Schatz ships bells out of synch

[lwalper]

I've been working on a Schatz ships bell clock and seem to have it running just fine. Problem is with the strike -- it works, but always strikes twice instead of once, twice, three times (a lady?) etc. There's a cam with only one lobe on the opposite end of the minute arbor that I'm wondering about. It's on an adjustable collet and can be turned into any position. Do I set the clock to the hour position, then rotate that cam to either the highest or lowest position. Whichever way it is it will naturally be just the opposite on the half hour. I haven't pulled it apart again to look at it, but I've probably got it set to the lowest position (pointing east/west) for both strikes instead of north/south. Well, that tells me something. If the lowest position gives two strikes, the highest should yield one??



EDIT: correction after the fact— the highest cam position yields two strikes, the lowest yields a sigle strike when everything else is properly adjusted.

 

[JTD]

If you go to the search icon at the top of the page and search for 'Schatz ships bell' you will find several posts with information about setting the strike correctly.

JTD

 

[lwalper]

OK. Thanks. Exactly as I thought. That little subtracting cam needs to be rotated to place the high spot at the half hour.

 

[svenedin]

Fine looking clock!

 

[lwalper]

Fine looking clock!

Thanks!

I've rotated that subtracting cam and it doesnt seem to have made any difference. I also adjusted just a dab more "spring" to the lever pressing against that cam, but it's still striking appropriate multiples of twice for each half hour

 

[shutterbug]

Just checking - but do you know how ships bells are supposed to sound? They do strike four times for 2:00, for example.

 

[JTD]

Just checking - but do you know how ships bells are supposed to sound? They do strike four times for 2:00, for example.

Just to go further along what shutterbug has said, your clock should strike like this:

One Bell ding 12.30 4.30 8.30
Two Bells ding-ding 1.00 5.00 9.00
Three Bells ding-ding ding 1.30 5.30 9.30
Four Bells ding-ding ding-ding 2.00 6.00 10.00
Five Bells ding-ding ding-ding ding 2.30 6.30 10.30
Six Bells ding-ding ding-ding ding-ding 3.00 7.00 11.00
Seven Bells ding-ding ding-ding ding-ding ding 3.30 7.30 11.30
Eight Bells ding-ding ding-ding ding-ding ding-ding 4.00 8.00 12.00

I hope this will come out as I have typed it, otherwise it will be a jumble, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Hope this helps.

JTD

Well, although I typed it in neat columns, the computer apparently doesn't like it and has strung it all together. Nevertheless, I hope you can understand what I tried to write.

 

[lwalper]

Right. That's my understanding. What it's doing though is ding-ding on both the half and hour without the accompanying single ding on the half. The scroll, rack, gathering pallet, and all that works properly with advancing ding-ding through the four hour shift. I get the even 2-2, 4-4, 6-6, 8-8, but not the odd 1, 3, 5, 7 on the half hour. Looking in Conover's book there is a description of a different model, but I may need to check the gathering pallet position (as shown on page 82). I've also got the strike arresting cam pointing due north, but in the upper illustration ( #91) the cam, since it's on the back end of the minute arbor and turning counterclockwise, looks like it's ready to immediately fall off with the least bit of rotation.

I initially had an issue with the pin wheel being out of position and had to rotate it a couple of teeth. It was striking 1, 2-2, 1.

 

[lwalper]

If there were ever a contest for the most persnikity spring adjustment this one would move to front of the line. Not sure what to call it, but the lever with the spring is attached to the rack on the other side of the clock -- (so maybe it's a rack assist spring?). It presses on the strike arresting lever, which advances with the rack, giving it just enough boost to move the strike arresting lever under the hammer mechanism at just the right moment, thus preventing the second o'30 strike from sounding.

The next two images illustrate the snail position for the o'clock (image #2 with the indicating pin in the low position which would normally give a ding-ding) and the next image showing the o'30 snail position (image #3 with the indicating pin on the next landing) which would normally give a 2-2 sound, with the strike arresting lever on the back side preventing the second "ding", yielding a 2-1 (thunk) sound. Actually, to clarify, in these images (#2) the snail is rotated to 4 o'clock which would yield 2-2-2-2, and image (#3) would yield 1-0 for o'30 o'clock.

Whew!! Thanks for all your suggestions and encouragement. Maybe my experience will help someone else with this movement.