Advice Needed on 8 Day Key Wound Clock

[xraytech]

After a very sudden and brief illness my aunt passed away 2 weeks ago. Along with some various kitchen wares I have been granted my request to have her 8 day key wound grandfather clock.

My Question is, Do I need to do anything specific to protect and maintain the mechanics of the clock when moving it? It will have to come down about 15 stairs and into the back of my estate wagon for transport.

Any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[rp2813]

If it's key wound rather than run by weights, there shouldn't be too much to do besides removing the pendulum.  You may have to figure out a way to keep the clock stopped after the pendulum is removed.  I'd make sure the gong striker is secure, but can't think of anything else that would be banging around besides those two items.

 

[whirlcool]

Usually a grandfather clock will have weights and chains in them. When you wind the clock the weights and chains move back up to the top of the case. If this is your setup you'll have to take those out and pack them separately and also tape the chains to the clock. You don't want the chains the weights attach to coming out of the movement. If there is removable glass panels in the clock those will have to come out too. Your clock may also be cable driven and have cables and pulleys instead of chains.

To tell you the truth, when we moved we had our grandfather clock moved by a clock shop. They charged $125. but they disassembled it, padded and protected it and then set it up and installed it in this house. I know some grandfather clocks can be finicky when it comes to moving them, especially if the clock is cable driven.

My nutty sister inherited a beautiful Sligh grandfather clock from her in laws. The clock was made from burled oak. Just beautiful. Well she and her husband decided to just take the thing, full assembled(!) and throw it in the back of her station wagon and drive it across the state of Illiois. Of course the clock didn't work when it arrived. The case was also scratched up all to hell because they didn't take the thing apart first. It looked like a car wreck when it arrived. After spending afew hundred bucks at a clock repair shop it's worknig again. But it'll never be as beautiful as it was once before!

BTW, congratulations on the inheritance. Grandfather clocks are nice to have. You'll enjoy it for years to come.

 

[retro-man]

I have had mine moved once. If it has the weights on it, 1st wind the clock all the way so the weights are up top. Then with a towel or gloves remove the weights, these are usually polished brass and will leave finger prints on them and are hard to remove. Remove all glass that is easily removed. The top windows left and right on mine by the works can be removed. Same with the pendulum. Be very gentle removing and installing this piece. Take pictures before dismantling to be sure everything goes back where it belongs. That is pretty much all I did and it set up and ran fine in the new house. This will need to be perfectly level at the new location. If you think a washer doesn't like to be out of balance, these are much worse. It will run for a few days then stop by itself. Just keep trying till it is perfect.

Jon

 

[polkanut]

Sam,

If I may make a suggestion, once you have the clock moved to your home, have a reputable horologist (clock maker) come and check it over.  They can give it a tune up, if necessary, and a good general cleaning, if needed.  It won't be cheap, but it will give you piece of mind down the road.

 

[arbilab]

A key-wound clock does not have weights for the clock. Sometimes for the chimes. You'd probly know.

Let it run all the way down. Then you don't have to worry what the escapement does when you remove the pendulum. If you have chime weights, remove those too and lightly tape the chains down so they don't tangle. It won't be trying to chime without the clock advancing.

As usual, the most comprehensive solution is the most expensive: Have a professional supervise the packing and recommissioning.

 

[mattl]

My aunt had a grandfather clock that used a key to wind up the weights, I'd guess it was sort of a hybrid. My grandfather clock has weights you pull up from the other end of the chain which I think is the most common.

 

[rp2813]

I've never seen/heard of a key wound clock with weights, but apparently they're out there.  For sure if there are weights involved, they'll need to be secured if not removed entirely.

 

Also, on the grandfather clock my parents had, one of the weights was heavier than the other two.  If that's the case with yours, be sure to note where the heavier one belongs.

 

[polkanut]

Here's a link describing the different types of grandfather clocks, one that uses a key to wind up the weights, and the type were you pull the weights up using the chains.

http://www.wikihow.com/Wind-a-Grandfather-Clock

 

[whirlcool]

It seems that the more expensive clocks use cables and pulleys for the weights than the chain drive models do. That was a very good tip, not letting your skin or fingers touch any of the polished brass parts on a clock. They will leave permanent marks on the parts you touch. We have a pair of cloth gloves we keep in the bottom of our clock for such purposes.

Our clock has three weights, and they all have different amounts of weight. And ours also uses a key. When you turn the key it moves the cables and pulleys to bring the weights up to the top of the case. BTW, I have always heard it is traditional to wind your clock on a Sunday. Anyone else ever hear that one?

 

[polkanut]

My great-aunt Elberta always wound hers on Saturday evening so she wouldn't have to do any sort of work on Sunday.  But on ships it was tradition to do so on Sundays.

http://www.shipsnostalgia.com/archive/index.php?t-4474.html

 

[whirlcool]

Thanks for that link!

I always heard traditional wind up day was on Sunday, but never knew the reason why! I do now!

 

[wayupnorth]

You set one day aside for doing that. My father would wind his once a week on the same day and time, usually Sunday and yell to me when I was a kid, "You are wound up worse than this 8 day clock". Guess I was back then.

 

[retro-man]

Yes mine does have the key to wind the cables and weights up also. Funny mentioning winding it up the same day and time. It has always been wound up on Sunday morning about 7:32 am. The reason for the minutes is because this way both of the hands are out of the way for the 3 holes to wind the clock. I guess this was just tradition since I have had it. Mine also has a lever on the right side of the clock face that allows for no chimes or 3 different ring patterns to play.

Jon

 

[mrb627]

Sunday Morning Winder

Here too. I wind mine before lunch on Sunday. Cause you know it is bad luck to let it run down and stop.

Malcolm

 

[arbilab]

Shows ya what I know, I'd only seen key/spring and weight/chain wound.

 

[whirlcool]

To Oil Or Not To Oil

This thread got me to start researching basic clock care. We have a nice mantle clock and a grandfather clock. The mantle clock was originally a 1970 build from Ebay, but within days of it's arrival it stopped working. I took it to one of the best clock shops in Houston and they showed me that the gear pivot points were worn(ovaled) out and that there was no saving the movement. They could overhaul the movement for about $500 or install a new one for $250. So considering that we paid $90 for the clock, add a new movement the clock would then be worth around $400. So we had a new movement installed.

To tell you the truth, the chimes on this mantle clock are far superior to the Howard Miller grandfather clock we have. They are so much richer in sound! So we went and picked up the clock with a new movement a few days later. I asked the guy at the clock shop what kind of care should I give this clock. He said just to dust it off, make sure when setting it I always turn the hands backwards.I asked about cleaning and oiling and he said never to oil the clock. He said all oiling a
clock does is attract dirt and will make the clock fail earlier than it's designed to. So we never oiled the clock. I just blow out the inside of the case with a can of compressed air about once per year.

Now why would someone from a clock shop and repair service that has such a great reputation tell me something like that? Hoping for repeat business 30 years down the road?

I did find out that clocks do need oiling periodically. If taken care of they can last virtually forever.

 

[cuffs054]

Whirl, the guy that did our clocks said exactly the same thing. Only thing he added was when moving them put the key in one of the holes and let the minutes hand get to it and stall, locks the movement so it doesn't get damaged in the move.

 

[whirlcool]

A link to the clock shop we used. Their website is pretty neat.

http://cjclocks.com/index.php