AWESOME! I followed your instructions exactly (I have the exact same clock!) and my clock that hasn't worked in 15 years is working and keeping perfect time!!! BRAVO! One small suggestion. Remind folks to note the time before removing the hands. I didn't and had to figure out how to adjust the time to coordinate with the cuckoo. Not hard (just loosen the hands and adjust it to reflect the number of cuckoos generated at the top of the hour and re-tighten). Excellent video, and the tip for the oil was much appreciated! :)
Thank you for this video. You're a good teacher, patient and you don't make it complicated. Thank you! But MOST of all Thank you for telling everyone about the love of Jesus. It's so true, he can fix ANYTHING! 👍🏻
What a great man of God and humble person. This was so fun to watch and in a woman!😂 I just bought my first cuckoo clock….wanted one for years and this video gives me some good education….if I can fix it, that would be short of a miracle🙏
So helpful!! I had a cuckoo clock with chain that fell off and its been inoperable for over a year. Using your instructions, I pulled the tab off the button of the chain and simply rethreaded it on the gear. I am so appreciative of your video and instructions!
I've been worried about attempting to tune up my non-functioning cuckoo clock. Your video was so easy to follow. I'm ready to buy some gear oil and get my clock running again. And thank for for your closing comment. It is great to hear a fellow man of God willing to come forward.
My grandmother passed away this week and left me her 50's Schatz 8 day cuckoo clock. The pendulum does not stay in motion for very long. I will try cleaning it as you advise. Thank you for spreading your knowledge.
May the memories of your grandmother be blessed druszaj and may the Lord heal you and your family in this time of grief. Let me know if this video helps!
@@Genes49 Yes I was able to get it running and keeping time from the cleaning and oiling. Just be very careful of the paper baffles, very easy to damage
@@FixiT-Rick `it did work :) It's now running smoothly. I can hear some slight metal on metal somewhere in it, so maybe there's a spot i need to add more oil. It was in a dusty flat in London so had seized up a bit over the years. Thanks!
My dad bought 2 clocks kinda like yours 35 years ago and neither work. One was thrown out of a moving car. 😢 The other might be dirty. I've watched a few videos but they were too complicated or you had to be a member. When I saw you explaining so easily, you gave me the confidence to crack it open. Is there an alternative oil besides the oil you used? What if a good cleaning doesn't make it work? Is there a next step? Thank you for your videos and your voice for God. Nowdays people are a bit afraid to speak out about Father, Son and Holy Sprit. Love you my brother
Que hermosa pieza de colección ese reloj cucu!! Lo bueno es que hay personas como vos que uno mira y aprende. Felicitaciones! Muy buen video. 👍👏👏👏👏👏 un saludo desde Argentina!!
Thanks for the video Rick. We (my wife) have 4 German Cuckoos and some other wall clocks and I have always been nervous about working on them. With your video I believe I can tackle the one that no longer works then clean and oil the rest. Thanks, the video makes this look easy as long as I work slowly and carefully. Ordering clock oil now!
Extremely good video, thanks a lot!! Greetings from Colombia. My Cuckoo clock was purchased in Miami Florida in one of my business trips way back in 1980! It has worked flawlessly but it suddenly started to stop and the cuckoo singing was very slow. I consulted as local clock repair store here in Bogotá, and they want a small fortune for fixing it. But now, with your extremely well made video, I'm going to try to repair my clock. Incidentally, I'm surprised on how you wash the clock mechanism with just water and soap. Again thanks a lot!! EDUARDO
Make sure the gears have been dried out after you wash them. They must be bone dry with the cuckoo clock oil applied to where the gears rotate and touch each other.
Thanks. I have basically the same clock, and it would only run a couple of hours at a time. Washing the movement with detergent as you show has worked so far.
@@FixiT-Rick Unfortunately, we have one good clock guy here in San Antonio. He's been here for many years, but he won't take new customers. I guess I could drive it to Dallas or Houston.
@@FixiT-Rick And there's the problem. There supposedly one competent clock repair guy that works on cuckoo clocks. He is retired and doesn't accept new clients.
