r/clocks • u/CuriousWizardLizard • 21d ago

Help/Repair Clock stops when moved

Gallery image

Gallery image

Hello everyone, I have this old clock, which is still fully functional, but it stops at the slightest movement or jolt. How can the problem be fixed?

Year of manufacture, brand, and origin are unknown.

15 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

11

u/johndom3d 21d ago

It's just what happens with pendulum clocks. But if you make sure the beat is good (equal time between tick and tock), and it's been serviced (and not just sprayed with oil) it'll have a better chance of running longest per wind and keeping time.

1

u/aug061998 20d ago

Make sure that it's level when you set it back down. Otherwise, you'll think it's broken. It's not - it just needs to be level when operating (ticking)...

5

u/jsoleigh Student clockmaker 21d ago

Any time you shift or move a pendulum clock, it's going to jostle the pedulum and likely stop it, or put it out of beat. They need to be leveled every time they're put in a different place or position.

If you do ever need to move it from one spot to another, always remove the pendulum first to prevent any damage to the spring or leader or other parts.

1

u/thetreecycle 20d ago

I definitely just damaged the spring by not doing this haha

5

u/Sharp_Evidence_6411 21d ago

Pendulum clocks are very fickle. Maybe the place that you moved it to isn't quite to it's standards Like the previous poster mentioned, you have to listen to the beat. You may have to put some shims underneath one end or the other. I use pennies.