Grandfather Clock Weights Stuck
Grandfather Clock Weights Stuck
The Grandfather clock weights can get stuck in the high position if over wound. Some larger clocks have over wind protection to prevent this.
The grandmother and grandfather chain drive units often do not have this feature. When winding the weights up make sure the top of the weight can be seen when done. Never go to the point where the top of the shiny weight cover can't be seen.
Chime weight stuck
The chime weight is on the right as you face the clock and has the heaviest weight. Using cloth gloves, or at least a cloth of some kind, pull down on the weight some.
This is the same as making the weight weigh more. At the same time, turn the minute hand past the quarter hour to see if it will engage the chime. When you advance the time and make it chime, the weight will slowly come down. This will hopefully be enough to activate and run the chime on its own.
Time weight stuck
The time weight is the center weight which can be light or heavy depending on bob size.
This is the hardest weight to deal with out of the three. Try pulling down some while swinging the pendulum.
See if it starts running on its own when letting go. If this does not work, take off the pendulum. All it will have is the pendulum leader hanging on the back of the movement.
This will make it tick tock faster than if the pendulum was on. The leader will tick tock faster as you pull down some on the weight. The weight will then come down enough to run the clock.
If all else fails, and it’s a chain driven clock, you would need to cut the chain in half, or break a link, to take the movement out of the clock. With the movement out of the clock you can fix it.
Strike weight stuck
The strike weight is on the left as you face the clock and has the lightest weight. Only after the chime weight is operating correctly can you work on the strike weight.
If the clock does not run through the chime sequence it will not get to where it strikes out the hours. With some cloth gloves on, or at least a cloth of some kind, pull down on the weight some.
Again, this is the same as making the weight weigh more. Doing this will make the clock strike. Advance the minute hand and let it chime each quarter until it plays the top of the hour song. Then pull a little on the weight when it is going to strike out the hours.
Keep advancing the time with the minute hand, as to make it chime and strike. Then slowly the weight will come down enough to be able to activate and run the strike on its own.
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How do I get my weights to come down after pulled up to far
I have a Seth Thomas Grandfather clock model 4499. The center weight is ok, but both side weights are stuck. How do I get weights to come down?
See this very same link for the answers
https://www.clockworks.com/posts/grandfather-clock-weights-stuck
James
Hi
You seem to be on the correct page to read the text written and answer that question.
I did what you said and the heaviest weight is on the chimes. It chimes only when I put pressure on the weight itself
The clock is worn to the point of requiring additional weight. At this time i is a choice between repair and replace. Replacement is best, costs alot less, get it now, lasts the longest. What are the numbers off of the back plate itself?
James
Hello, I am having the same problem. When you say replace, are you talking about replacing the clock or potentially the weight?
Hi,
If the movement is worn out, its best to just replace it. Swapping the weight with another will make no difference.
Use this link to identify the clock movement
https://www.clockworks.com/clock-movement.html
James
It is a Very old German DUFA The numbers on back is No# 18060 Com # 06812 Uhr 434/6.8.
on the strike, do I pull down on the weight the same time as advancing the minute hand ?
Make it chime out the hours for the strike to start, when the strike is to start pull down some on the weight to get it to start and come down.
Alll 3 weights are stuck at top
All three weights are stuck down won’t go up wound tight when received
Hi,
Not understanding completely. Are you saying the weights ran down over the 8 day period and now will not ratchet back to the top, upon pulling the chain?
Yes so the first thing is to get the middle one down. All this is spoke about please read all about it.
