I just now learned how the great wheels – the mainspring gears – work, by finding they didn’t work correctly in my Korean clock. The strike train Tension Washer, that is supposed to hold the gear firmly against the ratchet, has come loose. …so I had to disassemble the clock, after it had run fine for over 11 days.
Continue reading Clock Repair 101: How the Great Wheel works
In my previous post about this clock I ordered a replacement pendulum suspension rod and bob, because the originals were missing. In this post I cut the suspension rod to length and adjust the speed of the clock, using audio recording to measure the timing of the tick-tock.
Continue reading Clock Repair 101: Adjusting the Korean Clock Speed
Since I was making good progress on my first clock, I decided to haunt the antique malls looking for a second one to work on. I wasn’t really planning to buy a clock until I’d finished the first, but I found the perfect second clock to work on.
Continue reading The second clock: a craft-altered Ansonia Derby
In my previous post I calculated the theoretical length of the pendulum my Korean 30-day clock requires. You may recall that the clock as I bought it had a broken pendulum suspension spring, and the pendulum parts – the suspension rod and bob – were missing. In this post I order replacement pendulum parts.
Continue reading Clock Repair 101: Ordering replacement parts
In my previous post I finished cleaning my junker clock, ending up with a jumble of gears and other parts. You may recall that when I disassembled this clock, parts sort of fell out willy-nilly, leaving me a bit fuzzy about what gears go where. In this post, I figure out which gears are part of the Going (time) Train (gear set), and as a bonus I calculate the length of pendulum this clock requires.
Continue reading Clock Repair 101: Making sense of the Time Gears
In my previous post I showed the early results of my cleaning of my junker clock by hand. In this post I show why cleaning by hand isn’t really very effective at removing old oil and dirt.
Continue reading Clock Repair 101: I finished “Cleaning” the clock
In my previous post, I disassembled my junker, practice clock. In this post, I begin to clean it. The pro’s use an ultrasonic cleaner, but I’m on a budget, so I’m doing it by hand.
Continue reading Clock Repair 101: Cleaning (or something approaching it)
In my previous post I covered the dangers of mainsprings, and bought the minimum of tools required to safely handle mainsprings. In this post I disassemble my junker clock.
Using my new mainspring clamps and Let Down key, I “let down” (unwound) the chime mainspring and time mainspring, following the process I’d seen in the videos: Continue reading Clock Repair 101: Disassembly / Destruction
In my previous post I explained how I got started on this strange path to clock repair. In this post I talk about the dangers, some videos, and my first clock repair tools. Continue reading Clock Repair 101: A time bomb waiting to go off
The Dark Arts of clock repair open before me. I feel the need to wear flannel. …to create a basement workshop. …and to live where it snows most of the year. What brought this malady on? A clock.
Continue reading Clock Repair 101: “Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate”
