Post by m***@gmail.comMine is out of beat. I can hear it. How can I fix that?
If yours is an an antique longcase:
For stability. Place a couple of wedges (strips of folded cardboard under
the front of the base. This will tilt the clock case back against the wall.
If necessary, fix a narrow strip of wood (the same thickness as the rooms'
skirting board) to the backboard behind the hood so that the backboard is
firmly resting against the wall, especially if your longcase is across the
corner of a room.
Once your longcase trunk is absolutely steady, then you can apply the
necessary adjustments to set your longcase clock into beat.
Carefully remove the pendulum. Examine the suspension spring for kinks or
tears. If bent, then carefully smooth out the kink with tweezers.
With the pendulum removed, the crutch should run rapidly and continuously
back and forth. This indicates that the clock has impulse. Sometimes the
strike mechanism is the cause of loss of impulse to the "going" side.
The strike weight on an eight day longcase should always be kept wound up
and striking (otherwise the strike detent finger drags behind the snail
causing loss of impulse to the going side when it drops down to strike XII)
If your longcase runs and strikes happily without the pendulum attatched,
then re-fit the pendulum.
Observe that the pendulum bob is not askew in relation to the suspension
spring block. Adjust the threaded end of the suspension rod in the
suspension block so that the bob swings and its edges cut through the air
and not on a slant that increases the air resistance.
When fitting the suspension spring through the fine slit in the back
suspension cock there should be no free play. If necessary squeeze the sides
to narrow the slit otherwise you will loose impulse to the pendulum.
It is vital that the brass block below the suspension spring matches with
the slot on the crutch. Too tight and the pendulum will loose impulse. Too
wide and the pendulum will also lose impulse. There must be a small "side
shake" left. A slight click when waggled indicates sufficient side shake.
You are working from the front of the clock with the hood removed so
attatching the pendulum and adjusting the crutch has to be by 'feel' not by
eye. You are also adjusting mentally 'back to front' with your left hand
offering up the pendulum through the trunk door and your right hand guiding
the end of the suspension spring up through the crutch forks and hooking on
to the slit in the back cock.
Once you have attatched the pendulum, LISTEN to the beat of the pendulum.
Does each swing left and right sound even and in equal beat, or limping and
unequal?
If unequal then tilt the clock trunk to the left or the right side until the
beat sounds equal.
Once you have determined which side needs tilting, then grasp the stem of
the crutch between your forefinger and second finger and thumb and apply
pressure to impart a bend to the crutch in the direction opposite to that
the trunk needed tilting. The pressure has to be applied by your right hand
thumb or your left hand thumb. The crutch stem is soft and can be bent
easily.
Listen again to the beat and adjust again as necessary, by trial and error,
working by feel and the sound of equal beat until the pendulum beat sounds
equal to the ear.
The arc of the pendulum swing should be strong, not shallow and quavering,
in which case the pendulum will inevitably stop, indicating the clock
movement is worn.
For modern longcase clocks made in the last 135 years, then the crutch has a
friction adjustment of various designs so that the crutch stem is not bent
but the adjustment for setting into beat is the same. Usually pushing the
crutch stem until a slight resistance is felt and the pendulum is thereby
set into beat.
A dab of clock oil on the sides of the crutch fork where it touches the
suspension block will reduce friction and improve the arc to the swing of
the pendulum bob.
Ian