I have a 30 year old Ridgeway Grandfathers clock (corner style all cherry). Three years ago, my local clock shop replaced six bushings and the escapement and oiled it. Last month, it stopped. None of the weights move. The 2nd hand is very hard to move, either direction. I can get it to chime, but it doesn’t keep time. I pulled the pendulum, and it’s running fast, the second hand moves, but the weight height doesn’t change. The middle weight is all the way at the top, perhaps I overwound it? If I move the 2nd hand, which is difficult, at times, the second hand whirs around very rapidly
Hi
Really it is best to just swap the movement with the new one. This is a prime and typical example of what I have been saying on the site. It sounds like there are weird things going on. For the second hand to spin, means the weight is coming down. One equals the other, the hand cant move unless the weight is powering it. If the second hand is spinning out of control that means the escapement is set too high up. Upon reconnecting it most likely bent the teeth of the escape wheel.
What are the movement numbers on the back plate of that unit ?
It is also stamped:
31229
URGOS
MADE IN GERMANY
NO(0) JEWELS
UNADJUSTED
Please double check this number something is not right.
Those numbers are correct:
UW66010
31229
Ridgeway Serial #85019556
This clock was purchased in the late 1980’s from Northside Clocks, who has been doing the service work.
Hi
Please order the 66020 from this link https://www.clockworks.com/product/uw66020-urgos-clock-movement
James, I’m ready to buy this movement. Is it possible to speak to you via phone before I make the purchase?
Al, Email or call with any questions.
Thank you for choosing Clockworks.com
Thank you !
Our repairman said the center shaft was seized. He oiled it and it’s working well now. He said that might last several years, but if it happens again, he would need to replace it. I suspect that then be the time to put in a new movement.
This is true, it is due.
Hi
We would need the movement numbers off of the movement itself please
Like this =
UW66010 is stamped on the back of the movement. The shop sticker was “escape wheel replaced”, not what I had written previous. Would a new movement have a night time silent feature? (we need that).
Hi
If It had ANSO before, it will have it still. I forget on this one. Anyway the new one will be the same as the old one.
It has a new name, the new name is 66020 from this link https://www.clockworks.com/product/uw66020-urgos-clock-movement
What if the I’ve doesnt free the weights what’s the next thing
Take the movement out and see what is going on with it is all that can be done
Pulling down on weight doesn’t move them… what else can i do ?so sad not listening to my beautiful clock… please help
The center weight on my Ridgeway Grandfather clock works in one direction only. The clock maintains good time, however I can’t pull the center chain down to bring the weight back to the top of the clock (can’t rewind the cable). What is wrong? Any help would be appreciated.
Bad click. That is a tricky one to fix because the plates would have to separate to remove the ratchet wheel to find one or repair it.
Can I have the movement numbers please off of the back plate of the movement so I can quote for repair or replace ?
Many Thanks !
James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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The weight on the right, which I understand is the chime weight, is stuck too night in the case. The chimes seem to be correct, however. Should I gently pull down on the weight?? Will that get it unstuck? How will I know? I thank you! Ann
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I pulled the weight on the left too high..my clock doesn’t chime the correct hour. Will the weight eventually correct itself, and come down.?
Yes if the clock is running with the chimes on
James: I just read your string here regarding a stuck or over-wound left chain which is what I have a problem with. You say above that it will come down on its own if the chime is working; my chime works fine and the clock keeps perfect time (for more than two years) but contrary to your answer above, the left weight is not coming down on its own. I have not yet done your pulling on the weight instruction yet….should I do that while the clock is running or should I stop the pendulum?
That only means the clock is not striking the hours out. The question is now, how do I make the clock strike? The answer requires the dial to come off of the clock. If you would like to continue on why the clock is not striking we would need the dial to come off of the clock and a picture of what you see. It may just be time to swap that movement out with the new one, if you provide info off of the back plate we can move in that direction if we cannot resolve the strike issue. Or just run it with no strike until it dies completely and we will help swap it out or fix at that point.
James
Many Thanks !
James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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This seems to be counter to your instruction above to release the strike weight as follows:
“With some cloth gloves on, or at least a cloth of some kind, pull down on the weight some.
