William Barnard 1740 clock problem

[jacobsthlm]

I posted about this clock in new purchases but my problems stopped being answered and perhaps this disappeared in everything els in that thread. The problem remains. When the clock was put together and I levelled the case so the pendulum hangs more or less in the middle of the case. But I can’t get it to tick and have to remove the brass end, and now hold the pendulum as far as possible to the left, until the seconds make the tick. I also have a bird on the front that is moving when the pendulum does, and that is from start to the left and not in the middle, indicating the position in wrong.

Is there any other solution then bending the crutch rod? Even if I can’t do that fix myself maybe I need to give this to a shop for fix but it will make the price I payed double or more. If so I need to consider this. I don’t want to bend it until I understand this fully.

I got the advice to hang the pendulum without going through the crutch rod to see if it was in the middle and when not level the case as a first step, and I done this. There is another thing that maybe needs to be corrected as well. As you can see the pendulum feather hangs not optimal because the arm is bent slightly down. Is this something that will matter in this? The feather is not touching the back of the rod any more, as seen on that picture.

Jacob

 

[novicetimekeeper]

take the hood off and wedge the movement up until you get it to work as you want, you will then know how much you need to bend the crutch.

How heavy are the weights? They have very unusual proportions. They would normally be shorter and fatter. You would expect weights of around ten pounds on the time and twelve on the strike.

How is the clock vertically? Have you, perhaps, fixed it to the wall but not allowed for the skirting board? Perhaps you need to space it off the wall so that is is more vertical, or to adjust the seatboard by wedging at the front or back?

 

[shutterbug]

Your bird might be causing an issue too. See if it moves freely by itself, and make sure that it is also "in beat". A little smear of oil where it touches the crutch might help too.

 

[jacobsthlm]

take the hood off and wedge the movement up until you get it to work as you want, you will then know how much you need to bend the crutch.

How heavy are the weights? They have very unusual proportions. They would normally be shorter and fatter. You would expect weights of around ten pounds on the time and twelve on the strike.

How is the clock vertically? Have you, perhaps, fixed it to the wall but not allowed for the skirting board? Perhaps you need to space it off the wall so that is is more vertical, or to adjust the seatboard by wedging at the front or back?

The owner before me had it attached to the wall and in the beginning it felt unstable but after hanging the weights this changed and with them hanging I can not see any risk. Without yes. The proportions of the clock is top heavy. I will attach another picture of the whole clock. When testing the weights I discover they needed to be shifted. The time is 4 kilo and the bell is 5 kilo.

I don’t know what the skirting board is? I hade to adjust the seatboard and move it slightly toward the front as the crutch rod hit the back of the clock. Sideway the clock case is okey but it leans forward. I need to put of wood the but we are talking about 1cm. As you can see on the feather, it lean a bit forward. As you can see the arm to the bird touches the metal and I have to fix that also. I wanted to put some weights in the bottom but it has no bottom piece. The white paddings did not fix the problem, it also need a piece of wood that it now have. The front piece with the glass, has a smart locking system inside the case, so it can’t glide forward and make it fall. As you can see the seatboard is replaced and it’s not a nice work. Unfortunately I can’t make a better one...

 

[jacobsthlm]

Your bird might be causing an issue too. See if it moves freely by itself, and make sure that it is also "in beat". A little smear of oil where it touches the crutch might help too.

As you now can see it’s not mounted like that and as I already answered, it has to be adjusted so it doesn’t touch the metal frame. Should I oil it anywhere?

 

[novicetimekeeper]

The clock is designed to be fixed to the wall, it will not be safe without it but also it is not rigid enough without it and will be subject to sympathetic vibration which can stop the clock and further weaken the case structure. It is not designed to be free standing like a modern clock.

In the UK and other countries there is a piece of wood or cement or tile that goes along the bottom of the wall, we call the wood a skirting board.

