The Art Of Clocks And Clock Repair
We all have clocks; they are an intrinsic part of our lives. There are mantel clocks, wall clocks, Longcase, grandfather, grandmother, even granddaughter clocks. Then there are Anniversary Clocks which are sometimes called 400 day or torsion clocks. Not forgetting of course, carriage clocks and bracket clocks. The subject is then further divided by the power source; Mechanical, powered by a main spring, a weight, battery or electric. There are even water clocks!
Then there is the subject of the strike and chimes. These terms are often confused. Put simply, the strike is the term given to a bell or gong being hit to signify a certain time of day. Often at the hour to signify the time (e.g. four hammer blows to a bell for four o'clock). Many clocks often sound a single strike to a bell or gong at half past the hour too. Quarter strike clocks which, as the name suggests, indicate each quarter hour by a series of blows to a bell or gong.
Following on from Clock Repair Allen , is the Chiming clock. A chiming clock plays a melody or tune every hour, half hour or quarter hour. An example of this is the famous Westminster Chimes which is associated with so many British and German Clocks. A Westminster chime clock has a minimum of four gongs or bells. Four notes are played at the first quarter, eight at the second or half past. Twelve notes are played at the third quarter and the full sixteen notes are played at the hour with the strike mechanism denoting the actual time at that point. There are many other variations of chimes; Whittington, St Michael, Ave Maria to name just a few. These chimes play on a minimum of eight gongs or bells.
Anyone who is lucky enough to own an antique clock needs to be aware of how to look after it. Many people think that clocks will run forever with no maintenance. This is wrong, just as you would not run a car without getting it regularly serviced, so you should ensure a clock is regularly serviced. A service should be carried out by a professional clock repairer. They will often strip the clock down to its basic parts, clean each part thoroughly and rebuild the mechanism, checking it at every stage. Sometimes a basic oil is all that is required, if the clock has been regularly attended to. Special clock oil is used for this purpose and is applied to specific oiling points. On no account should a clock be sprayed with maintenance oil; it will gum up the mechanism and cause extra wear and therefore further cost in the long run.
Many clocks require a full overhaul, where wear in the mechanism is attended to, wheel pivots re-polished and new mainsprings or other parts fitted.
Many clocks are well over 100 years old and often require a great deal of repair work to the mechanism and the case to restore them back to their former glory.
Some myths have evolved with clock mechanisms; the most common is the belief that the owner has over wound the mechanism. This is merely an effect of dirt and wear, causing that all important power to be lost from the going barrel through the train of wheels to the escapement.
It is only relatively a short time ago that every town such as Rotherham, Chesterfield and Doncaster had a number of clock makers and repairers to help the owner to look after their clock. Cities such as Sheffield and Nottingham would have had far more clock repairers and clock makers to cater for the needs of the customer. These days, reliable clock repairers are becoming more difficult to find. Often repairers have retired and only look after their existing clientele. Often local jewellers and antique dealers send clocks away to be repaired.
Then there is the subject of the strike and chimes. These terms are often confused. Put simply, the strike is the term given to a bell or gong being hit to signify a certain time of day. Often at the hour to signify the time (e.g. four hammer blows to a bell for four o'clock). Many clocks often sound a single strike to a bell or gong at half past the hour too. Quarter strike clocks which, as the name suggests, indicate each quarter hour by a series of blows to a bell or gong.
Following on from Clock Repair Allen , is the Chiming clock. A chiming clock plays a melody or tune every hour, half hour or quarter hour. An example of this is the famous Westminster Chimes which is associated with so many British and German Clocks. A Westminster chime clock has a minimum of four gongs or bells. Four notes are played at the first quarter, eight at the second or half past. Twelve notes are played at the third quarter and the full sixteen notes are played at the hour with the strike mechanism denoting the actual time at that point. There are many other variations of chimes; Whittington, St Michael, Ave Maria to name just a few. These chimes play on a minimum of eight gongs or bells.
Anyone who is lucky enough to own an antique clock needs to be aware of how to look after it. Many people think that clocks will run forever with no maintenance. This is wrong, just as you would not run a car without getting it regularly serviced, so you should ensure a clock is regularly serviced. A service should be carried out by a professional clock repairer. They will often strip the clock down to its basic parts, clean each part thoroughly and rebuild the mechanism, checking it at every stage. Sometimes a basic oil is all that is required, if the clock has been regularly attended to. Special clock oil is used for this purpose and is applied to specific oiling points. On no account should a clock be sprayed with maintenance oil; it will gum up the mechanism and cause extra wear and therefore further cost in the long run.
Many clocks require a full overhaul, where wear in the mechanism is attended to, wheel pivots re-polished and new mainsprings or other parts fitted.
Many clocks are well over 100 years old and often require a great deal of repair work to the mechanism and the case to restore them back to their former glory.
Some myths have evolved with clock mechanisms; the most common is the belief that the owner has over wound the mechanism. This is merely an effect of dirt and wear, causing that all important power to be lost from the going barrel through the train of wheels to the escapement.
It is only relatively a short time ago that every town such as Rotherham, Chesterfield and Doncaster had a number of clock makers and repairers to help the owner to look after their clock. Cities such as Sheffield and Nottingham would have had far more clock repairers and clock makers to cater for the needs of the customer. These days, reliable clock repairers are becoming more difficult to find. Often repairers have retired and only look after their existing clientele. Often local jewellers and antique dealers send clocks away to be repaired.
Replies