Again, this is the same as making the weight weigh more. Doing this will make the clock strike. Advance the minute hand and let it chime each quarter until it plays the top of the hour song. Then pull a little on the weight when it’s supposed to strike out the hours. Keep advancing the time with the minute hand, as to make it chime and strike. Then slowly the weight will come down enough to be able to activate and run the strike on its own.”
Why would the quoted instruction not apply? Why do you suggest a new movement?
Do not pull too hard I just stretched out a large portion of the links on the chain where I pull down. Now what do I do?
We have the chain to offer at this link
https://www.clockworks.com/product/grandfather-grandmother-clock-chain
Or you can close each link back into shape by squeezing them with needle nose pliers
James
Thank you !
If the fix does not work, the clock is just not striking for some other reason. If the movement is over 30 years old it maybe a good idea just to swap it out and be done with it.
James
Have a Ridgeway Grandmother clock. Time works fine. It appears as if is overwound. Chime & Strike weights are all the way to the top. Tried moving the minute hand & pulling on the chime weight. Can hear a slight click as it passes each quarter hour. Any suggestions.
1. Is the chime selector on chime? There is a switch on the 3 o’clock position on the clock movement. Usually this will have an arm coming out of the dial so you can select it up or down, but then some dials are not equipped with the slot for this arm to come through. If you have the type of dial with no selector slot, you will have to get to that side of the movement from the back and see if there is an arm sticking out of the side of the movement that you can raise or lower. Sometimes what people do if this is the situation is they get a brass rod and bend it to attach to this arm and let it run down the back of the dial so someone can turn the chimes on or off by the end of the rod.
2. Is the auto night selector on daytime? This question is for clocks equipped with ANSO (auto night shut off) where the clock is designed to not play any music between 10pm and 7am. So if the clock is set in this mode and the clock thinks its day time at night and vice versa, it will not play during the daytime hours. Solution to this is to either advance the hands 12 hours by turning the minute hand around and around, or turn off the auto night feature. In most cases the auto night selector switch would be on your left as you face the front of the clock dial, at 9 o’clock. Again, the dial may not have the slot in it to change this, it is possible the movement is equipped with the ANSO feature but does not have the arm that sticks out of the dial. Just as above, you would need to go from the back and see if there is an arm coming out of the side of the movement you can raise or lower. From looking at the back of the clock movement, the lever if it has one, will be on your right.
3. Is the hammers hitting anything in its path when they move? If the hammers are rubbing the back of the clock case, or if there hitting or rubbing against each other, the clock will hang up and not chime. Solution is the bend the hammer wires to freedom. The hammer heads are on wires just for this reason. They are meant to be bent into position, 1/8 approximately from there chime rods. This is so they will not double hit the chime rod, or thud and rest against it, or miss it completely. So it is not uncommon to have to bend them up to 2 inches to the left / right / forward / backward directions. They just cannot have any resistance in their path when trying to raise up and drop on its chime rod when it’s supposed to chime.
4. Is the heaviest weight on your right as you face the clock?
The chime weight is the heaviest weight out of the three and goes in this position.
5. Is the chain rubbing the seat board or pinched between the movement and seat board? Having the cable rubbing anything in its path, is just like not having enough weight on the clock. The clock is designed to run with the chain dropping right straight down to the weight without coming into contact with anything on its way down. If the chain rubs anything, or is pinched between the seat board and the movement, the clock will not chime.
6. Is the chime selector drum unit jammed? In some cases the movement may have been taken off of silence and put on a chime such as Westminster, but the roll pin does not move with the selector switch. It will happen usually upon installation of a new movement and setting up the clock. So to explain why this happens would be a hard thing to do, but I can tell you the simple fix for this. So what you do is pull back on the hammers that make the chime song. This will only be one row of hammers and it would be on your right hand side as you look at the front of the clock. Of course the hammers are on the back of the movement, but it will be on the right hand side for the chime portion. You move all the chime hammers back at once to release the roll pin drum to move where it should be and it will be fixed.
The middle weight of my long case clock is on the floor. What do I do.?
