I have a New Haven. Its' eskape wheels teeth face toward the rotation. I am haveing trouble with it. The teeth are worn. If I purchase a new escapement wheel with same number of teeth but 1mm larger diamitor will it work? Or do I need to puchase a new escapement wheel and a matching rocker? Any suggestions?
Hi John- You mention the EW teeth are raked towards the direction of rotation and that generally indicates a deadbeat or half-deadbeat escapement rather than a recoil. However, to answer your question... No, changing out the escape wheel won't fix your escapement. The pallets need to have any wear ruts polished out and then the escapement would need to be adjusted for proper drops and locks. While the escape wheel teeth may show some slight wear, this sort of wear is secondary to the wear on the pallets and isn't likely to stop the clock. A damaged/worn escape wheel can be restored much easier than replacing it. Hope that helps!
Yes, the wear ruts in the pallets should be dressed out and then the escapement properly adjusted to compensate for the loss of material. The ClockClass DVD, "The Recoil Escapement", covers this in depth during the 1 hour video. I'm happy to discuss this in depth via e-mail if you have more questions!
@@clockclass5480 I wonder if I could do a job like that. I’m pretty handy and I like fit, but this is my first mechanical clock. What do you charge for a set of your courses?
@@jonahhahr7756 Hi Jonah- The email reply I sent bounced due to your email inbox being full. Here is my reply... Congratulations on your purchase! EN Welch hanging kitchen clocks aren’t all that common. They aren’t worth thousands, certainly, but are worth hundreds. If you have your clock running, there’s really no need to do anything further. Yes, a novice could do a restoration on this escapement but it isn’t necessary until the clock won’t keep running or doesn’t run a full 8 days. Then, the whole movement should be gone through, not just the escapement. Regards, D.
As a struggling clock repairer, amateur, the hardest thing for me has been adjusting the escapement. I have been told the strip recoil is among the easiest and most forgiving. I know your video is short ,but it really does not explain much and would not encourage me to buy the longer version. Sorry
Hi Alec- Thanks for your comment! Adjusting escapements is indeed difficult and something that requires quite a bit of time to explain. I'm sorry the very short video didn't meet your needs. Since you aren't interested in the ClockClass DVDs, I would encourage you to read up on escapements on the NAWCC Message Board. There is a wealth of information there. And I'm always happy to answer any questions that may arise.
I totally get that this is the "correct" method to rebuild these rotors. Are there any recommendation for those of us lacking the serious and precision equipment demonstrated? Are there any recommendations, such as the "oil fill method", that sort of falls into the "better than nothing" service category? I would like to just help the movement last a few more years via preventative maintenance. Is there an modern accurate replacement for these motors?
Hi Richard- Telechron rotors will often develop wear problems in the bearing holes of the phenolic plates which causes the gears to either mesh closer together or farther apart. This results in depthing issues when the teeth bottom out (too close together) or butt (too far apart) and the increased friction causes the rotor to fail. Unfortunately, no amount of lubrication will solve this problem. There are no modern replacements for the B-Type rotors as they are no longer being made. You ask about inexpensive methods to help these along a few more years and those rotors that have seized up due to sticky lubricants, rather than due to wear, may be gotten to work with additional lubrication but at a risk of destroying the rotor. For example, the method of heating up the rotor so it will draw oil into the case as it cools risks wear of the phenolic wheel teeth since the oily sludge will act as a grinding paste. The method of drilling a hole in the housing to flush the old lubricant and fill with new risks damage to the delicate movement inside during the drilling process. If we still had a supply of these, and they were easily replaced, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend risky, inexpensive methods to try to get a rotor working again. Hope that helps!
Hi Mike- I keep that particular example intact for training purposes. However, it would be a simple matter to remove the pieces since the mainspring no longer has much energy. It is just a bundle of fragments which can be pushed out so the safety clip can be reused. if the pieces can't be removed by hand, they can be driven out with a punch.
I have bought a granddaughter clock and the Westminster chime goes slow every 3 days ..the tune is slow... do you have or know of a video covering this problem. Th clock keeps good time and the chimes strike at the correct positions ( hour , 3 , 6 and 9 ) but the chime slows after 3 days .
Hi James- The term "granddaughter clock" generally refers to a small hall clock which is spring-driven rather than weight-driven like a grandmother or grandfather clock. If your clock is spring-driven, be sure you are properly winding it. It should be wound fully, until it comes to a hard stop, not just until you think it is tight. I'll be happy to help further, with more information.
