American fast strike sequence

[ksmog00]

Good evening. I recently received this clock and except for some dust it works perfectly. I oiled it and cleaned and waxed the case but the strike sequence is incredibly fast, almost 2x strikes a second. I do not know if this is normal for this movement or if something is off. there is no mark or maker on the movement.

Thanks for your help

 

[tracerjack]

Until the pros come along, my first thought is to check if the fan is too loose on the arbor.

 

[ksmog00]

Until the pros come along, my first thought is to check if the fan is too loose on the arbor.

Thought about that too. Checked the fan and it is tight.

 

[Willie X]

This is called 'machine gun striking' and is very common on this type clock. If the fly is snug on its arbor, the spring is too strong. It's easy to wind it only part way up, or just replace it with one about 2 or 3 thou thinner. About .014" is the lighest spring you would notmally use on such a clock. Post a photo of the fly, it could have been replaced with a too small one.
WIllie X

 

[ksmog00]

This is called 'machine gun striking' and is very common on this type clock. If the fly is snug on its arbor, the spring is too strong. It's easy to wind it only part way up, or just replace it with one about 2 or 3 thou thinner. About .014" is the lighest spring you would notmally use on such a clock. Post a photo of the fly, it could have been replaced with a too small one.
WIllie X

Here is the fly and the spring on the strike side. The owner said this has sat on a shelf of a cabin for the last 60 years and has not been repaired or worked on in their memory.

 

[Willie X]

That fly looks suspicious. I would wait for others to ''chime in'. Also, the fly isn't to clear in the photo and needs to be pictured flat. This will help us tell how long it is. We also need to see how much clearamce you have between the fly and the closest obstacle (usually a wheel or pinion).

WIllie X

 

[ksmog00]

That fly looks suspicious. I would wait for others to ''chime in'. Also, the fly isn't to clear in the photo and needs to be pictured flat. This will help us tell how long it is. We also need to see how much clearamce you have between the fly and the closest obstacle (usually a wheel or pinion).

WIllie X

Here's a couple more of the fly. There's not much distance between the fly and the wheels on each side.

 

[Willie X]

That helps, I'm still suspicious though. It doesn't look like the fly could be made much bigger. Anyway, not enough to slow the strike by 50%.

The surface of that fly seems to be brushed and the breaks are not sharp. That friction/location wire also looks too big.

Hopefully someone will have a clock with your movement and a comparison can be made. Be patient ... Willie X

 

[shutterbug]

I think some of the old clocks were made to strike fast to conserve power. I've seen several that I thought had rapid strikes, but no way to alter them.