Grandfather clock mechanism trigger but no chime

[LouR7]

Hello all.

My Grandfather has a Grandfather Clock that he's owned for over 50 years, it's likely much older than that. It's an eight day clock. One gut line snapped a while back so it hasn't been running but we've decided to tackle the job and get it going again.

I replaced the gut line on the right (heaviest weight side), and got it ticking. Amazingly, despite not working for so many years, we're chuffed that it's keeping perfect time!

Now, the only issue is the chime. It's a bell and hammer that should chime on the hour, every hour only. For the first three hours it chimed spot on. Then it stopped. The clock still ticked on perfectly. But now every hour, you hear the faint noise of some mechanism trigger but it's not getting the hammer to strike.

With the hood off and a peek inside, I gently poked a piece that looks like a blade from an old fashioned razor, (sorry, I don't have thy faintest idea what it's called, it's circled in one picture), which would then spin quickly and the hammer would strike the bell for the correct number.
After this it seemed to chime the next hour or so, but then once again, it fell silent.

Does anyone have a tips of what may be the problem or anything we should look into to try and get it chiming away?

My (very inexperienced) thoughts are;
- I've only changed the gut line on one side (new line on the right is synthetic, old lone on the left appears to be natutal that does need replacing in the near future), could this be preventing the clock from getting enough momentum to chime? (As you can see, it was certainly dusty! So I don't doubt this is something we should do, but is it the reason for the problem we're having?)

- is it just a case of the insides being a bit dusty and in need of a bit of greasing up?

- or something that a novice like me won't be able to fix?


We're in the UK, and stuck in isolation still as my Grandfather is shielding due to the pandemic and a recent diagnosis. He's very pleased it's going and keeping perfect time, but I've been defeated by the chimes! So if I could get this going again I know he'd been delighted.

Any help, tips and tricks you can offer would be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Simon Holt]

Hi LouR7, and on behalf of the nice people who run this forum, welcome! You've done well to get this far with no previous experience.

The piece you've circled is call the 'fan' and acts like a governor, to prevent the striking side from running too rapidly. However, the fact that nudging it will get it to run doesn't mean that this part is the problem. The problem is that the weight on that side is not able to overcome the initial load when the strike is released. This is most likely due to a lack of lubrication. Old oil will dry out and become sticky, especially when dust is included.

However, it's worth swapping the weights round and seeing if that makes a difference. If the clock still runs with the lighter weight on the time side then the weights have almost certainly been swapped accidentally at some point.

If that doesn't fix it, let us know and people on here will be happy to guide you through the process of cleaning and lubricating the clock

Simon

 

[LouR7]

Hi Simon

Thanks very much for your reply. Good to know it's called a fan - makes sense!

I was under the impression (but happy to be corrected) that the heavy weight needed to be on the right side?
The heavier weight is on the very heavy side, 17lbs (which is why we went for the synthetic line), and the left weight is 14lbs (if I remember correctly).

I don't want to cause any damage by putting the heavy weight on the opposite side. So I'm just a little cautious!

But if you think that's worth trying before worrying about lubricating anything I'll give it a go!

Thanks again.

 

[Simon Holt]

I was hoping someone else would confirm which side would normally take the heavier weight as I only have experience with three-weight clocks. Maybe someone will do that soon.

You won't do any harm in the short term swapping the weights. In fact, the greater danger is to run the time side with too heavy a weight.

In reality the clock is in need of cleaning and lubrication anyway, regardless of the results of experimenting with swapping the weights. But if the experiment works then at least your grandfather will get some enjoyment in the short term while you decide whether you want to do the maintenance yourself.

Oh - I think the more usual term is 'fly' rather than 'fan' but I've come across both.

Simon

 

[Simon Holt]

There's possible confirmation here about where the heavier weight goes, but it does say there are exceptions:

How to setup an antique Longcase Grandfather Clock - P.A. Oxley Antique Clocks & Barometers

Simon

 

[shutterbug]

The old clock is certainly in need of cleaning. As mentioned, oil will congeal in time, and the dust will collect in the pivot holes. Oiling a dirty clock will often get it going again, but it tends to make the dirt act like a file and a accelerate the wear. If you do decide to oil it, use only a synthetic oil, and not too heavy. Some actual clock oil would be best. Do not put oil on any gears except the escape wheel teeth. That's the one that makes the tick toc sound. VERY little oil needed there, just put a drop on one of the pallets where it contacts the teeth and it will migrate to all of the teeth. Oil only the pivots of the wheels, and oil only the stuff that turns 360° when running. In other words, no levers get oil...and again for emphasis, no teeth other than the one mentioned.
That's a nice old clock with some value. It would be worth a professional clean and service. If you would spring for the money to get it done right, you'd have a real good chance of getting the clock later for yourself

 

[LouR7]

Hello again.

Thanks so much for all your help.

Happy to say that having taken your advice to switch the weights around, the clock has since chimed on the hour every hour!
My grandfather doesn't know how they could have been switched at sometime in the past.

The chimes all seem to work except that it will strike 5 times at 4oclock and then again at 5oclock. All other chimes seem spot on. It's been driving me a bit bonkers as I keep thinking it's my mind playing tricks on me! Hence my slow reply, I didn't know if I was hearing things and losing my marbles.

If anyone has any thoughts on why that may happen, I am open to them. But for now, we're happy it's going, we're enjoying hearing it chime again, and we just take the 4oclock chime as a quirk!

Thanks again for your help. It really is appreciated.

 

[LouR7]

The old clock is certainly in need of cleaning. As mentioned, oil will congeal in time, and the dust will collect in the pivot holes. Oiling a dirty clock will often get it going again, but it tends to make the dirt act like a file and a accelerate the wear. If you do decide to oil it, use only a synthetic oil, and not too heavy. Some actual clock oil would be best. Do not put oil on any gears except the escape wheel teeth. That's the one that makes the tick toc sound. VERY little oil needed there, just put a drop on one of the pallets where it contacts the teeth and it will migrate to all of the teeth. Oil only the pivots of the wheels, and oil only the stuff that turns 360° when running. In other words, no levers get oil...and again for emphasis, no teeth other than the one mentioned.
That's a nice old clock with some value. It would be worth a professional clean and service. If you would spring for the money to get it done right, you'd have a real good chance of getting the clock later for yourself

Only just spotted your reply to this, so sorry. Thanks for the advice. Giving the clock a good service and clean is seems like it should be on the agenda at some point in the future. If we can't find a professional to do it (we live in a small town in Wales so most of the local old clock shops have long gone sadly), your tips will be of good use.

Having switched the weights, the clock chimes every hour now. Aside from a small quirk of chiming 5 times at 4oclock. All other chimes seem spot on, and I've been thinking my ears are playing tricks on me.

But as it is, my grandfather is pleased it's up and running.
It is a lovely clock, the house is full of clocks, when it comes to the hour, it's a chorus of chimes going off!
Something you don't see very often now in people's homes.

 

[Simon Holt]

That's great news - and an inexpensive fix!

To fix the extra strike issue will probably require removing the face, so that you can see the parts that count out the required number of strikes. If you are happy to do that, and post a photo of the movement, then more help will surely be provided.

Simon

 

[shutterbug]

The issue at 4 is a bit unusual. Normally missed counts or extra counts occur on the very large or very small numbers. However, it is likely going to require moving the position of the snail. As Simon said - we'll need to see the front of the movement - preferably at the 4:00 setting.