As a safeguard from the energy in the main springs of "small alarm clocks", I made a very simple tool using the smallest diameter "tough" plastic pipe I could get, I cut a length of about eight or 9 inches; and using a hacksaw cut a 1/2 inch deep slot across the diameter at one end. This I found would fit perfectly over/across the winders butterfly-wings, being held in place by the shaft, when releasing the energy of the main spring it was possible to control how fast the plastic pipe spun and the mainspring unwound and it saved a good deal of time. inconveniently something very different would be required for the larger clocks with larger/more dangerous main springs. very helpful video (this little alarm clock, my very first just needed lubricating, but I've seen enough videos on RU-vid to have a few clues as to what I was doing and to have bought the necessary oils. Best wishes to all, John, Perth, Au'.
Great video presentation I do clock repairing and think you thoroughly did a “bang up” up job with the details and showing the safety and dangers involved. Truly a no novice project !🤗
I install industrial roller doors for a living, have seen for 18 years. There’s a particular design of rollers door, called Ezi roll that uses clockwork springs to counter balance the weight of the door (up to 2000kg) and 8 metre x 8 metre door has huge clockwork springs on each end. I had one this size where the drum centre, that contains the springs had split in half, with the door being closed when the drum split, the clockwork springs were fully loaded to take the weight of the door. the curtain of the door had to be cut out and removed. The weight of the drum centre was picked up with a franna crane whilst I took the two nuts off the bolts holding the spring in place. With a sledge hammer I smacked the bolt until it popped out of the bracket and let the spring go. When it finally went the amount of energy the spring released, and the noise was incredible. I could feel the the force of the spring let go. I never fully understood how clock works springs worked and watching your video explains it really well, albeit on a much smaller scale. Thanks
Matthew great video. I enjoyed it. When I first started collecting clocks in 1999 while in the UK I bought a VHS tape on general clock repair. Because I wanted to work on my own clocks. It is by Bruce E Rasmussen Horologist and Clockmaker. Within the video he shows that you can take out and put in springs by hand using proper safety equipment of course. I have to this day still take springs out and put them back in by hand. I too have a you tube channel and I constantly get criticized that I am doing this by hand. People say by the proper tools. I dont want to buy the expensive tools when I can do it by hand. The way that I see it if there was an issue with doing it this way then Mr Rasmussen would have said so in his video. What I can say is that when I get a clock it isnt working. I clean it the way that I learnt from watching this VHS tape over and over and over again since we didnt have Facebook or RU-vid back then. Afterwards the clock runs just fine. People say taking the springs out by hand you can distort the springs. I disagree. Not if you do it correctly. Plus I have worked on two very small clocks this week. Both about 4" tall. The springs inside couldnt be taken out by a main spring winder. One was wired to the half cap (wasnt a full barrel). I have never seen one made that way before. My point is sometimes main spring winders will not work. People need to know how to do remove/install safely when they dont work. Or if they dont have one. I think your video is ok but there are going to be times where the spring is full of garbage and you cant clean it properly unless taking it out and adding fresh oil to old oil is going to do more harm than good. Just my thoughts.
The first clock I serviced was a cooku clock. I just dunked it in an ultrasonic and then dried and oiled it. Said wow that's not right (pivot hole was a slot) but didn't know how to fix it, so I just put it back in service. It ran for a year and quit again. Then I decided to take the plunge and take it apart and learn how to bush it. It wasn't all that hard. I then decided to take apart a sessions Westminster chime two train clock. The plates stuck and when they released, all the parts dumped out on the table before I could see where they were.. OOPPS. but after a few days of trial and error I figured out where they all went and another few hours I figured out how to time it. Then I read its not a beginner clock. HUH but I guess I learned a lot this way and the clock works well so I did good. The next three clocks were really easy after this.
Fantastic video. I'm learning a bit more all the time watching clocks like these become disassembled and reassembled, and understanding more about how they work. Many thanks again!
Hi Mitch. Thanks for the kind comments. If you can, join us for Open Clock Club, every Saturday at 18.00. It is free to get tickets search Eventbrite Open Clock Club!
There are some problems that the proper oil for wrist watches and tools are not available in my country. There for I use alternate oils and tools which I made myself. the oil which i told you the compressor oil of fridge and aircondioner is. And one more thing it is my hobby to repair watches I love it and the repairing work has been vanished in my country approximately.
