| In this last article of the series, repairing your | | | | timing mechanism. |
| grandfather clock on your own, we're going to go | | | | One final problem is when the weights refuse to |
| over some more things you can do at home before | | | | drop. Every quarter hour the time train causes the |
| taking your grandfather clock in for repair. | | | | chimes to strike. That in turn causes the left strike |
| Another common problem with grandfather clocks is | | | | weight to fall at the top of the hour. So if the time |
| for the chimes to go out of sequence with the time | | | | train center pendulum doesn't drop then the chime |
| that's displayed. This usually happens on the quarter | | | | and the strike weights won't drop either. The first |
| hour chimes. If this happens there may not | | | | step in fixing this is to get the pendulum swinging |
| necessarily be anything wrong with the chimes | | | | again. We covered that in the first article. |
| mechanism. Most grandfather clocks that have been | | | | If the right and left weights refuse to drop, meaning |
| manufactured in the last 50 years have a chime | | | | the pendulum is swinging and the clock hands are |
| correction device that should recycle the chimes back | | | | moving but the chime is not operating, then what will |
| in sync with the minute hand when it reaches the | | | | happen is the chime will not operate and in turn the |
| hour. If your particular grandfather clock doesn't have | | | | strike will not operate either. What you do is check |
| an automatic chime correction device, the problem | | | | to see if the chime lever on the grandfather dial is |
| can be manually corrected by turning the minute hand | | | | properly centered over a chime and not in the off |
| back 15 minutes then forward past the quarter hour. | | | | position. After doing that, you take the side panel off |
| Just keep doing this until the number of chimes | | | | your grandfather clock and check to make sure that |
| match the quarter hour the hand is pointing to. | | | | the steel chime retard bar has NOT been lowered |
| To give you an example, Westminster chimes play 4 | | | | onto the chime hammers causing the chimes not to |
| notes on the first quarter hour, 8 notes on the half | | | | operate. |
| hour, 12 notes on the three quarter hour and 16 | | | | If only the left weight will not drop that means only |
| notes at the top of the hour. If the problem still | | | | the hour strike is not operating. To fix this open the |
| continues it may mean that the minute hand has | | | | side panel and make sure that the steel retard bar |
| been installed on its arbor in the wrong direction. To | | | | has not been lowered onto the strike hammers |
| fix this, remove the nut holding down the minute | | | | causing them not to operate. Also make sure the |
| hand with a pair of pliers. Then, pull the minute hand | | | | hammers are operating freely. Finally, check and |
| off, rotate it to the quarter hour indicated by the | | | | make sure that the trip lever from the chimes is |
| number of chimes being played and then reinstall the | | | | releasing the strike train. |
| nut. This should get the chimes back in sync with the | | | | |