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1. Unpacking the movement
Congratulations on your purchase of this quality clock
movement. This precision instrument, when cared for properly, will deliver years
of dependable service. Inspect the shipping carton for signs of damage that
could have occurred in shipping. Carefully remove the movement and accessories.
Should you find any damaged or missing parts, please contact us immediately for
a prompt replacement. Be sure to have the movement number as well as a description of the damaged / missing item. We recommend that you
use a old shirt or rag
when handling the lead weight fillings. lead can be toxic and should be
handled with caution. Make sure if you touch and lead item that you wash
your hands thoroughly before eating. Lead however, cannot be absorbed through
the skin. Also, use gloves when handling the movement and any other brass
components. The Natural oils on your skin can, over time, tarnish these
items. If you happen to touch any of the brass components, simply wipe
the surface with a clean, dry cloth. It is always best to handle the movement
by the corner pillars rather than the movements front or back plates.
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2. Tools you will need
Very few tools are needed to install the clock movement into your clock
case. However, you will want to have the following items handy:
A. Slotted screwdriver with a fine tip, you will most likely need one
that is longer and one that is shorter.
B. A level
C. Rags
D. Tape measure
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3. Choosing a location for your clock
1. You will want to avoid placing the clock cabinet in direct sunlight
as ultraviolet rays will tend to tighten or bleach the cabinet.
2. It is also recommended that the clock not be placed near heating
or air conditioning vents. Dramatic temperature changes will effect time
keeping regulation.
3. It is strongly recommended that the clock not be placed near a fireplace.
If placed near a fireplace or vent, the movement is subject to a higher
concentration of airborne particles.
4. Chime volume will be effected by the placement of the clock case.
A grandfather clock placed on a wood floor will be louder than on placed
on a carpeted floor, for example.
5. Avoid placing the clock in high traffic areas. Especially if children
are present. If children are present, it is strongly recommended that the
top of the clock case be permanently attached to the wall. This will eliminate
the possibility of the clock being tipped over.
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4. Installing the silence lever extension
The silence lever is located on the right hand side of the movement
as you face the handshaft. The purpose of the extension is to control the
silencing and selection of the 4/4 melodies. The silence lever extension
is easily installed onto the silence lever by loosening the set screw and
sliding it into position. After the extension is in place and the dial
has been installed, the set screw can be tightened securely. In most instances,
you will find a slot in the dial where this extension will ultimately protrude.
It can then be moved up to silence the chimes or down to change melodies.
If your dial is not equipped with a slot for the extension, simply mount
the silence lever extension so that the end of the lever points toward
the back of the clock case.
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5. Attaching the moon gear
If your clock does not have a dial that has a moving moon, skip
to assembly step 8. The moon gear is used to automatically change
the position of the moving moon disc on the dial. If replacing a movement
then get the old moon gear off of the old movement by loosening the set screws.
Put the moon gear on the new movement about 1/2 down the handshaft, or whatever
the length was on the old units handshaft, when positioned correctly, secure the set screws.
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6. Setting the moon disc to the moon
phase (if applicable)
In the late 17th century, the moon dial was added to long
case clocks so people could plan ahead for when the moon was full so travel at
night was no so hazardous. It also aided farmers in the proper timing of
planting and harvesting their crops. Observing the front of the dial, note the dials arch or commonly called
"chapter ring". You will notice that the chapter ring starts at "1" and
ends at "29 1/2". These numerals indicate the days of the lunar month.
The moving moon disc indicates the day of the lunar month in relation to
the phase of the moon. The position of the disc can be adjusted by applying
gentle pressure with your fingertips to the face of the moon disc. Find
the day of the moon's position by either observing the moon, a calendar
or a newspaper. remember to wear gloves when completing this procedure.
Due to the gearing of the dial, there are two complete lunar cycles for
every revolution of the moving moon disc.