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What happens when all weights of the clock fall to the bottom of the chassis
The clock will stop running until someone winds the clock.
James.
Many Thanks !
James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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What happens if I can’t get the weights to move down. the left and the right stuck at the top the middle is OK but I can’t get them to pull down a little to make chimes or for them to move down any further.
Sounds to me what your saying is the clock is not chiming. If the clock does not chime, it will not strike. So the right weight is the chime, the far left is the strike. If the chimes are not turned on, they will never come down.
James
Many Thanks !
James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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My weight chain on the right can be pulled up or down freely could it be off the cog ?
Yes it sounds like this.
Or the ratchet wheel that it goes over has broken.
What are the movement numbers from the back plate?
James
Many Thanks !
James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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How do I thread the chains
Movement comes out for this one. Remove the movement, put the chains on, reinstall the movement.
Many Thanks !
James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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I tried to do this and middle weight still won’t budge. Any ideas of why?
Sound like a broken ratchet wheel or click. What are the movement numbers?
James
Many Thanks !
James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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I accidentally left the winding key in the center crank hole for the weight overnight, now I can NOT get it to run for more than a few minutes at a time, it’s been passed down from my father who recently passed away and I’m absolutely stressed about it I’ve kept it going ever since he passed as he always had for years and my mistake leaving that key in because I got distracted while waiting for the minute hand to move enough to reach the chime weight.
Hi
Lets get the movement numbers so we know what one it is, then its easier to talk about it
We would need the movement numbers off of the movement itself please
Like this =
[image: IDnewfinal-2.jpg]
Many Thanks !
James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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Where excetly do u hang the pedgelum? Video please if possible
[image: pendpartsall.jpg] [image: suspensionandtaper.jpg] [image: crutchandleader.jpg]
Many Thanks !
James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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Right weight slides down after winding won’t stay up
My weights are stuck all of the way up. How do I free them?
Is that one chain driven? What is the movement numbers off of the back plate?
Many Thanks !
James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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How to oil a grandfather clock
To oil the mechanical clock, just put the smallest drop of clock oil where ever one thing rubs another.
We have two oils either works fine = https://www.clockworks.com/product/clock-oil-with-oiler https://www.clockworks.com/product/high-grade-nye-clock-oil
James
Many Thanks !
James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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How to fix the weights when pulled up too high on a grandmother clock?
Grandfather Clock Weights Stuck
The Grandfather clock weights can get stuck in the high position if over wound. Some larger clocks have over wind protection to prevent this. The grandmother and grandfather chain drive units often do not have this feature. When winding the weights up make sure the top of the weight can be seen when done. Never go to the point where the top of the shiny weight cover cant be seen.
Chime weight stuck
The chime weight is on the right as you face the clock and has the heaviest weight .
Using cloth gloves, or at least a cloth of some kind, pull down on the weight some. This is the same as making the weight weigh more. At the same time, turn the minute hand past the quarter hour to see if it will engage the chime. When you advance the time and make it chime, the weight will slowly come down. This will hopefully be enough to activate and run the chime on its own.
Time weight stuck
The time weight is the center weight which can be light or heavy depending on bob size. This is the hardest weight to deal with out of the three. Try pulling down some while swinging the pendulum .
See if it starts running on its own when letting go. If this does not work, take off the pendulum. All it will have is the pendulum leader hanging on the back of the movement.
This will make it tick tock faster than if the pendulum was on. The leader will tick tock faster as you pull down some on the weight. The weight will then come down enough to run the clock. If all else fails, and it’s a chain driven clock, you would need to cut the chain in half, or break a link, to take the movement out of the clock. With the movement out of the clock it can be fixed.
Strike weight stuck
The strike weight is on the left as you face the clock and has the lightest weight. Only after the chime weight is operating correctly can you work on the strike weight.
If the clock does not run through the chime sequence it will not get to where it strikes out the hours. With some cloth gloves on, or at least a cloth of some kind, pull down on the weight some.