Hello Rick, thanks a lot for your video. I've got an old cuckoo clock (I love it) and I am planning to clean it and make it work (the bird and dancers work well but the clock is not moving). I already bought the oil. this is going to be my little project for today :) thanks a lot for the message at the end of the video.
Amazing. I am looking at your clock and it looks almost exactly like the one on my living room wall and it was given to me by my family. Mine has a darker wood color, but the same overall design with pinecomb weights. It is a Schatz 8 day cuckoo clock and I think it was purchased it in the 1940s because my family member that bought it died in 1953. It was boxed up in 1975 when I was a kid and then in 2015, I found a local clock repair shop. It was running well until last summer when it began stopping unpredictably, so I think it needs cleaning. I am industrious as you are but a bit nervous about cleaning it myself but it does not seem very complicated. This seems to be a good weekend project, I'll let you know how it works out. Thanks for the video.
@@FixiT-Rick Rick, well today's the day that I am going to attempt to clean, oil, and get my clock working again. I bought the oil that you recommended and I'll let you know how it goes.
Well Rick, I was not able to get it fixed, but I did find a cucko clock repair shop near me. The clock shop that I found back in 2016 is now closed, and I was very surprised to find this new shop. I'll just take it in this week and have the pro clean it up and get it running. Thanks for your video and I enjoyed trying.
I been wanting one of these cool clocks I see them at the swapmeets from time to time , Next time I will get one and fix it the Hunt is on!!!!!!!!! Blessings from So California
This may be too late for you to answer, but... I bought a Schmeckenbelcher musical cuckoo clock a few weeks ago. It had not been run in quite a while, from what the person I bought it from said. It was dusty inside and I cleaned it up. It did not have a pendulum, but the pendulum wire ran fine for hours at a time. I watched a video on how to lubriucate the movement, and even though it seemed to be running fine, I lubricated it using the same oil that you used in your video. Ever since then, I cannot get the clock to keep running - it stops after a few seconds, with or without the pendulum attached. I only used a drop of oil on each gear pivot point, and I wiped up any excess oil - but it will not stay running unless I put two weights on the chain. I have not taken the movement out of the clock to clean it like you did in your video. I am hesitant to do so because of the musical movement. What do I need to do to get the clock running again? Thanks in advance.
Take lots of pictures and remove one thing at a time. Dirt is probably the one thing that’s hindering your cuckoo clock. If you can carefully and slowly remove the gearbox, you can clean it, dry it, and put it all back together. That’s my best guess.
@@FixiT-Rick I took the clock down, sprayed the movement with compressed air, sprayed a little WD40 on the gear pivot points, then took a heat gun and dried out the movement, thinking that maybe the heat gun would spread the oil out a little thinner on the pivot points. I let the movement air out for a day, then used the heat gun again - and now the clock is running perfectly! Amazing!
Thanks for sharing. I just bought a clock very similar to yours from a friend of mine. I’ve only had it for two days, and for some reason the pendulum won’t stay in motion. The clock seems to be level. It worked for a day or two. Not sure if the pendulum got slightly bent or something.
Glad this video might help you. Whenever the gears are covered in dust they will eventually prevent the cuckoo clock pendulum swinging. Also really important, the pendulum needs to be secured to the pendulum pin. Kind a like it’s pinching the pendulum pin so it doesn’t swing loosely. Hopefully this works out for you, let me know.
This was a great vid. My grand sons pulled hard on our clock and messed it up. I though it was just the chains were off their pulleys. I got them back on successfully and it kucus etc. the problem I’m having is the weight for the kucu will go down when it kucus but won’t go back up when I pull the chain. Any suggestions?
My cuckoo clock with a music box is frozen. Nothing moves, if you removed the music box and reinstalled it, would that resolve the issue? Thank you, Lynn
Great video. Hope your clocks are not like mine. Mine worked for over 30 years but I never oiled it. Now the place where the pendulum weight shaft goes through the brass plate is worn out. Moral of the story - make sure you oil yours periodically so that does not happen to yours.
