Thank you for taking the time to make this video. I'm trying to get my grandmother's clock chiming again. It's a beautiful sound that's missing from our home - Ed
I've recently become very interested in clocks and what makes them tick. I have learned my way around a 1911 pistol and both of them go hand in hand. Timeless designs where the beauty is definitely within. Very educational video. Thank you sir!
Hi Cliff, just came across your video and I like your no nonsense way of explaining the workings and problem solving. Looking forward to following more on your channel 👌
Cliff thanks for the video it is well done. You happened to use the very clock I need serviced. I was doing research to understand before I took it in for servicing. Much appreciation for your efforts!
Great video cliff, I call the spokes the crossouts. I have done about 200 + clocks now. Starting to get the hang of it. I like the way you explain things. I send links to my customers regarding the depthing issues caused by worn bushes etc.
Fantastic video. I learned more about diagnosis here than I have in years of trying to figure it out myself. Thank you. I have my parent's German Wag which is now over 125 years old. It stopped running years ago, which I attributed to being over wound. The nearest repair shop is 90 minutes away and I'm reluctant to leave it there. I will release the springs as you showed and do a visual inspection for bushing wear. If I find that then it's off to the shop. I don't have a lathe. On to part two! BTW, I'm in Memphis, Tennessee.
Thank you for your generosity in sharing your knowledge. It's helpful to understand how to think about and resolve the problem that's causing the symptom.
Wonderful video! It's frightening for me, if I would have to try to remember how the parts all go back together once taken apart. But I'm not very mechanical minded.
Gday Cliff, very interesting video, it is amazing just how much is in a clock, the attention to detail and accuracy is mind blowing, you must have very steady hands and a bloody lot of patience, this line of work is definitely not suited me, thank you for sharing mate and looking forward to part 2, ATB Matty🇦🇺
,,,,,,,,thank you for your knowledge of historic machinery..............At 71,,,,my era was my youth with all the analog machinery of then........Kids today are aliens and their little world has no connection to my youth...........I never liked video games when they were new in bars and taverns........in the mid 1970's........thanks again for your professionalism and talent...................
Very interesting. Learned a few things too, like what a worn pivot hole looks like. Using the microscope is extremely useful for illustrating clock repair. Waiting for part 2...
Enjoyed this detective hunt for trouble & the tools of hunt. I have never understood clocks but I have several including a Westminster chimer that as a mechanism I think is like the one you are working on. Although a different body.They are beautiful machines. If there are any recommendations as to best practice for maintenance etc I would be most interested in your advice/suggestions. Thanks for sharing!
G’day Cliff, I had wondered in my youth how you could overwind a clock, it didn’t make sense, now I know you can’t, thanks for explaining. Now you keep me in suspense to see how you repair it, don’t take too long, I’m getting old, short attention span and all. Cheers Peter
Hi Cliff, great video. People these days just do not appreciate the work involved in these lovely time pieces. Clock making skills are gradually disappearing. Regards MachineNZ
Brilliant video Cliff, I recall as a child dismembering my alarm clock (no idea why?). All went well until the mainspring exploded. Fortunately it flew away from me, it was at that point I realised clocks are pretty dangerous things and not the gentle inoffensive objects they appear to be!
i tried putting together a clock kit i found at thirft store and boy that clock spring, im glad it wasnt a full size clock! Where do i find that pressure releaser tool?
Very interesting. Thank you sir for the videos. I don’t believe I’m going to dive into taking mine apart. I could see why someone would charge a good deal to repair these.
Great videos Cliff....why did you give up being a professional watch maker? I'm 49 and have started learning, I love watching videos like yours as it inspires me 😀
Cliff, not that I know anything about clocks, but my weight-powered wall clock was over-wound and quit working for months. I loosened some slack on the two pulleys supporting the weights and the clock started working again.
Cheers Cruiser, appreciate you subscribing, Mr Mathews is a good ole chap, but then he's got a lot of time on his hands at the moment! :-) All the best, Cliff
@@sufferingorthodoxy352 there are many books on the subject. Finding a mentor is difficult but worth the effort. Unless you are really ready commit you can get by on basic tools to start. Until you get familiar with a clock or watch , take pictures of everything.
Cliff. I have a sneaky suspicion that this is my clock and I hadn't realised that the wife had blamed me for its problems 🤣 If they both work at the hospital then yes it is my clock. When it was purchased in 2018 we were told that it had just been fully refurbished. You'd like to think if they had re-bushed those holes it would last longer than a year? It's a fascinating video and I'm about to watch part two. Thanks for your hard work on it I appreciate it 👍🏼
I usually if it is needed re bush each individual train, then put the spring back in, for that train and run to see if the train will run without depthing problems. If it doesn't then I check and if needed I then re bush the problem one and move the centre of the bush until the clock runs properly. I don't want to get everything together to take apart again. A blind bush may be a better option, and measure the corresponding bush on the other plate to get the centre in the correct place, assuming that one is o.k. Having a bushing tool makes life easier.