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7A. Mounting the "Moon Disc" dial to the movement
Take the movement and insert the hand shaft into the center hole
in the dial. As you do this, note that the for dial mounting posts go
into the four pre drilled holes in the movements front plate. Note also
that the gearing on the back of the dial meshes properly with the moon
disc drive gear installed in assembly step 5. If they do not line up correctly,
reposition the moon gear. After the posts are installed into the movements
front plate and the gears mesh properly, Slide the dial post locking levers
into position. Do this to all four posts. The dial is now securely attached
to the movement. Next, make sure that the silence lever extension is protruding
through the slot in the dials face. Tighten the extensions screw securely.
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8. Mounting the movement
Remove the orange cable retainers that cover each cable drum assembly.
This is very important. If the retainers are not removed, the clock will
not operate correctly. Do not attempt to remove the clear plastic retainers
as this will damage the movement. Insert the movement into the opening
within the clock case. Fasten the movement to its mounting board making sure that the pendulum leader does not come
in contact with the mounting board and can freely move back and forth. Make sure that the dial is centered
in the dial opening. Secure the movement into position using the movement
mounting plates and movement mounting screws. Tighten the mounting screws
securely, not too tight but tight enough so the movement does not move around
during winding.
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9. Mounting the chime rod assembly to the clock case
There are two different methods for mounting the chime rod assembly
to the clock case. The first method involves attaching the chime rod assembly
to the case back. It is recommended that the clock case back be at least
1/4", but thicker is better. A thicker case back allows the vibration produced
by the chime rods to reverberate better throughout the case and ultimately
into the surrounding area. You may wish to place shims or a block of wood
behind behind the cast iron portion of the chime rod assembly. This will
aid in achieving the proper alignment between the chime rods and the movements
hammers.
The second method involves mounting the chime rod assembly to a mounting
board, then attaching the mounting board to the sides of the case with
small mounting blocks. When mounting the chime rod assembly into the clock
case, it is recommended that the chime rod assembly be positioned so that
the movements hammers strike the rods 1" from the bottom of the chime block.
having the hammers strike the chime rods at this point will allow the chime
rods to produce the best tone possible.
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10. Hanging the pendulum
The pendulum gets attached to the leader, the leader gets
attached to the suspension spring. Lets say that another way. The wig waggy
thing on the post that sticks out the back of the movement is called a
suspension spring. The leader attaches to this suspension spring, a leader is a
flat piece of brass usually that is about 3-5 inches long. This leader hooks to
the suspension spring while there is a hole in the middle of it so the other wig
waggy thing coming out the back of the middle of the movement can go into it.
This part that comes out the back of the movement is called a verge and it moves
back and forth when the clock runs, making the pendulum go back and forth. Next
you put on the pendulum by hooking it up to the leader. So there you have it,
suspension spring, leader and pendulum all swinging together.
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11. Hanging the weights
First, hook the loose end of each cable into the slot provided in
the underside of the clock movement (if cable driven).. If the cable ends are not seated properly in
each slot, the entire weight assembly can fall to the floor and damage the case. Hang the weights. Again, remember to wear gloves
or use a rag when
hanging the weights. As you face the movement, the heaviest weight should
be installed on the right hand cable. This weight is the weight that powers
the 4/4 chime gear train. The center weight is powering the time keeping
gear train, and left hand weight is for powering the hour strike gear train.
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12. Adjusting the hammers to the chime rods
Note the position of the movements hammer assemblies in relation
to the chime rod assemblies chime rods. You will note that each chime hammer
corresponds to one chime rod. These hammers should line up with each corresponding
chime rod. At rest, the hammers should rest approximately 1/8 away from
each chime rod. The hammers can be repositioned by bending the hammer
wires to achieve the correct position. Place
the minute hand on the movements hand shaft in any position without the
hand nut and turn the hand slowly clockwise until you hear a click and the
chimes start to play. The chimes may play immediately or it may take one
complete revolution of the minute hand before they are activated. listen
to the chimes. The notes you hear should be crisp and clear. If not, make
small adjustments to the hammer wires until the desired sound is achieved.