 

[jacobsthlm]

The clock is designed to be fixed to the wall, it will not be safe without it but also it is not rigid enough without it and will be subject to sympathetic vibration which can stop the clock and further weaken the case structure. It is not designed to be free standing like a modern clock.

In the UK and other countries there is a piece of wood or cement or tile that goes along the bottom of the wall, we call the wood a skirting board.

How should I best mount It to the wall? Can I put in some weights in the lower part and make it safe that way or is it’s construction build so bad this is not safe?

 

[novicetimekeeper]

The usual way is to screw a batten to the wall and screw the clock to that through the back board. You can usually find a few holes in the back board that you can reuse.

 

[TEACLOCKS]

Please don't drill a new hole.

 

[jacobsthlm]

The clock is designed to be fixed to the wall, it will not be safe without it but also it is not rigid enough without it and will be subject to sympathetic vibration which can stop the clock and further weaken the case structure. It is not designed to be free standing like a modern clock.

In the UK and other countries there is a piece of wood or cement or tile that goes along the bottom of the wall, we call the wood a skirting board.

The way walls look like here, there is no way to get the clock agains the wall, as it has a socket close to the floor and this pushes out the clock from the wall a bit. Yes there is holes and I wondered what they was made for and now I know. I looked on both back and front of that wall and I can not see any traces it ever had a skirting board. When you refer to a modern clock, do you then mean 100 years further as in the 1850? The other English clock I have from 1730, have a case from 1846 and that is made in one piece with a bottom and stands very good for itself....

 

[novicetimekeeper]

The other clock you have is not in a conventional case, cases were made the same way until the late 19th century.

One of ours is 100mm off the wall to avoid some pipes, there are two pieces of timber 100x50 fitted to the wall. The wood is counter bored so that I did not need huge screws to fit them to the wall, and there are two screws with washers through the backboard in each to give the maximum support. That is a 1690s clock.

 

[shutterbug]

You might be able to tap some wooden shims under the front. They would be not too noticible. A longer piece of wood matching the clock case color might be less ugly.

 

[jacobsthlm]

You might be able to tap some wooden shims under the front. They would be not too noticible. A longer piece of wood matching the clock case color might be less ugly.

Thanks but when tied to the wall it straightened up. It’s now running without issues. The only a bit irritating is that the glass front piece is locked in place by a “lock” inside the case and not super easy to open/remove and I have to do that every time I wind the clock up...

Thank everybody who helped in this thread!

 

[novicetimekeeper]

The only a bit irritating is that the glass front piece is locked in place by a “lock” inside the case and not super easy to open/remove and I have to do that every time I wind the clock up...

Thank everybody who helped in this thread!

That is a part of the history of the clock, often missing in later life.

When this clock was new it would have been an important part of running the household, possibly the only clock in the house but definitely the most accurate. It will have regulated the actions of the staff in the house.

To ensure nobody could interfere with it the clock would be kept locked, the key held by the master of the house or the butler, if there was one. The latch or turnbuckle inside the trunk meant that only the case door needed a key.

As clocks became cheaper and more numerous in the house these features were no longer fitted.

 

[jacobsthlm]

That is a part of the history of the clock, often missing in later life.

When this clock was new it would have been an important part of running the household, possibly the only clock in the house but definitely the most accurate. It will have regulated the actions of the staff in the house.

To ensure nobody could interfere with it the clock would be kept locked, the key held by the master of the house or the butler, if there was one. The latch or turnbuckle inside the trunk meant that only the case door needed a key.

As clocks became cheaper and more numerous in the house these features were no longer fitted.

Thanks for informing me. I never thought about this before. I’m a little sorry that the original “lock” and hinges are changed some time but when the clock is mounted and running it feels very complete. I was wondering why the winder tool not has been hanging inside the case and your explanation clarify and explains this. The clock itself maybe not hade a lock from start (as it has now), but having that tool would have been given only to a “important person” in the household and maybe most people would not even know how to remove the glass.....