the movement. A “safety” cotter pin may be in position (to prevent the lever from opening accidentally during shipping) and this pin must be removed before the locking lever can be opened. (If the clock has been factory packed, a brass clamp may be attached to the upper part of the pendulum. It should be pulled off and discarded.) The pendulum should be carefully held, when the locking lever is pushed to the side, allowing it to be lowered gently into the free position: a drop of about 1/8”.
Caution: When this action is reversed; that is, when the pendulum is to be locked again for moving or shipping, remember that it must be carefully raised (about 1/8”) into its socket so that the locking lever will hold it in a firm position. If you pull the locking lever over without first raising the pendulum into its socket, no locking takes place. In such a case, the suspension spring is quite likely to be seriously bent if the clock is tipped.
If the clock is to be shipped, it is advisable to replace the “safety” pin in the hole by the lever. If the original cotter pin that came with the clock is not available, a satisfactory pin can be made from a slightly opened paper clip. (If no hole for a “safety” pin is provided, the locking lever should be held in the locked position with a rubber band.)
E. Schatz Clock
The pendulum of this clock is locked and unlocked by a lever which is located in front, or in back, of the clock at the bottom of the base. When the lever is moved to an extreme right position, the pendulum is raised and locked; when it is moved to the extreme left position, the pendulum is lowered and is “free”.
A second and more secure pendulum lock is provided for use when the clock is shipped. This lock is at the back of the movement, located in the lower piece of the tubular suspension spring guard. This lower guard can be adjusted – either locked (lowered) or unlocked (raised) – by means of a thumb screw. Except when the clock is being shipped, this adjustable guard should be raised as high as it will go, and held there by tightening the thumb screw.
To lock the pendulum for shipping, loosen the thumb screw and lower the piece in such a way that the two prongs provided not only go through the two holes in the pendulum locking bracket, but also through two holes in the disc at the top of the pendulum. (It may be necessary to rotate the pendulum slightly to find a pair of matching holes through which the prongs will go.) When the two prongs of the piece have thus been fully seated, the thumb screw should be tightened to hold it in place.
F. Other Clocks
There are many different types of pendulum locking mechanisms, most of which provide some means of raising the pendulum against a bracket, at the rear of the movement, thereby supporting the pendulum at top and bottom during shipping. If the method of operating the mechanism on your clock is not clear, read the instructions in the paragraphs above which explain other types of locking devices. If they don’t help you to determine how yours works, take the clock to your local clock repairman who will be glad to explain the operation to you.
To Place the Clock The clock should be placed in a position free from vibration. Television sets, pianos, unsteady book cases or tables are all unsatisfactory places. A mantel, a steady piece of furniture, or even a wall bracket, is to be preferred. It will not help its timekeeping qualities if the clock is placed directly over a radiator, or in a window where it will be subjected to direct sunlight or to drafts.
To Level the Clock The surface on which the clock rests does not have to be completely level. But the clock itself must be level. You don’t need a leveling tool if the clock is level when the tip of the pendulum is directly over, or inside, the guide cup.
To Start the Clock – Very Important! Carefully rotate the pendulum, in either direction, so that it is about one complete turn from dead center, then release it. This will start the pendulum rotating more than is usually required. Depending upon the clock, the normal rotation may be as little as ¾ turn or, for some miniature or midget clocks, as much as a turn and a half. After the pendulum has continued to rotate for a half-hour or so, it will have “settled down” to its normal cycle. Once you know how far the pendulum normally rotates in one direction, always give it just a little more than this amount whenever you have to start it in the future. But never rotate the pendulum more than one and one half turns from dead center. If you do, a permanent twist may be left in the suspension spring which will prevent the clock from running. (No clock repairman can be expected to replace a suspension spring, fee of charge, if the spring has been permanently twisted or otherwise bent.)
To Set the Hands Set the time by moving the minute hand in either direction. The hour hand will automatically follow. If the hour hand does not point exactly to the hour when the minute hand is on 12, shift its position, in either direction (it’s on only friction tight) until it does point to the hour. Don’t be alarmed if the escapement “flutters” when the hands are being moved.