It isn't normally necessary to remove an escape wheel from its hub. Remounting it, or mounting a new one, often necessitates making a new hub to ensure the EW runs true. Should it need to be removed, I would carefully machine off the peened areas of the hub which hold the wheel in place and then drive off the wheel.
@@jordanbusby6231 Well... That's not what the manufacturer had intended and, as a professional clockmaker, not something I'd recommend doing. However, it would be a good learning experience in adjusting an escapement 🙂. The recoil escape wheel can be removed, flipped over, and used as a deadbeat EW (sort of). The EW teeth will be too wide at the base and not have sufficient clearance for a Graham deadbeat anchor but may work for a half-deadbeat strap anchor. The half-deadbeat strap pallets will need to be custom shaped to conform to the proper escapement geometry. If you are wanting a Graham deadbeat escapement, the EW teeth can be filed to shape so they have enough relief. The effort to do this conversion greatly outweighs the benefits of a deadbeat escapement vs a recoil escapement. Good luck with it!
Thanks! You make it look easy. I'm going to try again now, especially that last adjustment move. I have problem where it won't keep running .. stops after a few hours ..
Hi Sputnik- Your stopping issue may not be escapement related. Everything about the movement needs to be considered when troubleshooting power issues. Make sure the movement doesn't have significant wear and is well lubricated. And yes, the escapement does need to be properly adjusted 🙂. But, if your movement is running for several hours before stopping, the problem might not be the escapement.
The Ingraham half-deadbeat has a strap pallet which can be adjusted for entrance drop by slightly bending the strap close to the middle. So, you don’t actually adjust one pallet or the other, you adjust both simultaneously. Hope that helps!
Would an out of adjustment escapement cause the ticking sound of the clock to be more of a knocking sound? My clock knocks for a while, then fades to the normal ticking and then back to the knocking.
Knocking sounds as you describe are more than likely the pendulum hitting something as it swings. The pendulum tries to reach its normal amplitude but then hits the side of the case, or other obstruction, before it reaches its maximum excursion. This dampens the pendulum action, reducing the swing, and the sound goes back to normal. There are several solutions to this issue... -Make sure the case is level and the clock is in beat. If the clock isn't level, the pendulum will come closer to one side of the case than the other and could strike the side of the case. -If the pendulum hits both sides, the escapement will need adjusting so there is more exit and entrance drop. This will reduce the amount of swing of the pendulum by reducing the lock. -See if the obstruction can be moved. I've seen gong standards improperly positioned and interfering with the swing of the pendulum. Hope that helps!
@@clockclass5480 yea, thats what i thought at first, but if i reduce the swing by hand, it doesn't get any better, so i assumed it was escape mechanism because i cant find where the pendulum is hitting anything.
@@kwacz Ok! This is all part of the troubleshooting process. Look for the easy stuff first 🙂. Since your pendulum isn't hitting anything, it could be your escape wheel has damaged teeth or is out-of-round. This would cause the pallets to lightly catch an escape wheel tooth rather than fully releasing it and cause the knocking sound. This would generally stop the clock. One way to tell if it is the escape wheel is to count the ticks. If you consistently get 7 knocking sounds, for example, followed by 31 normal ticks, it is the EW that's the problem. Here is an article which discusses escape wheel problems... abouttime-clockmaking.com/pdfs/escape_wheel_problems.pdf
Mainspring-driven clocks often have mainsprings in barrels. The outer end of the mainspring catches on a hook inside the barrel and the inner coil of the mainspring catches on a hook on the winding arbor. If one or the other of this hooks becomes damaged, the clock can't be wound because the mainspring won't catch. The ClockClass DVD discusses the repair of both of these hooks.
I have looked in clock supply catalogs and there is no such thing as mainspring ''clips''. There are there are mainspring clamp , both courved and flat for loop end (open) springs There are no ''clips'' for hole end (barrel) springs..but there are sleeves.
Thanks. I am working on a clock for a customer. it is identical. I was stumbling around until I saw your video. Okay. I was stumbling around after that also. but: very helpful. Someone before me was messing with it. pretty common in lots of businesses.