Again, this is the same as making the weight weigh more. Doing this will make the clock strike. Advance the minute hand and let it chime each quarter until it plays the top of the hour song. Then pull a little on the weight when it’s supposed to strike out the hours. Keep advancing the time with the minute hand, as to make it chime and strike. Then slowly the weight will come down enough to be able to activate and run the strike on its own.
*The content of this website is copyright by Clockworks and written by James Stoudenmire
Greetings James,
I regretfully allowed both Strike and Chime weights to go down too far and the clock movement was stopped. When I rectified the matter by pulling both weights into the top position I discovered that the minute hand jams up and stops the pendulum at about 25 past. If I turn back the minute hand a few minutes the pendulum works and the minute hand progresses until reaching the 25 past mark and jams again. I did not want to force the minute hand for fear of causing damage but also did not want to take the minute bank back past the 15-minute mark for the same reason.
Your advice on how to un-jam the movement would be appreciated.
Best regards,
Alan
South Africa,
My grandmother clock is from a Cambridge Hall Clock kit by Craft Oroducts.My mother in law won it for a raffle contribution of 25 cents in the 70’s (?)
It will not run more than a few hours at a time . Chimes appropriately on all quarter hours when running. Sometimes makes a loud pop/ click sound in chiming portion when running.
Would be so happy to have it in good working order.
-Babs
12/29/2020 Thanks this worked to get the two outside cable weights coming down as they used to with the center weight. I had to work through 3 or 4 hours of lowering the chiming weight, but it appears to be working now.
I did not wind the weights too high, but perhaps the chime weight cable was mis-wound on top of itself not allowing it to descend ?
Your clear instructions worked and I am thankful!
Kathy in Colo.
Your welcome glad its all set. Yes so the cable maybe just crossed itself, thus creating too much resistance to run on the weights power.
James
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James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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I followed the above recommendation to free up the chime side, and pulling on the weight had no effect. What next?
If you have a chain driven clock movement and it will not chime, here is some things to check.
1. Is the chime selector on chime? There is a switch on the 3 o’clock position on the clock movement. Usually this will have an arm coming out of the dial so you can select it up or down, but then some dials are not equipped with the slot for this arm to come through. If you have the type of dial with no selector slot, you will have to get to that side of the movement from the back and see if there is an arm sticking out of the side of the movement that you can raise or lower. Sometimes what people do if this is the situation is they get a brass rod and bend it to attach to this arm and let it run down the back of the dial so someone can turn the chimes on or off by the end of the rod.
2. Is the auto night selector on daytime? This question is for clocks equipped with ANSO (auto night shut off) where the clock is designed to not play any music between 10pm and 7am. So if the clock is set in this mode and the clock thinks its day time at night and vice versa, it will not play during the daytime hours. Solution to this is to either advance the hands 12 hours by turning the minute hand around and around, or turn off the auto night feature. In most cases the auto night selector switch would be on your left as you face the front of the clock dial, at 9 o’clock. Again, the dial may not have the slot in it to change this, it is possible the movement is equipped with the ANSO feature but does not have the arm that sticks out of the dial. Just as above, you would need to go from the back and see if there is an arm coming out of the side of the movement you can raise or lower. From looking at the back of the clock movement, the lever if it has one, will be on your right.
3. Is the hammers hitting anything in its path when they move? If the hammers are rubbing the back of the clock case, or if there hitting or rubbing against each other, the clock will hang up and not chime. Solution is the bend the hammer wires to freedom. The hammer heads are on wires just for this reason. They are meant to be bent into position, 1/8 approximately from there chime rods. This is so they will not double hit the chime rod, or thud and rest against it, or miss it completely. So it is not uncommon to have to bend them up to 2 inches to the left / right / forward / backward directions. They just cannot have any resistance in their path when trying to raise up and drop on its chime rod when it’s supposed to chime.
