Ah, Ken, you've come upon the issues with the Type 53 and 54 clocks...maybe a few others. Yes, the cannon pinion is an interference fit. I asked about this a number of years ago and there were some elegant solutions. But you need something to support the back side of the plate so you don't bend it when driving the minute arbor off. I've found using a deep well socket with some blue tape around the lip works...I make sure that the wheel on the inside of the plate will fit down inside the socket. Next I measure with feeler gages how far off the pinion is before starting...probably not necessary as it likely rests on the shoulder of the arbor. But at least I know what my goal is. Then put the hand nut back on the threads of the arbor, support the whole mess on top of the socket, and I use a brass hammer to lightly tap on the hand nut end and push the arbor down. It will go 10-15mm and then likely free up and slip off easily.
Putting it together is a bit more of a biyotch. I just did this on a 1000-day clock. This task a cluster of monkeys! What I use is a stump or anvil with a number of holes in it...it's part of a stacking set. At Timesavers search for item 15478. I think you're going to need this. So, I put one end of the arbor into one of those holes...be careful and don't let it tip and bend the pivot...DAMHIK! Bring the plate down over the arbor...keep things balanced. Drop the cannon pinion on. With a hollow punch from the staking set, slide it over the upper part of the arbor. It needs to slide down and contact the pinion and still have enough hollow shaft inside. Then with the brass hammer, start tapping to shove the pinion into place. I keep checking the clearance. Once I get close enough to the gap, I guess I'm done.
The bad part of this process is that at some point, you have to commit to putting the pinion on. On other clocks you can try out the movement and see if the clock will run. Finally you can slip on the cannon pinion, hour pipe, etc., and then the hands to continue testing. If you don't to have to take the clock apart again, you'll need to do that up front...you're committed. Believe me, I don't think you want to try the clock out and then come back, take it all apart, and then put the pinion on. Because of that middle plate and the way you have to get the arbors/pivots in place, it's excruciating. Not to mention those pivots are super tiny...they bend easily...DAMHIK.
Anyway, that's how I've come to do this. I wish I could find my old thread...I might try and look for it.
Bingo...found it:
Schatz 53 - Removal of captive center arbor | NAWCC Forums
Kurt