To Regulate the Clock (Paragraphs G or J)
G. On 3-ball and 4-ball pendulums, a round, knurled “regulating disc” (about the size of a nickel) is at the top. When turned, it will make the balls go toward, or away from, the center of the pendulum. The direction in which the regulating disc should be turned to make the clock go faster or slower depends upon the design of the pendulum. Look for the letters F (fast) and S (slow) on the top of, or near, the regulating disc.
To make this clock go SLOWER
H. Turn regulating disc clockwise I. Turn regulating disc counter-clockwise
J. On disc pendulum of pre-World War I clocks, there are two little disc weights which can be moved by turning a threaded steel rod with a key. They will go toward the center of the pendulum (turn key toward F or A to make the clock go faster) or away from the center (turn key toward S or R to make the clock go slower). A double – end key for both regulating and winding is available for this clock. It can be obtained from your clockmaker.
To Adjust for Accurate Timekeeping If the clock is to be used as a timekeeper, the final regulating has to be done when it is in its position and leveled. The most practical way of regulating the clock is as follows: At least a half-hour after the clock has first been set up and started, at which time the pendulum should be rotating back and forth at its normal rate, set the hands to some accurate time source such as a quartz watch or electric clock. Cover the clock with its dome or case and don’t touch it again for a week. Start keeping a record with a table with Date, Right Time, Clock Time, Minutes Difference (fast and slow), Amount of Regulation and Direction. At the end of the week (or sooner, if the clock is gaining or losing time rapidly), compare the time with the accurate source and note the number of minutes that the clock has run fast or slow. To correct its rate of gain or loss, stop the pendulum at the point where it reverses its cycle, and adjust the regulating disc on the pendulum (or regulating rod on disc pendulum clocks) as described above. (A half turn will make a significant change in the timekeeping, so if the clock is only 5 or 10 minutes fast or slow, start with a ¼ or 1/8 turn.) Then, release the pendulum at, or just a little beyond, the place where you stopped it. (By making the regulating adjustment while holding the pendulum at one end of its cycle, you avoid over swinging it when you start it again. An over swing prevents accurate regulation.) Reset the hands to the correct time and let the clock run without further correction for another week. Be sure to make a note of the amount the clock ran fast or slow, and the amount of turn you gave to the pendulum regulating disc, i.e., ½ turn, ¼ turn, etc. After two or three weeks, you will reach a point when a 1/8 turn of the outside edge of the regulating disc will change the timing from fast to slow (or from slow to fast). You have then reached the maximum possible regulation. Do not make any further regulating
adjustments unless the clock is moved to another position. Don’t expect the clock to keep accurate time for 400 days! Every two weeks, or whenever necessary, remove the dome and nudge the minute hand to the correct time. With this attention, the clock will keep as good time as an 8-day mantel clock.
To Wind the Clock When fully wound the 400-Day Clock will usually run for 500 or more days. However, many people like to make a ceremony of the winding operation by doing it once a year on a birthday or wedding anniversary. All 400- Day Clocks that are wound from the back of the movement wind to the left – counter-clockwise. The mainspring is a heavy one and little pressure is needed to turn the key. It is impossible to over wind the clock, so keep turning the key until the spring is obviously wound tight. (Hint: The clock will keep more accurate time throughout the year if it is wound fully once every two months.)
To Keep the Key Handy One of the best places to keep the key, so that it will be available when the winding takes place, is right under the clock!
To Clean Glass or Plastic Most 400-Dayu Clocks are covered with glass or plastic domes, or by glass or plastic sided cases. The clocks are a lot more attractive when the glass or plastic is kept clean and bright. Glass Domes Wash occasionally in very hot water and wipe off with a clean, dry towel. The dome can be kept bright over long periods by just wiping it off with a clean, damp, paper towel while it is on the clock. When removing the dome from the clock, always grip it as near to the bottom as possible. This will keep your fingerprints in an area where they won’t show. Glass Sided Cases Wipe both sides with a soft cloth, wrung out with hot water. Wipe off with a clean, soft, dry towel. Do not dip the case in water. The sides can be kept bright over long periods by wiping occasionally with a clean, dry cloth while the case is on the clock. Avoid putting your fingers on the glass when removing the case. Plastic Domes or Cases Follow the same suggestions as above, but avoid extremely hot water. Always use a very soft cloth when wiping. Plastic is relatively soft and will eventually become dull if wiped repeatedly with a rough cloth or paper towel.
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