4. Is the heaviest weight on your right as you face the clock? The chime weight is the heaviest weight out of the three and goes in this position.
5. Is the chain rubbing the seat board or pinched between the movement and seat board? Having the cable rubbing anything in its path, is just like not having enough weight on the clock. The clock is designed to run with the chain dropping right straight down to the weight without coming into contact with anything on its way down. If the chain rubs anything, or is pinched between the seat board and the movement, the clock will not chime.
6. Is the chime selector drum unit jammed? In some cases the movement may have been taken off of silence and put on a chime such as Westminster, but the roll pin does not move with the selector switch. It will happen usually upon installation of a new movement and setting up the clock. So to explain why this happens would be a hard thing to do, but I can tell you the simple fix for this. So what you do is pull back on the hammers that make the chime song. This will only be one row of hammers and it would be on your right hand side as you look at the front of the clock. Of course the hammers are on the back of the movement, but it will be on the right hand side for the chime portion. You move all the chime hammers back at once to release the roll pin drum to move where it should be and it will be fixed.
Tried pulling on the right weight to get it to chime, no joy. What next?
after having my weights stuck after raising weights too far my clock chimes on the quarter hour but when it strikes it sounds if only the left hand side is working
Yes only the left is the strike, the chime is only on the right. That is your right as you face the front of the movement.
James
I cannot pull my chains up to attach the weights. They are very near the bottom and will continue to pull in that direction but not up (so that I can attach the weights).
Sounds like maybe your trying to hook the weights on the wrong side of the chain?
The weight hooks up on the chain end that does not pull down
James
Many Thanks !
James and Donna Stoudenmire http://www.clockworks.com 124 Goss Hill = UPS Mailing PO Box 339 = USPS Mailing Huntington, MA 01050 USA clockworks@clockworks.com
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The middle weight on my grandfather clock comes down only it does not chime anymore
Please turn on the chimes with the lever on the right at 3 o’clock
Thank you !
How do
I correctly set the time? Counter clockwise?or clockwise??
For a post 1950 clock movement of German origin, it can be set by going backward or forward.
James
Thank you !
I forgot to wind my grandfather clock and the chime is now an hour behind the hands. How can I put it right?
That is an easy one, just point the hour hand to whatever time it struck out. The hour hand is only a friction fit. Then set to time with the minute hand
James
Thank you !
I just acquired an ethan allen grandmother clock that appears to have all three weights very stuck at the top. I tried your comments above to free said middle weight but nothing. What is the next step? Model #3800 Movement -E Dial- AE Serial #91076
Please provide the movement numbers off the back plate of the movement.
See this link for help finding your movement numbers: Identifying a mechanical clock movement — https://clockworks.crisp.help/en/article/identifying-a-mechanical-clock-movement-88buzj/
Thank you !
When winding the clock, the right weight will not stay at the top but falls freely to bottom of case
Ratchet wheel broke it sounds like.
New movement is best
What is the numbers off of it?
James
Thank you !
Hi, our strike weight is at the bottom and won’t pull back up, the other weights seem to be fine, any ideas?
My clock only strikes once no matter the time. All weights are working except the strike weight only strikes once no matter what time it is. I have tried setting the clock to one o’clock which corresponds to the hour it strikes no matter what. I have advanced the clock twelve hours with hope that when I move the time to two o’clock no such luck. What is my next step?
Please see this link for help:
https://www.clockworks.com/posts/grandfather-clock-strike-quantity-correction
Thank you !
Clockworks Team
Center weight on grandmother clock
Please see this link for help:
https://www.clockworks.com/posts/grandfather-clock-weights-stuck
Thank you !
Clockworks Team
Should I pull down on them at any time for a few seconds?
That may do it, sure
Thank you !
Clockworks Team
I was trying to relieve the stuck chime weight chain and the chain broke at three quarters around the gear. NOW WHAT??