I've been repairing and regulating clocks for several years, and have steered clear of mainsprings because of time and not knowing the basics. Thanks for good explanation of basic concepts. New subscriber.
Fantastic video and i am looking forward to receiving your book. I've got a clock that wont run and is fully wound so hoping i can get some further info on correcting this!
Hi great video, I have inadvertently released the spring ratchet on my carriage clock causing the spring to unwind rapidly. (don't ask ) hence the clock spring has come away from its holding points, will I have to totally dismantle the clock spring barrel to fix this ?
Hi Roger Yes, unless you get lucky and the arbor re-hooks, complete disassembly is the only way I can think of. what usually happens I the recoil of the arbor opens-up the inner spring hooking a bit so it will not re-hook 'automatically'.
Thank you for this! My 100 year old mantle clock ran fine for two weeks but it now stops every 30 seconds even when fully wound. Fearing that we’d overwound the springs I removed the mechanism and carefully released the tension by holding back the ratchets, but both springs “unstuck” themselves several times as I unwound them. That suggested to me that they need lubrication. There are four large holes in the gear sides of the barrels. Can I spray some lubricant in there and thereby avoid disassembling the mechanism? If so what kind? An off the shelf kind is best as I am unable to buy proper clockmakers tools where I live.Thanks!
I would not use an aerosol product as they tend to be abrasive... a small amount of good quality 3-in-1 should suffice, just give it enough time and gentle motion to work it's way into all the dark recesses
As Fiskrond says, avoid spray products. Any thin oil will be better than none (a few drops only), ultimately though, the clock could be disassembled for cleaning. M
@@howtorepairpendulumclocks I have since repaired my clock. All It needed was a thorough cleaning and a relubrication of all the pivot points and main srings. I used a non-residue forming contact cleaner spray (the kind used to clean printed circuit boards after soldering) and a bit of Liberty clock oil on the pivots and springs. This still failed to free up the clock, however, but a closer inspection found some odd corrosion on the teeth of the escapement gear, the one with the sharp teeth under the rocking pivot. A bit more oil on just that gear freed it up nicely and the clock hasn't stopped since. It's been surprisingly accurate, too. Thanks for your help with this!
Hi Charles. Yes, in some twentieth century clocks, the barrel is removable without disassembling the movement frame. I presume this was a design feature to allow the replacement of a broken spring in three train clocks that are quite complicated. The reality is that now these clocks are historic objects in their own right, if for any reason the barrel needs removing, the clock probably needs disassembly, washing and re-oiling anyway. Smiths Enfield clocks do not have the removable barrel feature (as far as I have seen) so complete disassembly is the way forward. If you are a beginner, start an a single train (timepiece clock), move onto a two and then three train example, that way you will be surprised how quick it becomes to disassemble/reasssemble as your experience and confidence grows. Matthew
I bought a howard miller wall clock with triple chime. Im kinda afraid of winding it too much, im afraid that the mainspring will snap. Its really hard to wind.
Could be quite a lot going on there. The chiming mainspring has a lot of work to do so it will often be stronger than the going side spring. It could be that the spring has been replaced and it is too strong or that the lubrication in the spring had dried up making it harder to wind. A mainspring will not normally break through winding alone, that is what they are designed to do. There is a distinct phase where the spring becomes fully wound. Obviously you should stop there. Any more winding will not help, could damage the spring and importantly, if the spring does break, it could seriously damage your fingers. Can you let the clock run down or will it not work? Have you seen the video in this series about safely letting the power off the mainspring? You may want to head over to our Facebook group, lots of friendly people there who may be able to help more.
Check that the hooking on the arbor is hooked enough to catch then close the inner end of the spring with round nosed pliers. When feeding the arbor into the spring coil, do it in the opposite direction to normal winding. Hold the arbor with the winding key. Does this help? M
Many thanks for this careful explanation. I am considering replacing the mainsprings in my clock, as the originals seem to have lost some of their elasticity. Could you suggest a good source or make of replacement spring? Thanks!