I have a Howard Miller mantle clock, # 617 ! ?, model 613-192 the hands do not turn. it is relatively New. I think I over wound it . Is this an EASY fix... thanks
I have an old Bailey banks and biddle clock that the suspension spring broke on... where can I find the replacement? It’s a French Mercury clock I believe. I’d take it to a professional but the closest clock repair is multiple hours away
hi cliff please can you give me some advice on how to remove the strike snail off the minute hand as it appears to be pressed on, the clock movement is a Junghans Vienna type wall clock the movement only has nuts on the front plate. i have just had a chime spring tear the brass punched tab off the barrel so it needs a strip down . it has more sentimental value than monetary worth was i remember my father bringing it home in bits approx 45-50 years ago and he got it running but it was never stripped or cleaned so its well over due and hopefully it will go another 50-100 years ? regards Richie
Is there a way to check if the hole has been enlarged without disassemble? An acquaintance came to me with their old clock asking me to fix it.. As with your friend's, this one won't run either. There's a string i can pull which starts the bell (1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 4 etc). I removed the large part of the pendel (friction held) and if i hold the clock in a slight angle and gentle move the part the pendel was attached to it will tick-tock for a few moments. There's obviously tension in the spring as it continues. They said it was after their move it didn't start once hanging on their new wall. I have no experience in this but i do love learning stuff : )
Hello, thanks for watching, it really depends on how it is jammed, if you take the pallets off does it run freely? if it does it might be that the pallets are set to low and not letting it escape. let me know, All the best, Cliff
My mum gave my eldest daughter a little mechanical gold watch when she was about 13, she genuinely thought it was a new invention and was amazed it didn't need a battery! Thanks for watching, ATB, Cliff
I can fix a lot of things but I think the date left was the day he regretted taking that thing apart... good grief my head hurts tracking every piece an remembering where it goes takes expert levels
Can the chimes on a jauch movement grandfather clock - Herschede model 629 be turned off. I bought one at an estate sale and it doesn't chime. How do you turn them back on.
Could be out of beat. Usually a clock can become out of beat if you moved it without taking off the pendulum. Or the movement could be ceased. Therefore it would need to be repaired.
Paused the video to write this. At about 10:58 the lower cog wheel looks like one of the teeth has a flat spot on it. When that spot lines up with (maybe) a corresponding bad tooth on a companion wheel could that be the cause of running but then stopping? UPDATE: Ok, I was wrong..lol Now you see why I'm not a clock repairman. :-) I do have a question however. I would assume the bushings are brass for smooth running but are prone to wear. Is the axle in the wheel brass as well or is it steel for hardness and longevity?
Hello, Thanks for watching and commenting, yes the "axles" (arbors in clock making language) are steel, generally the better quality clock the better steel and very hard, Thanks again, All the best, Cliff
Cliff, my old Smiths Enfield has sadly stopped working (it belonged to my Grandmother who bought it new). do you still do repair work or can you recommend any trustworthy people in the north of the uk? thanks in advance
Evening, I'm no longer repairing, but if you Google "the British watch and clockmakers guild" they have a find a repairer in your area on the website, or the BHI, ( but members of the BHI tend to be a bit pricier) I was a member of the BWC for many years and they do police their members. Hope this helps, All the best, Cliff
Hello, if the clock is "ticking" the minute hand should be moving, the wheel the hour hand is carried on might have a problem, but the minute hand should move, it's not a battery clock is it?
Hello I wonder if you could tell me the average price for a repair you charge? I wanted to know if I could get mine repaired and not cost the earth. Just a rough price for instance how much was this clocks repair roughly? Thank you
Hello Dennis, Sorry for the late reply, I don't do any "commercial" repairs now, can't risk it my workshop, security and all that. I am probably a bit out of touch but I would say a clean and service for a three train (striking and chiming) clock would be 195-250, here in the southeast at least. All the best, Cliff
Can't over wind a clock, the spring will just go as small as it can. I have heard the over winding comment before. It will be something else that is at fault. Most of the clocks especially Smiths and or Smiths Enfields, it is the bushings that are at fault, most of the time the pivots are o.k. I have sorted about 150 clocks now over the last 4 years, strikers and westminster chimes mainly, and the bushings are the main fault with them. Doing about 2-3 clocks per week now. I really need a bushing machine. At the moment I have to get some one to re bush for me. I really enjoy clock restoration and repair, started off as a hobby but my main job now. There are a shortage of good clock repairers.
Bloody hell Cliff. Looks more complicated than Clicksprings build. I’m torn with the beauty of the engineering, and the sight of all that Brass. So wife’s friend 🤔 hours n hours of free work, your a good un.
True all round! Clickspring shames me! Apart from the brilliant work he knocks out, how much effort does he put into his videos! Thanks for watching Ian! ate cliff
Hello Yogesh, A couple of things, when you say chiming, do you actually mean chiming or striking, ie, does it strike the half hours and hours, or does it chime every quarter of an hour?