The Timetrax 185 works the same as the model 350 for beat amplifier and BPH. However, the Timetrax 350 has additional features like a Holdoff knob. This allows the timer to “listen” at just the right moment for the “tick” and “rock”, eliminating other noises that can cause errors in the readout. Two other features are… 1) pre-set time trains for rate and 2) balance for in or out of beat.
Excellent video. Thank you. Adjusting the pallets/verge/crutch, etc. has always been troublesome. I think I better see what is going on now. You took it slow and explained along the way.
Guess I was expecting a little more in depth process on this service such as inspection of gears pivots and bushings and the procedure in that repair if needed. And adding of oil and what type. Just saying.
Hi Will- Thanks for your comments! ClockClass does have a 1h 20m DVD dedicated to the restoration of a Telethon B-Type Rotor which covers everything you would expect. There is also a free article which discusses the topic here... abouttime-clockmaking.com/pdfs/in_the_can_telechron_labounty.pdf. Hope that helps!
i meant to ask you when winding the clock the left winder i think is for the gears and is the right for the striker..i dont wind all the way till i cant wind any more i usually wind till i feel it getting tight then i stop..but tonight when i was winding one of my clocks again ever so carefully the spring sort of unwound about 1/3 from where i started to where i had to rewind it again what causes the spring to do that..in other words the spring on the left it wants to not wind like it feels like it untightens or whatever the term is wheni put the key in and tried to tighten both sides
Hi IFCJ-Supporter- Clock mainsprings should be would fully or the clock won't function properly. If a mainspring is wound fully and doesn't want to unwind, it means it is time to service it. Also, you mention one of your mainsprings seems to unwind during the winding process. The mainspring is probably sticky and causing the mainspring to jump during winding. 30-day mainsprings are extra long and the outer coils, if sticky, will often stick in the unwound position while the inner coils are being wound. When the tension on the inner coils gets strong enough to overcome the stickiness, the outer coils will slip onto the inner coils and the whole mainspring relaxes. This is another indication the movement needs to be serviced. Hope that helps!
@@clockclass5480 thank you very much. You are a really excellent teacher and thank you for your replies. Wish I could do a survey on you. You’re the best Have a great weekend
hi I have a Elgin RA Korean made pendulum 31 day wall clock..it stopped beating and it is balanced of course its up against the flat wall and it is balanced from left to right as well. i have several clocks as my grand father was a Seth Thomas clock maker but he is now passed away but i got a few of his clocks and they work fine but this Elgin is a mystery to me.i think it was made back around the late 1960s early 70s.. i cant get it to work for no more than 5 minutes and it stops..when i swing the pendulum left to right all i really hear is a tick. Not a tock..what could that be knowing it is against the wall and leveled right to left..is there a difference between leveled R-L and balanced R-L..im at a loss here..would appreciate maybe what you could tell me what it could be..i'm mechanically savvy..i build camera systems and i work with alot of Micro tools building cameras. Usually big studio cameras..if you could direct me as what to do i will try it and see if it helps .and i really appreciate your level of horology or clock smithing..you are obviously a master clock Smith and this is a rare art talent..Wish i had been around my grand father more when i was younger but the military kept me away a lot..i was always amazed watching him though,,his home had about 20 clocks that went off at the same time day in and day out and at night when i stayed with him sometimes they were not all in sync..ha ha..talk about not getting any sleep..personally i cant sleep if my clocks are not going off and i love the sound of the tick tock tick tock..my friends all tell me how can you deal with the sound of those clocks..literally i don't hear them like they do..thanks for the video. watching it was a lesson learned..
Hi IFCJ-Supporter- A clock can be level side-to-side and still be out of beat. The beat must be adjusted by either bending the crutch wire or adjusting the friction clutch by pushing the crutch to one side. You say you are only hearing a "tick" and not a "tock" and what you may be hearing is the anchor bottoming out on the escape wheel rather than the anchor catching an escape wheel tooth as the escape wheel rotates. Remove the hands and dial and watch the escapement. If the anchor isn't positioned to allow the escape wheel to rotate, adjust the beat until you get the proper escapement action and an even "tick" "tock". Hope that helps!
HI Devon- If a clock is set in beat and still doesn't want to run then yes, there are power problems which are preventing the pendulum from having sufficient over-swing. It could be due to dry and dirty oils or wear issues or a myriad of other things. If straightening out these issues aren't something you are comfortable doing, you can seek out a professional here... awci.memberclicks.net/find-a-professional Hope that helps!