You can order new chain here:
https://www.clockworks.com/product/grandfather-grandmother-clock-chain
Thank you !
Clockworks Team
Why won’t my grandmother clock keep running. It is run by weights and a pendulum.
Please provide the movement numbers off the back plate.
See this link for help locating the movement numbers:
Identifying a mechanical clock movement — https://clockworks.crisp.help/en/article/identifying-a-mechanical-clock-movement-88buzj/
Is the pendulum touching anything at all or the sides of the clock case
Is the pendulum rubbing the chime rods at all
Are the clock hands touching each other or rubbing the dial
Is the moon gear meshing ok with the gears on the back of the dial
Is the chain dropping directly down through the seat board, not rubbing the seat board or the mounting screw
Is the crutch, the part that wackes the pendulum hanger back and forth, able to wack it ok? In other words the leader
(pendulum hanger) is going directly through the crutch, not riding the back of the crutch or front of the crutch but in the middle so the crutch can wack the pendulum hanger just a bit during its tick / tock
Left side weight does not drop left side retard bar stuck out will not drop down to hit the chimes what do I do
Not understanding this one, can you clarify more please
James
I have oiled and cleaned my grandfather clock mechanism and it running much better. I found the chains holding the weights to be sticky and presume this is old grease. Should these chains be cleaned and or oiled ?
Many thanks for your advice
Yes sounds like a good idea. Most likely not required however.
James
The center weight chain has no tension. When I try to pull the weight up, it just goes back down. It doesn’t catch. The clock is an Emperor with a Hermle movement.
Center Ratchet wheel is broken, what is the movement numbers off of the back plate?
James
My middle weight is all the way to the bottom of the clock and the outer weights are up top. How do I fix?
Turn the chimes on to have them all come down over a weeks time.
James
Is there a way to release the weights to come down some to see if the cable got crossed to lock up the chimes on both sides. Is there any pictures of the works of a Howard Miller clock where I can check to see what needs to be adjusted? It was sold in 1990.
Hi,
It is somewhat tricky to do, need to remove the movement and release the click within the cable drum. This way the spool can be unreeled and the cable can be pulled down to full length.
James
I have recently purchased a Seth Thomas Grand mother clock and set it up as best as i could. I installed the weights, in the places that there were marked for. It will keep accurate time but will not chime. The switch on the face is set to chime but doesn.t go to the bottom of the path.
Please run it without the hands and the clock dial for testing the chime. It will narrow things down. Next, put the minute hand on just slightly to turn it to the next chime, and the next, let it strike out the hours fully. If it chimed and striked ok, your all set, put the dial and hands back on. What happened is the rack fell behind the snail (the hour hand tube) and brought it forward some. It brought the hour hand forward to the point that when the minute hand is installed it squashed the hour hand upon tightening the minute hand nut. With the strike squashed between the front plate and the snail, all sorts of weird issues occur. If this was a fail and the clock did not chime through this, continue with the below check points.
Be sure the clock’s silent lever is in the down position. This lever is at 3oclock on the movement. This is chime ON.
The chain cant be rubbing anything in its path like the seat board. Should be ratchet wheel straight to the weight, not rubbing anything.
Is the hammers hitting anything in its path when they move? If the hammers are rubbing the back of the clock case, or if there hitting or rubbing against each other, the clock will hang up and not chime
The heaviest weight on your right as you face the clock? The chime weight is the heaviest weight out of the three and goes in this position.
The strike weight on my clock drops down to only about 18″ then stops in that position. However,the hour still strikes but only goes up to six rings then starts at 1 to 6 again.
If the clock strikes, the weight is coming down. No strike is weight does not come down. One equals the other.
As for the strike issues, maybe this post will help =
https://www.clockworks.com/posts/grandfather-clock-strike-quantity-correction
James
Clock runs good but won’t chime
Serial number 85001238
Hi
We would need the movement numbers off of the movement itself please
James
Hello! I have a Vienna Regulator wall clock that was just serviced by a horologist. When we hung it at home, I wound it and it worked for 30 minutes, then stopped. The two weights are stuck at the top (my fault in winding too much, I’m sure). I can get the left weight to come down ever so slowly, per your instructions in the article, but the right weight will not budge.