Firstly I would do everything I can to keep th earlier spring unless you think it is a replacement and is over-driving the clock. Otherwise, try keep it. It may come to the stage when the spring no longer drives the clock for the entire period or the striking becomes very slow. You have a decision then to either wind the clock more often or replace the spring or not run the clock. If replacing the spring, try find a carbon steel one and remember the strength of the spring is proportional to the cube of its thickness so measure carefully and if in doubt, go for a thinner spring first. Hope this helps. Matthew
@@howtorepairpendulumclocks Thanks for the prompt reply and the good advice. The striking has, indeed, become very slow, but, as you say, I could try winding the clock more often than once per week, and I'll do that and see how I go on. I am curious as to why it is important to try to keep the original spring. Is it just for authenticity, or, perhaps, that modern springs are in some way inferior, or difficult to obtain a good match to the original? Knowing nothing about clock mainsprings, I had thought that it would be straightforward to obtain an identical spring, but that does not seem to be the case. (By the way, I have made my own spring winder, and can remove and replace the springs without damage, so that is not a problem.) Thanks again for your interest and your very informative videos.
@@Offshoreorganbuilder It is not that the modern springs are inferior. maybe the opposite. It is simply that they are not a like-for-like replacement. As you may know, the strength of a spring is proportional to the cube of the thickness. Replacing a spring with a modern version is very likely to provide too much driving force. Given that you (one) can detrmine the torque required and find a spring that provides that torque, no problem. That though is quite a challenge on its own so my basic reaction is to keep ol springs where possible. Some springs are signed and of historic value in their own right. I suppose it depends whether one considers them a consumable? Matthew
Yes, normally it means the spring broke but it may also mean the spring just came unhooked or the hooking (anchor point) for the spring broke. You will need to investigate by removing the spring from the barrel. If it broke near the outer end, it is possible to make a new hole... about 27 minutes through this video... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QaUiSGtgjoc.html
Hi Med. I think consensus is you tap the barrel arbor with a plastic mallet to pop the cap off. My preference would be to use a piece of tubing and gently squeeze the cap off, again using the barrel arbor in a vice. Hope this helps. Matthew
Hello, great videos. I have a similar piece to the one shown here. As I wind the clock it turns about three times then seems to recoil. Any idea what would cause this ? The clock is running. Thanks
Does the key recoil or does the spring kinda slip within the barrel? If it is the latter, either the outer end of the spring is not hooked into the barrel wall or the spring is broken. M
@@howtorepairpendulumclocks hello. The spring slips in the barrel I think. No recoil on key. It does get semi tight and if I wind too much it recoils or slips
@@paddypup1836 Either the spring is unhooked from the outer hooking. If it is the pressed tab type hooking you may be able to see the end of the spring. Otherwise, the spring is broken. Either way, you need to get the spring out of the barrel to resolve. M
@@howtorepairpendulumclocks thanks. I saw your video on unwinding/ letting the mainspring down. If it’s fully unwound will a lot of the energy be gone making it less dangerous to take out? Don’t have a spring winder to put back in so will have to do it manually. Thanks a lot
I have taken apart my first travel alarm clocked reassembled but it stops working at certain angles. You can hear it slow down and then stop. Do you have any suggestions on where to look? The mainspring was difficult
I have a mantel clock from 1937 and the mainspring has broken when it is overwound. does this mean the spring itself is broken does this mean teething that the connection that was keeping the spring coiled has broken, would this be easy to repair? also where I would I be able to get a new glass cover for the face?
If the winding key just continues to rotate, likely the spring has broken and will need a repair/replacing. Might be worth joining our Facebook group where you will get lots of help on next steps and info about the glass. M facebook.com/groups/424742035582369
hi, i have an old empire mantelclock. the mainspring must have been there for about 100 years. remove the two mainsprings, clean them and lubricate them. the clock runs very well until on the third day about the mainspring of the chime becomes lazy to start turning. I removed the hammer and it walked a little better until inevitably on the 4th day it begins to fail. My question is: is there any trick to make the mainspring regain some strength or will I inevitably have to change it? thanks matthew
Hi Marcelo. Have you considered simply winding the clock more often and retaining the earlier/original spring? If you do decide to replace, remember modern steel alloys are different from older ones so you probably have to fit a thinner spring than original otherwise your clock may be over-driven causing unnecessary damage and accelerated wear. The strength of a spring is proportional to the cube of its thickness. This means a small change in thickness means a big change in strength. I would try stick with the old spring. I dont know of any way old springs can be revitalised. I have heard of people trying but without success. M
@@howtorepairpendulumclocks I knew that I was not wrong in asking for his advice. I did not know that precaution of taking into account the characteristics of current steel. It is a good idea to wind it every two days, I think that way I will get the old thing to mark the time. LOL. a big hug. thanks for your videos
I understand leaving the main spring in as a means of moving forward, however it does not answer the question as to whether or not the main spring maybe bad or a problem. Without taking it out, how can you diagnosis?
