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Removing Mechanical Clock Hands
Removing Mechanical Clock Hands is fast and easy to do. The following are hand removal instructions for German mechanical movements post WW2.
German Post WW2 wall, mantle and floor models
Removing mechanical clock hands for post WW2, mantle and floor clocks is quite simple. Turn the hand nut to the left while holding the minute hand with your fingers.
Use some small needle nose pliers to loosen the nut first. Once the nut is loose, turn it with your fingers until it comes off.
Then the minute hand will be able to wiggle straight off its square arbor and off of the clock. The hour hand is a friction fit, so just twist the hour hand back and forth and pull toward you until it comes off.
If having a second hand bit, that is only a friction also, so just grab it with your fingernails, twist and pull off.
American Antique time and strike
These type of movements come in two styles. If there is a minute hand nut, the first style is the same as above.
Be very careful not to lose this hand nut. They are very hard to find and replace. The second style of mechanical clock hands will have a pin holding the minute hand on instead of a nut.
This pin tapers, meaning it's fat on one side and skinny on the other. Just grab the fat side with needle nose pliers and yank the pin out. The minute hand will fall out with a washer.
Save the washer and the tapered pin for ease of reinstalling the hands. If these items happen to get lost, Clockworks offers washers and taper pins for purchase, as well as replacement mechanical clock hands.
German Mechanical-Clock Hand Installation
The installation of a German Mechanical-Clock Hand on a German mechanical movement is quite simple. It is simply the opposite of the removal process.
The minute hand must go through some adjustments if you are replacing the movement. Also if the hands are new. This is so it will point to the correct time when it chimes.
Installing the hour hand
First comes the hour hand. The hour hand is simply a friction fit. All you have to do is put the hand on its round post. Then twist and push toward the front of the dial.
Make sure that it is not in contact with the dial at any point during the rotation.
This includes the base of the hour hand. It cannot rub against the hole that is in the clock face. So, the clock can stop at any point if the hour hand touches anything. You can turn the hand to point to whatever hour it is because it is only a friction fit.
Installing the minute hand
Second, comes the minute hand. Install the minute hand by lining up the the square hole in the hand with the square post of the hand shaft. The bottom of the minute hand cannot be rubbing the hour hand tube or the hour hand. Push the hour hand down further onto the tube if the minute hand is rubbing.
Therefore, it is imperative to check the positioning of the hands to ensure they are not touching anything. Once the minute hand is on its square post, it's time to put the hand nut on.
Tighten the nut with your fingers and then use a pair of needle nose pliers to make it secure. It does not have to be extremely tight. However you need to ensure it is tight enough so that the hands do not come loose as they go around the clock.
Mechanical Clock Hands
German mechanical clock hands are sold by the time track diameter. This measurement is important when ordering these mechanical clock hands. To clarify, the dial diameter is the measurement of the time track.
This means from just outside the 9 straight across to just outside the 3. For example, if the time track diameter is 6 inches, then select hands for a 6 inch time track in the drop down list. Hands for a 6 inch time track will have a minute hand of about 2 7/8 long from the mounting hole to the end.
The hour hand, which is proportionally smaller, will come with the minute hand. This measurement is vastly different than the way you measure quartz clock hands. So be sure to follow these directions for measuring and not the ones for the quartz hands.
Ordering Hands
Choose a style of mechanical hands after getting the time track diameter. There is a drop down menu under each style of hand. Look to see if the style comes in the size you need for the clock.
Not all styles of hands come in the same sizes. So you have to look at the different options available. Serpentine and spade are the most popular mechanical clock hand styles.
Remember, the minute hand will be a little less than half of the time track measurement. The hour hand will be proportional in size to the minute hand.
How they are sent
So, when ordering mechanical clock hands, remember that they come as a pair, hour and minute hand. They ship the next business day from Clockworks in Huntington MA USA, via the method that is chosen upon checkout.