Thanks for watching Fix iT Rick! If you want to watch more videos, subscribe, and comment on things you want to see get fixed! Thanks for sharing this video!
One thing to note is that this is an 8 day movement which is less common than a 1 day. There are also cuckoo clocks with dancers or a person on a swing. All of these mean different sizes and amount of pine cones that must be located in the correct holes or they pull down in the wrong direction.
Thank you for this video and the awesome music befitting a Texan! I have the same identical old clock as the one you worked on. It was my first cuckoo clock about 40 years ago and I went cuckoo over them. I had a musical one worked on a couple of times because the music stopped and it cost me an arm and leg. My big hunter clock like yours fell off the wall one day and my husband wanted to trash it. I took it under my care and glued back the broken wooden pieces and bought new bellows. That baby runs but it will not cuckoo. Does a clock this old have a silencer that perhaps is keeping the bird inside? I appreciate any advise.
Yes, they do have a way to silence the cuckoo. If the cuckoo door is closed shut then it will not make a sound. The cuckoo has to come out in order to make music or a sound of some kind. Glad you saved your clock! 🐦 🕰
I just received a new one day cuckoo clock from Germany as a gift. Every time i pull the chain to move the time weight back up, the clock pendulum stops. I don’t always catch it right away, so I have to reset the time & start the pendulum. I don’t have the cuckoo on.
My daughter brought a cuckoo clock home from the thrift. It doesn't have a pendulum or weights. I've gone on eBay to try and find some, and the weights are different. Is there a way to know what weight to buy? Thanks for your time ❤🕊
I have a similar one . One of the papers on the whistle is torn Haven't had time yet but am looking forward to fixing it. It has a bird and a little leather mouse. Not sure where the mouse fits in tho
Thank you for this video Bless you. I made a mistake of setting the clock by moving hands anti clock wise and now the cuckoo stopped coming out . The cuckoo is stuck and does not come out . It's not stuck as the bellows are moving and the bird comes out manually
If the cuckoo appears, listen to how many times is make the cuckoo sound. The number of times it cuckoos is the hour. 6 cuckoos calls, means 6 o’clock.
You didn’t say to rinse the movement after cleaning! Now that soap residue can break down the oil you put on the movement. Also, the clock was not working properly in the time lapse at the end. The bird never came out.
Hello kind sir, I happened upon your video because I accidentally stepped on a chain when moving my cuckoo clock. Now the bird won't come out. Do you think if I follow the steps in your video, it will fix this problem that I stupidly created? I'm so sick of myself right now 😢
Oh my goodness! My husband just pulled on the weight and it cuckoo'd!!! Not sure if it will continue working because I pulled on the weight too and it didn't work. God answers prayers for sure!!!❤🙏
When it comes to fixing cuckoo clocks, it's best to touch or clean as little as possible. These clocks are very delicate. Amazing technology for their time!
So when you rechaing it, they both come through the middle , so one clockwise one anti-clockwise...or is it because you are rightie? It probably doesnt matter
If the chain easily turns in one direction, for example, if the gear easily rotates clockwise, you want the side that turns with the most resistance to be where the counterweight hangs on.
Before washing the movement in detergent and water, soak the movement in Mineral Spirits (paint thinner) for 15 minutes. Mineral Spirits is a much more effective solvent at dissolving old oil. Then wash the movement in water and detergent (If you have an ultrasonic cleaner, it is even better than washing the movement in a sink). Be careful with that heat gun, use a low heat setting. Too much heat is Not good for any clock movement.
Try to find something loose or out of place where the Cuckoo is connected. It’s always something small that can disconnect it from working. Start looking at the thing you want to work and ask very simple questions like, is that supposed to be loose? Did something fall out of place?