Yes, leaving the spring in the barrel is simply a way of getting beginners off the starting line. With a few clocks under your belt, it will be necessary to invest in a mainspring winder and safety equipment. If the spring is broken or torn through, obviously the spring will not wind and that will prompt the next action. With springs like these in the Enfield, they rarely crack at the hooking as they are already over-driven from new. The issue may occur that with a French clock for instance, yes the spring may have started to tear at the hooking. Leaving the spring in the barrel you will not know. M
Are you in the US? There are clock material suppliers. You will need to measure the inner diameter of the barrel, the width (height).and thickness of the spring. The thickness is really important not to get something too strong do it does not damage the clock. If in doubt, go for a thinner rather than thicker spring. M
@@narcissistinjurygiver2932 Is the spring broken? If you go on the NAWCC forum, I imagine someone will have exactly the same clock and know the spring size/ M
HI Fabien. Thanks for your feedback. Yes, that is the point of the video. We are making 'reasonable adjustments' for complete beginners who are undertaking their first clock repair and have very limited tools. Obviously it is good practice to always remove and clean the mainspring using a specialist mainspring winder but that equipment is not available to most people just getting off the starting line. Hope this makes sense. Matthew
Hi, this is a great question. I tried to reply but very difficult within the 500 character limit! I'll post a video next week on the subject and cover it in Open Clock Club this evening. Thanks, Matthew bit.ly/397dntl
My clock is working fine for only 1 week but it says a 30 day's I can sync it with the right chime and time I think this might be what's wrong I've called everyone and because it's not American made there is no one that wants to touch it any help from anybody would be greatly appreciated especially from those who do it
Hi Felicia. You may want to join our How to Repair Pendulum Clocks Facebook group, loads of people there who will help. The duration and the striking I think are separate issues. Is the striking error consistent (i.e. always 2 hours fast?) or inconsistent? As for duration, if the clock has not been overhauled or serviced for a number of years, it is likely the lubrication has failed. Again, the Facebook group would be goo, you can post images and video there., Matthew
Not recommended at all. The biggest problem you are going to have is with a dirty mainspring the clock will fail to keep good time. Oiling an already dirty spring will just add more dirty oil. Without removing the spring with a good mainspring winder you have no knowledge of knowing if the end of the spring is in good condition. You could wind the spring up and in break causing damage to the barrel the teeth or more then likely damage to other wheels. The best advice I can give to beginners is to work on clock movements that have open springs, that is those that don't fit in barrels, those you can see the whole spring, easy to clean and you can see is the ends are damaged.
@@plinthley know so! Want to do it properly? Then get someone to teach you properly. The video shows you an alrealy clean barrel with a slightly worn arbor. It doesn't account for the wear on MOST clocks you will come across. It doesn't explain how to deal with the wear you WILL come across. What if the mainspring is broken? You will then have to watch another video to remedy that. He doesn't mention how to strip the clock down SAFELY BEFORE getting to the barrel in the first place. This video should start with a safety step first instead of letting you fall in at the deep end. The best place to start is with a good book Like Practical Clock Repairing by DeCarle. Step by Step guide you can refer to where you can from the beginning. They have had a lot of criticism on social media already by others (have a look on the forums yourself) who find this advice appaling for the beginner and doesn't say much for their morals - profiteers out of a situation where people have been made redundant through no fault of their own . Yes they saw an opportunity as business people to make money. It also doesn't say much for the so called training they received where they teach how to do short cuts, isn't their tutors and experts they associate with up in arms about this bodging? No because they are a closed shop to protect their own reputations. I couldn't morally rip someone off by bodging like this. Even wouldn't do that to my own clocks - couldn't live with myself and nor should anyone else who does short cuts - even to their own clocks. Every beginner will make mistakes - happens in most trades whilst learning - but this is NOT learning how to repair properly is it? You wouldn't say to a trainee mechanic "just top up the oil" on a service would you? doesn't make any sense!