Any suggestions you can offer would be great. Our horologist is on vacation until September.
Thank you!
The right weight is usually the time keeping weight. It maybe another issue such as the clock is not in beat most likely.
See details at this link
https://www.clockworks.com/posts/mechanical-clock-movement-beat-setting
James
I have A howard x miller grandfather clock I just bought and the lady i got it from put the left &right weights on the wrong side than she wound the clock it seems to keep the correct time but the rgt and left weights are not coming down they are to high to unhook and switch them what can i do
Hi,
It just means the clock is not chiming. The clock needs to chime or it will never strike with the left weight and neither will drop.
1. Is the chime selector on chime? There is a switch on the 3 o’clock position on the clock movement. Usually this will have an arm coming out of the dial so you can select it up or down, but then some dials are not equipped with the slot for this arm to come through. If you have the type of dial with no selector slot, you will have to get to that side of the movement from the back and see if there is an arm sticking out of the side of the movement that you can raise or lower. Sometimes what people do if this is the situation is they get a brass rod and bend it to attach to this arm and let it run down the back of the dial so someone can turn the chimes on or off by the end of the rod.
2. Is the auto night selector on daytime? This question is for clocks equipped with ANSO (auto night shut off) where the clock is designed to not play any music between 10pm and 7am. So if the clock is set in this mode and the clock thinks its day time at night and vice versa, it will not play during the daytime hours. Solution to this is to either advance the hands 12 hours by turning the minute hand around and around, or turn off the auto night feature. In most cases the auto night selector switch would be on your left as you face the front of the clock dial, at 9 o’clock. Again, the dial may not have the slot in it to change this, it is possible the movement is equipped with the ANSO feature but does not have the arm that sticks out of the dial. Just as above, you would need to go from the back and see if there is an arm coming out of the side of the movement you can raise or lower. From looking at the back of the clock movement, the lever if it has one, will be on your right.
3. Is the hammers hitting anything in its path when they move? If the hammers are rubbing the back of the clock case, or if there hitting or rubbing against each other, the clock will hang up and not chime. Solution is the bend the hammer wires to freedom. The hammer heads are on wires just for this reason. They are meant to be bent into position, 1/8 approximately from there chime rods. This is so they will not double hit the chime rod, or thud and rest against it, or miss it completely. So it is not uncommon to have to bend them up to 2 inches to the left / right / forward / backward directions. They just cannot have any resistance in their path when trying to raise up and drop on its chime rod when it’s supposed to chime.
4. Is the heaviest weight on your right as you face the clock? The chime weight is the heaviest weight out of the three and goes in this position.
5. Is the chain rubbing the seat board or pinched between the movement and seat board? Having the cable rubbing anything in its path, is just like not having enough weight on the clock. The clock is designed to run with the chain dropping right straight down to the weight without coming into contact with anything on its way down. If the chain rubs anything, or is pinched between the seat board and the movement, the clock will not chime.
6. Is the chime selector drum unit jammed? In some cases the movement may have been taken off of silence and put on a chime such as Westminster, but the roll pin does not move with the selector switch. It will happen usually upon installation of a new movement and setting up the clock. So to explain why this happens would be a hard thing to do, but I can tell you the simple fix for this. So what you do is pull back on the hammers that make the chime song. This will only be one row of hammers and it would be on your right hand side as you look at the front of the clock. Of course the hammers are on the back of the movement, but it will be on the right hand side for the chime portion. You move all the chime hammers back at once to release the roll pin drum to move where it should be and it will be fixed.
What about CABLED weights? How does one get them to come down when stuck?
In the same manner as described. Check to be sure the cable is not crossing itself.
James