The hardest clock to wind in your collection?

[Isaac]

For me, it's the chime mainspring for this W&H chime clock. It's a massive spring that feels like you're winding a Sonora chime clock without the assisted winding gearing. What is the hardest clock to wind in your collection so far?

 

[bruce linde]

funny - i just asked david labounty and my clock mentor yesterday if i should try lighter mainsprings in my quarter-striking W&H.

 

[Uhralt]

The chime spring in my 1909 Junghans Westminster chiming bracket clock.

Uhralt

 

[Dave T]

Clocks that wind to the left instead of right. Such as this Junghans.

 

[rmarkowitz1_cee4a1]

The one without a key?

RM

 

[Schatznut]

My Atmos. Danged if I can figure out where the key goes.

 

[Elliott Wolin]

For some reason, the strike spring is really hard to wind on my Ingraham clock. I replaced one of the springs, don't recall if it was the strike or time mainspring.

So I made a combination spring letdown and winding tool. The thin dowel at the end is removable, usually necessary when letting down a mainspring (or else your wrist gets whacked multiple times, guess how I know this!).

 

[Richard.W]

A Gustav Becker... because the right-handed front door only opens 90° making me need to use my left hand.

 

[phinegan]

My Seth Thomas 8-day Ogee. The weights are in the neighborhood of 8 lbs.

 

[Calvin H. Huynh]

Paillard music box. The spring is scary huge but very safe because of the crank.

 

[Elliott Wolin]

My Seth Thomas 8-day Ogee. The weights are in the neighborhood of 8 lbs.

Do your use a key? I have an Ithaca-style longcase clock with similar weights. I bought a grandfather clock winding crank from Timesavers, which makes a big difference.

 

[Calvin H. Huynh]

I think some weird mantle clock that winds in the back with a key. I’d have turning around a clock every winding.

 

[steamer471]

This one ain't so much hard as awkward. Poor design, 1980 Howard Miller, have to hold the glass upward with one hand while the clock moves around trying to wind it. Can't attach the bottom to the wall because to regulate it there is no front door, have to take it down from the wall, slide a panel up in the back to turn the regulating nut on the pendulum.

 

[Rockin Ronnie]

My Vedette Westminister Chime 1930s box clock, the chime side.

Ron

 

[Calvin H. Huynh]

My Vedette Westminister Chime 1930s box clock, the chime side.

Ron

Ohh, my ODO is incredibly hard to wind. Hermle keys will break and deform.

 

[J. A. Olson]

No keywind clock should be so hard to wind, you are looking at problems with the spring or not using an adequate key if there are difficulties in winding it. Keys with a thick, wide handle are more ideal for winding clocks with large springs. I speak from experience.

 

[rusty_apache]

This format confuses me….
This was not meant to be a new thread.
sorry….


The 1930? Junghans


It hurts my feelings to wind it
The main spring bearing is shot, causing the gears to bind with each brutal turn. Consequently I rarely use it


The Westminster chimes are slightly off pitch so when it strikes it is a minor sounding chord that is so nice and gloomy!

 

[wow]

My Seth Thomas Umbria is my hardest to wind. Why? It’s hung too high on the wall to reach. I have to bring in my 7 foot step ladder to reach it.

 

[rusty_apache]

This format confuses me….
This was not meant to be a new thread.
sorry….


The 1930? Junghans


It hurts my feelings to wind it
The main spring bearing is shot, causing the gears to bind with each brutal turn. Consequently I rarely use it


The Westminster chimes are slightly off pitch so when it strikes it is a minor sounding chord that is so nice and gloomy!

Thanks for moving my errant post for me!

 

[brian fisher]

Paillard music box. The spring is scary huge but very safe because of the crank.

View attachment 680463 View attachment 680466

well, on this note, my parents have a Regina music box that plays a disk that is around 30" in diameter. i can't imagine the massive spring winder you would need to take the barrels apart.

you can see one of the spring barrels in this image.

as far as clocks are concerned. both my 13 tube jacques and my 18c Dutch chimer have a 35lb chime weight. its a bit of a struggle to get the weight to the top of the cabinet.

 

[Calvin H. Huynh]

well, on this note, my parents have a Regina music box that plays a disk that is around 30" in diameter. i can't imagine the massive spring winder you would need to take the barrels apart.

View attachment 680861

View attachment 680860
you can see one of the spring barrels in this image.

as far as clocks are concerned. both my 13 tube jacques and my 18c Dutch chimer have a 35lb chime weight. its a bit of a struggle to get the weight to the top of the cabinet.

That’s a beautiful music box. You cannot manhandle the spring lol.

 

[JimmyOz]

You can look at it another way, strong springs make you go a bit slower and make sure the click is locked before you adjust your hand.

At the other end of the scale is, easy to wind clocks, I find that around 1 to 2 out of 10 French clock movements need the hole in the tail end of the spring repaired, my theory for this is that the constant ease (speed) of which you can wind them imparts a lot of pressure around the last click and causes fatigue to the hole.

 

[Cheezhead]

Wanting to compare the winding torques of two Hermle 340-020 movements, I made a slotted adaptor to connect a Mossberg B-50, 50 inch-lb torque screwdriver's flat blade to the winding key. The max torque observed among the three springs on both clocks was 8 inch-lb. at the end of a wind. Both clock's winding torques were similar with the chime springs needing more torque than the time springs. Gripping the driver's 1-3/16" dia. ruffled/corrugated handle with four fingers and thumb made it very easy to wind the clocks as compared to a winding key, even one with large wings. An added feature was that the felt and seen torque increase past 8"-lbs made obvious that the clock spring was completely wound.

 

[Jessk09]

A Gustav Becker... because the right-handed front door only opens 90° making me need to use my left hand.

Same deal with my Ingraham Kitchenette, Numb. 2

 

[Jessk09]

Besides the Ingraham, my hardest would be a D&A 31-day, mantle clock.

 

[Dave Stelling]

My Seth Thomas 8-day Ogee. The weights are in the neighborhood of 8 lbs.


View attachment 680444

Wonderful tablet, Wm. Fenn?

 

[abe]

Of my three running clocks, Thomas Lister tall case, a Barnes and Bartholomew wooden works clock and a 1929 Sessions Revere banjo clock, the hardest to wind is my Sessions banjo. Reasons: it uses a key not a crank, it is spring not weights and I have to use my left hand. It is located in our kitchen above a set of three steps leading to our stairs. I need to stand on the steps for the correct height but then need to use my left hand. It was even worse before I got my left shoulder replaced. It was so bad my wife would ask what I am doing because she heard me moaning in pain.

 

[Uhralt]

Of my three running clocks, Thomas Lister tall case, a Barnes and Bartholomew wooden works clock and a 1929 Sessions Revere banjo clock, the hardest to wind is my Sessions banjo. Reasons: it uses a key not a crank, it is spring not weights and I have to use my left hand. It is located in our kitchen above a set of three steps leading to our stairs. I need to stand on the steps for the correct height but then need to use my left hand. It was even worse before I got my left shoulder replaced. It was so bad my wife would ask what I am doing because she heard me moaning in pain.

View attachment 681977

I've got an Ingraham perpetual calendar (Figure 8) clock in a similar place in the staircase of my house. I'm using a wide wing key to wind the clock with my left hand. Works well for me.

Uhralt