@@FixiT-Rick she is running fine now less the bird or gong. I completely cleaned it. will start looking in it to see if I can find something. My Bird is relieved though the cuckoo scared her
Hi again Rick - managed to disassemble and reassemble my cuckoo clock, which I started 4 months ago, but I cannot work out how the rod that connects the bellows to the mechanism fits onto the staple at the bellows end! Have peered at and enlarged all the video but cannot see enough to work it out. Don't want to push it too hard in case it's the wrong way and snaps. Can you demonstrate please?! I took lots of pics and video but didn't photograph that bit!
Thanks for sharing this video. I just purchased what looks like the identical clock. Two issues seem to be at hand. First is the clock has run for no more than three hours without stopping. Second is that the clock seems to always stop after the cuckoo sings at the top of the hour. I have a bim bam mantel clock that I have worked on in the past but cuckoo clocks are new to me. Special oil ordered as it is quite dusty. The top of the hour thing baffles me. Any suggestions?
Hey Rick, I have a cuckoo clock and one of the weights drops to the floor and pendulum doesn't swing. It's a small clock from west Germany . Best Wishes! Nice video!
Hey there Caramia! The cuckoo clock needs to be at least 7 feet high from the floor. And the pendulum needs to sit nice and snug on the part that swings. Thanks for watching the video!
my cuckoo isnt coming out... but i noticed that there is that M shape wire that isn't connected to anything... but not sure what it could be doing in there? also the cuckoo will come out if i move the gears...
I have a identical clock like yours. However the chain doesn’t hold the weight. The second problem is the big hand and small hand stop moving. Thoughts ?
Great question! I would like to know more about why you think the chain does not hold the weight? And if both hands stopped moving that means the gears are dirty and you just need to clean it like how I demonstrated in this video and use Clock gear oil to lubricate the gears properly. The link for the Clock lubricating oil is in the description. Does this help you?
@@FixiT-Rick as I rewind the clock I pull the chain and weight all the way to top/bottom of the clock. When I release or let go the weight drops and the weight falls to the bottom. It’s like the pully is off track
You missed the point I wanted to see, I removed the back of my cuckoo clock and don’t know how to get the arm hooked back into the spring (you showed putting your finger through the hole to release it, but not how to replace it
Hi Thanks for the video. I also have a 1day cuckoo clock. The clock is ticking, one chain and weight are going. But the other weight doesn't move. I only can pull it up. So the bird doesn't cuckoo What can I do about that problem?
Thank you for your replay That wasn't the problem It was the hammer and the gong The two held each other stuck so the chain for the cuckoo didn't run. I hope you understand, I am from Holland😁
received a new 8 day cuckoo clock with music box for Christmas. The clock was shipped from Germany, everything works ok but the cuckoo on anything over 6 chimes starts off normal, then speeds up in the middle, then slows back down at the end. Gets annoying on the longer chimes as the bellows speed way up in the middle of the sequence. Is this an easy fix or should I take it to a shop for warranty repair? Nearest shop to me is a 3 hour drive one way.
I have more or less the same clock... It's a 1970 West German 8 day Cuckoo clock... this clock was sitting in a box in a barn since 1991. I have cleaned and oiled the clock and I am having two issues. The clock runs but as soon as I add the pendulum it stops. Without the pendulum it is running way to fast 20 minutes = 1 hour. The other issue is the hour hand has a metal piece that fits in first. That metal piece has come out... Can I glue it back in? How do i get it lined up with the time before gluing it? Last mine has no finish or stain on it... Can I statin it without damaging any of the functionality?
Pur avendo seguito le istruzioni ed il video per far combaciare l'ora coni battiti del cucù ma suona sempre quindici minuti prima,come fare?Grazie a chi mi aiuta.
Il pendolo deve essere regolato in modo che il suono del ticchettio sia solo un po 'più lungo. Di solito, ciò significa rimuovere il pendolo, allentare una vite e far scorrere il peso più verso il suolo. Fammi sapere cosa succede!
@@FixiT-Rickthanks like I said I have 4 one that has music with dancers runs flawlessly and this version is JUNK. I paid a guy (local clock/watch repair, talked a good game) $400 to redo it. ran 6 moths and got progressively worse again over a year. now it runs/stops/hangs up around 5 till sometimes nothing consistent, tried lightly oiling it to smooth it up, made sure it was level and adjusted, watched every video on youtube...it's going to be a wall ornament before I spend more time on it.