Mechanical Clock Chime On Time
These are the directions to get a German mechanical clock to chime on time. This means having the clock hands point to the right spot when the clock chimes.
When replacing a clock movement, or getting new clock hands, either one, you will notice it will chime 5 minutes before it should, or 10 min after, something like this. This page explains how to correct this situation. It is unbelievably fast and easy to do.
Working with the minute hand
After the installation of a new mechanical movement , or if you are just installing a new set of hands, you may notice the clock will not chime at the time it should.
To correct this, take the minute hand off of the clock. This is the longer of the two hands.
With this minute hand off of the clock, turn it upside down and look that it has a square hole where it attaches to the clock. This square hole is in a bushing that will rotate WITHIN the minute hand itself.
The correction
So, all to be done is just use needle nose pliers to turn this bushing ever so slightly. Put the hand back on the clock and see if it’s pointing to the correct place where it should chime.
If it is, then it all set and it will point to the exact place it should be pointing to. If it is still not right, take the hand off and try again. Once you get the minute hand to point to the correct chime you then set it to the correct time.
The conclusion
It is really that easy, there is nothing to do with the clock itself, only the minute hand. In other words, to put it in a silly way, take the minute hand off of the clock and walk to the garage with it.
Take it far, far away from the clock. When in your garage take needle nose pliers and turn the bushing within the hand itself. Then walk back to the clock and put it on. See if it's now pointing to the right spot.
Mechanical clock hand nuts
One of the most common parts a Mechanical clock needs is the hand nut. As we said before, the older the clock the harder things are to find. So, the hand nuts Clockworks offer are for movements made after the 1930's.
Prior to 1930 clock hand nuts
There were not many standards on what the hand nut size should be on the early clocks. However, prior to around 1930 there is no telling what will work. In other words, it is literally trial and error. There was no standard hand nut size.
Subsequently, any hand nut we offer, may, or may not, work. This includes cuckoo hand nuts, American clock hand nuts, or German hand nuts. However, with even all of these assortments, there is a chance none of them will work on the clock.
Post 1930 clock hand nuts
Generally speaking, what we have to offer in the three types of clock hand nuts will cover most of the post 1930 Mechanical clocks.
The cuckoo hand nuts fit about 80% of the post war German made cuckoo clocks.
So, the American clock hand nuts fit many of the mechanical time strikes that were so popular. German hand nuts fit most post war German made mechanical clocks, with the exception being a few large grandfather clocks.
Clocks that do not take a hand nut
However, not all clocks require a hand nut. Some antique mechanical clocks require a clock hand washer and a tapered pin instead. These secure the minute hand as an alternative to the hand nut.
The washer may have a small square hole, or large, oblong or round hole. Clockworks offers an assortment of 100 clock hand washers that includes all the styles above. Use a taper pin to secure the hand with the washer on top of it.
Insert the taper pin into the hole in the end of the minute hand arbor to secure the washer and minute hand to the clock. A taper pin is a small brass or steel rod that is wide on one end and skinny on the other. Clockworks offers them in an assortment of 100 to ensure the right one is there.
Regulator Hands
These Clock Hands fit most German mechanical Regulator clock movements made after 1950. Measure the diameter of the dial time track to get the correct size to order.
The time track is the small ring outside of the numerals. So the minute hand length will be about half this diameter. The hour and minute hand come as a set. Of course, the hour hand will be proportionally smaller than the minute hand. The minute hand has a 2.2mm square mounting hole. Whereas the hour hand has a 4.5mm round hole.
I have an 1880 vintage Vienna regulator with a 6 3/4″ time ring. The brass bushing on the minute hand has become worn in the last century and a half so that the hand wobbles and interferes with the hour hand stopping the clock. Will these replacement hands you sell fit on my clock? Alternatively, can you replace the brass bushing in the minute hand?
