Can't say I've had this happen before...

[Isaac]

Went to go wind up my westminster W&H, and the bezel is stuck shut! I'm guessing that the wood around the bezel has expanded and is pinching it enough that the door won't budge. There's no points of leverage I can use to help open the door besides the small pull-knob. I think I might have to take the movement out again with the dial to push the door out from the backside. Before I go through that painful process (especially trying to re-feed the pull-repeat cord through the tiny hole in the side of the case), does anyone have any suggestions that might help? None of my other clocks in my collection have had this problem in my 9 years of collecting.

 

[J. A. Olson]

Sometimes I've had round bezels that were a bit too tight and had to be smoothed down or adjusted at the 'catch' so it didn't jam when shut.

The Celebrates were always a challenge since the bezels are held circular by the glass and tend to warp when the glass is out.
The F. W. Elliott has a pronged latch that can be carefully adjusted, making this an easier process.
The Herschede bezel has a very small latch and hinge so one must be careful not to tear it off when opening.

I haven't had this happen on a large arched door. Check the door's catch so it's free of any debris or corrosion, I doubt the wood expanding would be enough to shut it unless the door hole was already too tight.

 

[tom427cid]

You might try exposing it to sunlight for a while=warms the wood and pulls out moisture= or near, not on, a heat register if you have forced air heat. It goes without saying, make sure the latch is in fact disengaged. tom

 

[ToddT]

I see you are in Michigan, as am I. With heating season having begun, do you have a humidifier in your heating system that may have the humidity set a bit high? Sounds like a humidity problem.

 

[phinegan]

I'd try to find a small suction cup of some kind, like the kind that holds your phone to a car windshield, and try to pull the door open, of course being very careful not to dislodge the glass.

 

[Rob Martinez]

err... If you are leaning toward the surfaces expanding, recommend you put it out on your Michigan porch for a few hours... while still out there give it another try.... as said above, make sure the door latch is off... handles can be deceiving...

 

[Dick Feldman]

Removing the movement will tell the story and probably safely.
Any bit of prying, pushing, heating, cooling etc may damage the case or even break the glass.
With many bracket clocks removing the movement is a matter of taking the pendulum off and sliding the seat board, the movement, and the dial out the back door in one piece. Most times the chime rods can be avoided. The seat board may be secured with a pin on either side or screws. Replacement is as simple.
Please send a picture of the case with the rear door open.
A short cut attempt may cause more harm.
Best of luck,
Dick

 

[Mike Mall]

Have you tried with one hand pushing the hinged side away from the latch side whilst tugging on the knob with the other hand?
Various sizes of a tool called a 'spudger' may be useful.

That's a name I haven't heard for those tools. I have heard 'non marring pry bar', and 'bone' used.
I thought 'spudger' must be a nickname from down under. But wiki references a 1928 Popular Mechanics article.
Learned something new

 

[J. A. Olson]

Since this clock chimes on coil gongs it's a requirement to take the gong pedestal out before the movement.
Leaving the gong pedestal in simply does not allow safe removal of the movement.
A lot of pre-1950 bracket clocks have the gong unit placed right behind the movement as opposed to modern clocks where they are slung underneath the movement instead.

A similar layout can be seen in this photo:

 

[Dick Feldman]

Since this clock chimes on coil gongs it's a requirement to take the gong pedestal out before the movement.
Leaving the gong pedestal in simply does not allow safe removal of the movement.
A lot of pre-1950 bracket clocks have the gong unit placed right behind the movement as opposed to modern clocks where they are slung underneath the movement instead.

A point well taken but a proper repair usually is a safe bet vs. a short cut being potentially dangerous.
I would still like to see a photo of the clock in question from the rear through the rear door.
JMHO,
Dick

 

[J. A. Olson]

I found photos of the same clock from an older thread. You will see what a tight fit the gong pedestal and movement are:

My dream chiming clock finally arrived!

Hey all, When I first started collecting clocks at 13, I've always wanted to get my hands on a 3 train Winterhalder & Hoffmeier that chimes & strikes on coiled gongs. Unfortunately, a lot of those clocks were too far out of reach in price (and I had tons to yet learn about clocks & repair in...

mb.nawcc.org

There is a angled view showing the door perimeter and shape.
Because of the door's shape, there is no way to effectively pry or ease it open as one might have hoped for.

So the only way is to remove gongs + movement and dial, then see what the front door looks like inside the case interior.
It may be as simple as a gentle push from inside, or something more extensive depending on how badly it jammed.

I remember some of these bracket clocks have the dial affixed to the front of case, making this procedure impossible.
Hopefully this isn't the case here.

 

[JimmyOz]

I found photos of the same clock from an older thread. You will see what a tight fit the gong pedestal and movement are:

That is the same OP as this one, if you look at the video you can see that the door is opened by a simple latch, therefore if the latch is not turned you will not be able to push the door out from the back, therefore, is the latch turning is the first question to solve. if so then it maybe able to open with a push. The door is brass so if it is swelling of timber it is all on the case, can't really see that being enough to jam the door though.

 

[J. A. Olson]

I don't see any twisting latch in the video. I shall now present my case.

Most arched doors on production upright bracket (mantel, shelf, table, et al.) clocks had a simple friction catch built into the door and case.
The catch may be plain or sprung depending on the design.

You don't actually turn the little knob, which is brazed into the brass door framing and should not be twisted at all.
The catch simply pops in and out as the door is shut and opened.
There may be a small indent in the door frame helping to hold it firm when latched in.
Ideally it should be tight enough to hold the door but slack enough to open without any hard force.

Here are some photos showing the door framing and catch on a similar HAC mantel clock.
Notice the catch and door frame are nice and smooth. No dirt or corrosion which may cause them to stick up.



Dial spacing with just under 1 MM between the door and case.
The dial (which mounts to the movement on this clock) has a similar spacing.
Tight enough to look nice, slack enough to facilitate mass production.