I have read numerous posts here about anchor adjustments, but nothing helped. I am still a Newbie but have repaired many American recoil escapements and feel comfortable working on them. This is my first Anchor escapement (I think) on a Perivale movement out of a Bentima clock made in Great Britain. This clock is a challenge. The pendulum and crutch were missing, so I have fabricated a crutch from brass plate (following an excellent thread here about doing this) and purchased a replacement pendulum. I am still working through the math on proper pendulum length but I have similar clock movements so I am not starting off blind. However, after cleaning and inspecting everything, I just can't seem to get the escapement into adjustment. I have moved the anchor up, and down, and rotated the pendulum shaft using the two screws, and moved the crutch to adjust the beat, all to no avail.
It is difficult on these clocks because the escape wheel is between the plates and almost impossible to see or to video. I purchased some small mirrors from the local hobby shop and by placing them inside, was able to get a little clearer picture. Pictures of the mirrors are at the end of this post. Videos of the movement are attached in the links below. Should not make any difference since entry and exit pallets are the same, just determined by direction of rotation of the escape wheel, but just keep in mind that videos are reversed since taken through a mirror.
My first question is just what kind of escapement do I have? I have attached a closeup picture below. I thought it was an Anchor since out of an English clock. Conover's book shows the Anchor escapement, and then goes directly into the Deadbeat escapement, but the impulse faces are different on the two movements. He also shows a Vulliamy adjustment for the pallets on a deadbeat movement. Mine has the Vulliamy adjustment screws, but the ends of the Anchor are pointed, and not flat (which would be required for impulse on a deadbeat) so I was sure it was an Anchor movement and not a deadbeat. It is an English clock, so Anchor makes sense. Then, to complicate this even further, I saw pictures of the French recoil movement, and the Pallet body in this clock looks more like a French recoil than either the English Anchor or the Deadbeat pallets. Tips are pointed, not flat and horizontal as on an English Anchor or flat and angled as on a deadbeat. Also, the escape wheel turns with the tips pointing away from the entry pallet, as it does in a recoil movement.
Bottom line, I need help.
Second question is what procedure one should follow to adjust an Anchor escapement (assuming this is an Anchor escapement). Is it similar to a recoil, where you put it at maximum depth and then back it off until it works, or is there another technique? Should drop on entry and exit be the same, as in a recoil? Since the impulse to the pendulum comes from the edges of the anchor, and not from the flat surface of the verge, as in a recoil, it would seem that having minimal depth of the anchor into the escape wheel would be desired, just being sure the tip of the teeth on the wheel makes full contact with the full length of the edge of the anchor. I don't know and although I have many books on clock repair, none of them give a good procedure for anchor adjustment.
The video was taken by me moving the crutch and pendulum by hand, not free swinging. Although it appears to be properly setup (in my opinion), the clock will not run at all.
It is difficult on these clocks because the escape wheel is between the plates and almost impossible to see or to video. I purchased some small mirrors from the local hobby shop and by placing them inside, was able to get a little clearer picture. Pictures of the mirrors are at the end of this post. Videos of the movement are attached in the links below. Should not make any difference since entry and exit pallets are the same, just determined by direction of rotation of the escape wheel, but just keep in mind that videos are reversed since taken through a mirror.
My first question is just what kind of escapement do I have? I have attached a closeup picture below. I thought it was an Anchor since out of an English clock. Conover's book shows the Anchor escapement, and then goes directly into the Deadbeat escapement, but the impulse faces are different on the two movements. He also shows a Vulliamy adjustment for the pallets on a deadbeat movement. Mine has the Vulliamy adjustment screws, but the ends of the Anchor are pointed, and not flat (which would be required for impulse on a deadbeat) so I was sure it was an Anchor movement and not a deadbeat. It is an English clock, so Anchor makes sense. Then, to complicate this even further, I saw pictures of the French recoil movement, and the Pallet body in this clock looks more like a French recoil than either the English Anchor or the Deadbeat pallets. Tips are pointed, not flat and horizontal as on an English Anchor or flat and angled as on a deadbeat. Also, the escape wheel turns with the tips pointing away from the entry pallet, as it does in a recoil movement.
Bottom line, I need help.
Second question is what procedure one should follow to adjust an Anchor escapement (assuming this is an Anchor escapement). Is it similar to a recoil, where you put it at maximum depth and then back it off until it works, or is there another technique? Should drop on entry and exit be the same, as in a recoil? Since the impulse to the pendulum comes from the edges of the anchor, and not from the flat surface of the verge, as in a recoil, it would seem that having minimal depth of the anchor into the escape wheel would be desired, just being sure the tip of the teeth on the wheel makes full contact with the full length of the edge of the anchor. I don't know and although I have many books on clock repair, none of them give a good procedure for anchor adjustment.
The video was taken by me moving the crutch and pendulum by hand, not free swinging. Although it appears to be properly setup (in my opinion), the clock will not run at all.