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13. Mounting the hands and adjusting the 4/4
chiming sequence
Westminster melody plays four notes on the quarter hour, eight
notes on the half hour, twelve notes on the three quarter hour, sixteen notes on
the hour, then strikes the hour. Mount the minute hand on the movements hand
shaft in any position. Rotate the hand clockwise until a click is heard and the
chimes start to play. Note the number of notes that movement plays. Continue rotating the minute hand in this manner until the clock
chimes sixteen notes then strikes (counts) the hour. Note the number of
times the clock strikes the hour. Next, remove the minute hand and place
the HOUR hand with the hand pointing to the hour just struck. Mount the
minute hand so that it points to the "12" on the dial. Secure it with the
hand nut provided. If you find that the clock starts chiming a few minutes before or
after each quarter hour, it can easily be corrected. This is done by shifting
the minute hand on its bushing. First, REMOVE the minute hand. It is important
that you make this adjustment with the hand removed from the movement.
Do not attempt to make this adjustment wit the hand mounted to the movement.
Once removed, you will see that the minute hand is actually made from two
pieces of material, the blade portion of the hand and a small brass bushing
that has been pressed into the blade. Using a pair of needle nose pliers,
grasp the bushing while holding the hand firmly near the bushing. Shift
the position of the bushing within the hand the necessary amount. Next,
place the hand back on the movement and advance it to the next quarter
hour. It may take several small adjustments to get the bushing positioned
perfectly.
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14. Setting the hands to the correct time
Go around with the minute hand and listen to its chime until
you get to the hourly strike. When the clock strikes the hours out, count them
and see what time its bonging. Set the hands to this time. So if you heard six
bongs, set the hands to read 6 o'clock. Then, after the hands are mounted at the
same time that its striking, set the clock to time.
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15. Winding and starting the clock movement
Your clock movement is designed to run continuously for eight
days. It is recommended however, that the clock be wound weekly. Try to choose a
time each week that is easily remembered, perhaps every Sunday evening. the
weights within the clock case are what power the clock movement. The center
weight is for powering the time keeping gear train with in the movement, the
left weight powers the hour strike and the right hand weight (heavy weight)
powers the 4/4 chimes.
To wind a cable driven clock, simply insert the
winding crank provided into tone of the holes in the dials face. Rotate the
crank counter clockwise. this will raise each weight. Each weight can be raised
to any height desired but it is recommended that each be wound fully. you will
notice a definite stopping point when the weights are fully wound.
To wind a chain driven clock, lift the chain with your fingers just above the
weight to reduce the stress on the chain, and pull down on the other side of the
chain so the weight goes up with your hand. Do not wind to high, you should be
able to see the top of the weight at its full winding point. To start the clock, gently move the pendulum to one side of the case
and release it. Listen to the tick tock sound that the clock makes, The
movement has an internal feature that will auto matically adjust the "Beat"
of the clock movement. This automatic "Beat" adjustment feature can only
work if the case is wide enough to over-swing the pendulum. A clock movement
that is not in "Beat" can run any where from a few minutes to several hours,
then quit.
A clock that is "In Beat" will have a constant and even:
Tick... tock... tick.. tock... tick... tock
A clock that is "Out of Beat" will have a uneven:
Tick,tock.. tick,tock... tick,tock
Keep in mind that what determines if a clock is in "Beat" is the interval
"between" the two sounds, Remember, a clock movement that is slightly out
of "Beat" may actually run for a while but then stop. A clock movement
that is extremely out of "Beat" may not make any tick tock sound and not
run at all. If the clock case is too narrow to let the pendulum over-swing, it
will be up to you to nudge the top portion of the pendulum to the left or to the
right and make that tick tock sound even on both sides as described above.
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16. Adjusting for time keeping accuracy
Letting the clock run for
an extended period will allow you to determine if the clock is running
fast or slow. If an adjustment to the time regulation is necessary, first locate
the rating nut located at the bottom of the pendulum. Turning this nut raises or
lowers the entire pendulum bob. If your clock is running fast, turn the rating
nut in a counter clockwise direction. This will lower the pendulum bob. If the
clock is running slow, turn the nut clock wise. Figure one revolution is about 5
minutes a day. It will really be less or more than this, but this is about what
it is.
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