Not a good way to clean it, trapped water will rust. If you use water which is not recommend, you should at least rinse in alcohol to try and displace the water. Then dry.
I thought you did a pretty good job with the video BUT not everyone is your age so the music is too loud and overrides your voice. My guess is more older folks will be using this than 30 year olds. Good job other wise. Thanks
Well, you did try, but this was not a proper servicing. You didn't even oil the pivots, main gears or palettes. What you did is whats called a "Ducan Swish", highly frowned on servicing done by unscrupulous for money. You dunked the fully assembled movement into solution and swished it around, hence the term. Not really being critical because clock repair is a fading trade. But for knowledge sake here you go. First, before removing movement, remove bellows. Usually 1 screw and one tiny nail in each. Some are unfortunately glued, you will need to break glue seal, or do your way. But your way is not standard. The bird removal was ok. But sometimes easier to slightly unbend door wire so it slips off. The bird position on the bar is a little touchy. The chain you just take all end pieces off, as you did by twisting links, so far not too far off. So you get the movement out, slide off the chains and now it's time to diagnose the bushing and pivots. What you do grasp main chain gear one at a time and wiggle back and forth. While doing this examine the pivot tips of gears, look to see if any pivot tip travels back and forth in amounts of 1/3rd diameter of pivot thickness or more. Admittedly this is tiny, but what it does is show you if there are any worn bushings. The gears rely heavily on how well they mesh. The higher a gear is up the more prone to stop. A worn bushing hole effects the mesh resulting in a binding gear that robs power and stops the clock. Bushings that are worn are marked on the plate with marker, as next step is to fully disassemble movement. Understand that though this might sound like a daunting challenge, it is really not. Much of clock repair requires only minimal tools and tiny investment. Even for bushing repair which is very common clock repair. It is enjoyable hobby. So in this example, let's say bushings where fine, Fully disassembled, each gear is cleaned by tooth brush and detergent. Alternatively, an ultrasonic with heat and detergent. Then most critical is to peg out each bushing hole. You can use toothpicks and battery drill with detergent. Removing dirt here is critical for clock longevity. Next on some clocks you should do mainspring clean and lubrication. Just something to keep in mind. So, parts are dried like you did with hairdryer, movement assembled and then lubricated. Lubrication, you only drop tiny amounts in bushing oil wells using san oil dipper. Excessive oil leads to dust grit exposure. It drawls grit into bushing which brings early wear. Palettes are oiled and anything that turns 360 degrees. Then reassemble. This is a proper servicing. Good for a few years. To learn more sign up at free message board of the NAWCC.ORG NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of WATCH and CLOCK COLLECTORS RJSoftware
I wish everyone ( clock works ) would quot beating up on wd40, it's a great penitrating oil to loosen all the old dirty greasy springs and bushings, spray liberaly to loosen old oil grease dirt and grime, then soak in vinegar to remove the grime and left over wd40, at that point use synthetic oil ( which is wd40 on steroids ) to oil the specific points, vinegar and ammonia doesn't penetrate to clean but will wash away the wd40 that did the job.
Sounds fair enough, but how often does the clock need to be lubricated is the question. When we would use wd40 in the maintenance shop, it was great for getting things to move that needed to move, but not great for long-term lubrication. You need a special agent for long-term use. Nice to hear others challenging and sharing what they believe.
@@FixiT-Rick fair enough, if posts would say wd40 is a good solution to free up and clean the mechanism to get ready for a long term use then explain the need for an oil with a synthetic additive that would work but to say don't ever use wd40 on a mechanism is just a one sided comment, if you give more options you will get more results.
Hi,I need your help,I have a one day cuckoo and I'm having a problem with it,the chain incharge of the cuckoo bird as soon I install the pine weight goes down all the way and the bird start singging with out stoping, I can not put the weight,can you please tell me how to fix that problem ? Thanks