They will not fit. We would need to custom make hands, or modify something that exists, or find old stock. If sending the movement alone in for restoration, we can figure all this out at that time. Please let me know if interested
James Stoudenmire
40yr Clockmaker
Author of Clockworks.com
The regulator is easy enough for me to maintain (except for the bushing on the minute hand) so I won’t be sending that in. I’m investigating what I have to do to send a triple chime German movement in for cleaning. I live in Belize, so it will be coming via FedEx to reach you. I have a freight forwarding service with a US address that will simplify the return trip. I have to get to the airport to see what size FedEx boxes are available. Expensive, but less than a replacement movement.
Timothy Taylor
Restoration is more cost than a new unit. What is the movement numbers off the German unit?
James Stoudenmire
40yr Clockmaker
Author of Clockworks.com
Back plate only has:
P.L. 42 cm
Western Germany
12 73
The 42 cm may refer to the pendulum length. The movement plates are about 12 cm square. No maker name on either the movement or the case. I bought the clock in 1974 in Vahingen, Germany so the 12 73 may be date of manufacture.
Obsolete, restoration only. Please let us know if you are interested in this service by filling out the repair form at this link, https://www.clockworks.com/clock-repair-service.html because it would be an absolute pleasure to get this one shiny and working again.
James Stoudenmire
40yr Clockmaker
Author of Clockworks.com
I have a 351-020 movement with 9 1/4” time track. My old hands don’t have adjustable bearing on minute hand and chimes aren’t lined up with the time. Which hands should I get?
That bushing will move, make it move. If you kill the hand let me know we sell them. It will move.
James Stoudenmire
30yr Clockmaker
Author of Clockworks.com
Thank you, James! I just needed to force it and not worry if it broke.
Will CH3HANDS-7 fit a Hermle 351-050 works
Yes
James Stoudenmire
30yr Clockmaker
Author of Clockworks.com
Will the CH8-7 Hands fit the Hermle 351-050 works with a 7″ Dial
Yes will fit
James Stoudenmire
30yr Clockmaker
Author of Clockworks.com
James…what hands do I order for a 4 1/4″ Hermle 791-081 movement? Thank you
Warren Aafedt
[email protected]
German spade usually this link
https://www.clockworks.com/product/mechanical-clock-spade-hands
James Stoudenmire
30yr Clockmaker
Author of Clockworks.com
hi, is this clock hands “Regulator style clock hands” for a 5″dial at your website is fit to Franz Hermle 141-040? thanks
No, it will not. It needs German mechanical hands, if you search clockworks.com for this you will see the ones that will fit
James Stoudenmire
30yr Clockmaker
Author of Clockworks.com
Do you carry clock hands to fit a Sligh wall clock? The clock was purchased in 2003. I have the number 2376897 on the sales slip but don’t know if that is the model number.
Yes we do.
Spade
https://www.clockworks.com/product/mechanical-clock-spade-hands
Serpentine
https://www.clockworks.com/product/serpentine-hands-for-german-mechanical-clocks
James
Hands for Black Forrest Cucoo clock
Cuckoo clock hands
https://www.clockworks.com/product/cuckoo-clock-hands
Cuckoo clock hand bushing
https://www.clockworks.com/product/cuckoo-minute-hand-bushing
James
Will these hands fit a quartz movement?
No they will not. These are for mechanical units.
Please see quartz hands at this link
https://www.clockworks.com/?post_type=product&s=Quartz+hands
James
I NEED CLOCK HANDS FOR MY GRANDMOTHER CLOCK, I FOUND SOME NUMBERS ON THE BACK OF THE MOVEMENT 451-050H 94CM / 66
DO THOSE NUMBERS REFER TO THE SIZE OF THE HANDS FOR ORDERING
German clock hands https://www.clockworks.com/product/mechanical-spade-variant-clock-hands-for-german-clocks Hand nuts https://www.clockworks.com/product/german-clock-hand-nuts Serpentine https://www.clockworks.com/product/serpentine-hands-for-german-mechanical-clocks
Thank you !
Hi Any of the hands seen at this link will work: https://www.clockworks.com/product-category/all-clock-parts/clock-hands
Thank you !