Thank you very much for your demonstration and explanation! I had understood that from the main wheel the power is transferred to centre wheel and then from centre wheel to third wheel and then to second hand wheel and then to escapement wheel then the power is reversed from escapement wheel to second hand wheel and then to third wheel and then to centre wheel and back to main wheel. The process is repeated again and again. Forwarding power from main wheel to escapement wheel causes the pendulum or balance wheel to keep oscillating for days and reversing power from escapement wheel to main wheel causes the motion work to drive the hands.
Hi, so I went to check up on my movement (same movement here), but I noticed the floating balance wheel isnt really moving like yours. does that mean i need to loosen up the spring? or is there any way I can correct it as my clock is losing a couple minutes within half a day. I lost 10 minutes within a day.
Hi Conner, I took a quick look at your video. Yes, your escapement is different. You have the "true" floating ballance. I suggest you find a real clock repair shop. Don't mess with that delicate old hair spring. In all likelihood it just needs cleaning and adjusting. Good luck. 🤞
hi ron, ive just picked up a 1972, west german bentima 3 chime mantle clock, with the same 74 1050 - 020 movement. im just woundering why they changed the floating balance like mine for the fixed balance like yours, do you think theres an advantage with the newer fixed position, i always thought it was better to have floating so you dont have to level the clock, the regulator is on the balance wheel to on mine, a hole and pin lever. took me some time to find it. why do you think they made the changes? can i also ask to oil the front of the movement do i just need to take off the hands and undo the nuts on the back, do i need to remember say the 9 o clock position for putting the hands bak on, cheers ron
Hi Steve, Yes, I was disappointed when I received my movement and found that it was not a true floating balance. However, I believe that this newer design may be more robust. As for oiling the front bearings, I can't help you there. Just use common sense. 🙂
Great reliable movement, but the later hermle movements with this hair spring balance wheel are cheap and nasty and will eventually cause issues both of mine did, they wear on the bottom bushing and the wheel will rattle when the chimes go off and because it's rattling it has an effect on the speed of the wheel and cause time speed issues, it's an annoying noise, even doing up the top bushing doesn't seem to help as the wear happens on the bushing sides, I changed my balance wheel to a floating coil spring one in the end and the clocks been running for many years with out an issue.
Hi Ted, Yes, that was a bit disappointing. They called it a floating balance, but it really isn't. However, it will outlast me anyway, lol. Thanks for commenting. 👍
Runs like a clock!! A finely oiled one. I find it amazing something that delicate makes it through the postal service(s). Don't ya just hate muffin burglars?? It's so mean. See ya tomorrow...... in the think tank. JimE.
Re: "something that delicate makes it through the postal service" Yes, I was surprised when opening the box that the shipper hadn't packed it better. It likely made it here okay because it didn't have a fragile sticker on it, lol.
Hermle quit making the “true” floating balance wheel for both reliability reasons and legal issues with how their balance wheel was designed. One flaw of the wheel is that a single drop of oil can throw wheel off whack because once oil seeps into the brass tube, between the jewels, the oil cannot be scrubbed off or out of the tube and clogs up what should be vacant space.
The floating balance is very reliable. It is careless owners, and repair people that is the problem. These units should not be lubricated at all. Better than a staffed balance.
The one I dealt with had the tube filled with green tar: some oxidation product of the cheap oil that had been used by some adventurer in the past. A soak in white gas liberated it.
Way too much oil. The oil sinks do not need to be filled. Too much oil will cause it to run away from the pivots, and make a mess,and collect dirt. The floating balance is also 2 jewel.
I took a selection of sewing needles and ground the ends of the eyes off, leaving a fork. I can then select the size needle that will pick up the desired amount of oil in the fork. As you show, those needle oilers are hard to control. (The pointy end also needs to get ground off as well for comfort.)
