Kern kick wind electro mechanical clock

[Malcolmcb]

Hi everyone my name is Malcolm I am an electrician with a growing collection and I live in Leicester England. I have this clock in my collection and would like to know if anyone knows what size suspension should be fitted. The clock should run at 6 beats a minute and with a. 002"suspension it is running at 8 beats a minute so 25%fast. I cannot any info on what size it needs to be fitted with. Many thanks and look forward to any replies. Malcolm

 

[KurtinSA]

Welcome to the forum! I might suggest that yours is 33% fast, but that is neither here nor there!! Here is one thread I found a few years ago on the same clock:

Kern miniature - self winding model | NAWCC Forums

In that thread, Eric suggests that the back plate is similar to #1406D in the repair guide. See a picture or your back plate would help confirm that. In the repair guide, two spring thicknesses are shown but no real reason why. They are 0.002" and 0.0019". I doubt that going to the thinner thickness would solve your problem though. I'm sure you confirmed that the clock is not fluttering but you're just counting the beats up to 60 seconds. Based upon the excess rotation rate, you would need to thin the suspension spring but it would take quite a bit to bring it into time. It appears that the 0.0019" is the thinnest size that is produced.

Kurt

 

[Malcolmcb]

Welcome to the forum! I might suggest that yours is 33% fast, but that is neither here nor there!! Here is one thread I found a few years ago on the same clock:

Kern miniature - self winding model | NAWCC Forums

In that thread, Eric suggests that the back plate is similar to #1406D in the repair guide. See a picture or your back plate would help confirm that. In the repair guide, two spring thicknesses are shown but no real reason why. They are 0.002" and 0.0019". I doubt that going to the thinner thickness would solve your problem though. I'm sure you confirmed that the clock is not fluttering but you're just counting the beats up to 60 seconds. Based upon the excess rotation rate, you would need to thin the suspension spring but it would take quite a bit to bring it into time. It appears that the 0.0019" is the thinnest size that is produced.

Kurt

Hi Kurt thank you for your fast reply and please excuse me poor mathematics I am usually far more on the ball. I have had this clock for quite some time and after a clean it runs perfectly so i would love to get get it to keep time. I will order some. 0019"suspensions and give it a go. I have not tried this before so may take me a while to do although I have read about it on the forum. Malcolm.

 

[Malcolmcb]

Hi Kurt thank you for your fast reply and please excuse me poor mathematics I am usually far more on the ball. I have had this clock for quite some time and after a clean it runs perfectly so i would love to get get it to keep time. I will order some. 0019"suspensions and give it a go. I have not tried this before so may take me a while to do although I have read about it on the forum. Malcolm.

 

[Malcolmcb]

View attachment 729911

Hi Kurt I notice that I can get 0.0018" suspension do you think this would suit me better many thanks Malcolm.

 

[KurtinSA]

With the adjuster in the middle, I am assuming that you get six beats in 45 seconds and then eight beats in 60 seconds meaning you are running 15 seconds fast. The rule of thumb is 0.0001" of thickness for each 4 seconds. If your current spring is 0.002 then this suggests you need a spring that is 0.0016 in thickness. Seems like a lot. I wonder if there's a problem somewhere else.

Kurt

 

[Malcolmcb]

With the adjuster in the middle, I am assuming that you get six beats in 45 seconds and then eight beats in 60 seconds meaning you are running 15 seconds fast. The rule of thumb is 0.0001" of thickness for each 4 seconds. If your current spring is 0.002 then this suggests you need a spring that is 0.0016 in thickness. Seems like a lot. I wonder if there's a problem somewhere else.

Kurt

Hi thank you for the reply. The clock is adjusted to the slowest possible and it runs smooth and even with no skipping or flutter. That's great knowledge on the spring size and i will take that forwards with me for future clocks. I currently have eight anniversary clocks among others in my collection and look regularly for any more bargains.

 

[whatgoesaround]

It has been noted here that a non-Horolovar spring will not necessarily give the expected results. Was the .002 a Horolovar spring?

 

[Malcolmcb]

It has been noted here that a non-Horolovar spring will not necessarily give the expected results. Was the .002 a Horolovar spring?

Hi there yes it was a horolovar spring. I have tried two just in case the first was faulty. Malcolm.

 

[Kypros]

Please excuse my intrusion, as a novice, I fail to see how a thinner spring would make the clock run slower. In my horologically uneducated mind, a thinner spring would require less energy to move, thus applying the same energy to a thinner spring should logically make the clock run faster, not slower. Please educate me,

 

[KurtinSA]

A thicker spring has a stiffer cross section, so it will respond and bounce back quicker. A thinner spring absorbs a bit more of the energy and will wallow a bit more. Think about a tuning fork...when it is hit it tends to vibrate at a typically high frequency. Consider the tuning fork made of lead...not much vibration there.

Kurt

 

[Malcolmcb]

Hi everyone just an update to my kick wind clock, I have fitted it with a. 0018" suspension spring and it is now keeping very good time thank you for all your help which has added to my knowledge on these fantastic machines. Malcolm.