I cant find much information on this subject. All i have found is one method of tapping the hole and inserting a screw into the hole and peening the end to hold it in. What are other methods used. I am replacing a barrel hook and want to learn other ways. The only other way i can think of is making a steel rivet and shape the end to catch the hole in the main spring barrel.Then Peen the end in the hole to hold it in.
Hi You named the two methods I would use. I wouldn't put the new rivet in the same hold as the old one. I suggest that you put the new hook on the other side of the barrel 180 deg away from the old one. T.J. Kloss
Veri, Make sure that the hole is chamfered from the outside. This way the riveted hook will not actually require a protruding head. It can be filled flush with the outside of the barred. Best descriptions I know of are by Don DeCarlo, Huckabee, and Plewes. Everyone has their own twist on this repair but if you study English and German clocks made in the early 1900s you will see how it's done. Willie X
If you mean putting the head of the rivet inside the barrel, and shaping that .... yeah, that's what I'd do.
I start out to make mine from 1/4 inch cold roll round stock. I never chamfer the outside for peening because it weakens the brass and gives less material for holding the hook. I use a radius tool bit to make the hook and then cut the end to size to fit through the hole in the barrel with a small shoulder. From the inside edge of the barrel to the radius cut, give me about .040 for the spring to pass and hook. Looks sort of like a mushroom with a flat top. I just made three like this for a Becker. Big spring on the chime side and no problem thus far. When peening I use a blunt center punch at first then gradually work my way up to a round ended punch 2/3 the size of my material. Then finish it off with a flat punch around the edges I get these close enough that you don't have to file and the part sticking out looks reassembly small. Not an eye sore.. H/C
Thanks for the thoughts on the subject.Its a common repair so i know its something i need to learn to do. And i dont want a eyesore, seen my share of these so far. I want something that mechanically strong and looks professional.I have one book by John Plewes, but he only covers getting the bulge out of the barrel.
H/C, the method you describe will surely produce a sound repair, but I’m not sure how you figure that chamfering the outside of the hole will weaken the brass and give less material for holding the hook. The chamfer doesn’t actually make the barrel any thinner; it just changes the shape of the contact area. It seems like a chamfer would actually increase the surface area in contact with the expanded rivet. The main load on the hook should be tangent to the curve of the barrel, so the objective here would seem to be to just keep the hook from falling out and/or loosening as the spring loading tries to pull it away from the perpendicular. It just seems like a chamfered outer end of the hole might actually hold the expanded “rivet” against this load better than a peened over head in the outside of the barrel because the peened area would be completely surrounded by the brass inside the hole where there would be no support the rim of an external “head”. Either way, making a new hole for the replacement hook will make a stronger repair but leave an unsightly hole to be filled. In reality, one of the decision makers in a repair like this is whether the barrel is exposed and how “invisible” the repair needs to be. RC
If I understand HC's repair I agree except the hole should have a taper. This will solidly anchor the hook after peening and the peened end can be smoothed down flush with the barrel for a clean looking repair. Checking te hook for looseness during cleaning/repair should always be done.
Most barrels are to thin to put a chamfer. And I have had them pull out on me in the past with a chamfer. So I go with my experiences. H/C
Yeah, there can be some heavy pulling on that rivet. I think it's important to match the rivet to the size of the hole, and leave it long enough to really spread out for a good tight fit when peened.
I did finish my repair.I wanted to make a 2 step rivet but i think this repair will be ok.I did a light chamfer, c sink on the outside and peened the rivet some and used a small amount of loctite.Will get a picture up later.This one was just for practice so will have to see how the next one is in a working clock.
veri, That will probably work OK. A bigger 'head' on the hook would be good and the step allows you to peen the hook in tight. Use a small 2 to 4 ounce ball peen hammer. Rest the hook against a solid piece of steel bar (about 1 1/8" diameter) held in a good bench vice. I don't think the lock-tight will help much in this area. It's mainly the tightness of the riveted head and the shape of the hook that counts. Willie X
Thanks Willie.I turned the head on the hook down to close that was on the original, it seemed a tad small to me. I also used the bar stock in the vise when peening the rivet.Its a great exercise to learn repairs.Someone can show you and explain it, but its no substitute for a hands on job.Always great to learn new things. Also made a hollow punch of brass to take the bulge out of the barrel first before the hook repair.
I use a hammer head of suitable diameter to fit in the barrel to hold the inside while peening the outside. Clamp the hammer in a vice. This helps to prevent any barrel distortion.
Good idea Harold, many barrels are of different sizes.I tried a shim between the hook and the barrel wall, it did not work out that well with a one step rivet i made, better to go with a 2 step rivet, took me a long time to make mine but i am confident in time and more practice i will be quicker next time.
My take: I disagree on both chamfer and taper, and I especially disagree on filing down the peened head flush with the surface of the barrel. I'd never trust that little angled leftover rim inside the chamfer/taper not to let go at some inopportune moment. I prefer strength over aesthetics, and I like a good strong head that extends well beyond the hole, over the full thickness of the barrel wall. If it sticks up a bit, that's good; better than hiding in a countersunk hole just waiting to pull through.
Maybe if they had done it this way originally we wouldn't have to be replacing them. And I have replaced allot of them on older clocks. H/C