Basic Care of Your Clock

UNPACKING THE CLOCK FROM SHIPMENT

Carefully open the boxes and unpack the contents (use gloves provided when handling brass). The large box contains the clock case plus several smaller boxes. You may gently lay the box down to aid in unpacking. Inspect the clock case for shipping damage.

In the smaller boxes (usually WITHIN the large box) you will find: the pendulum, three weights, door key, winding crank, instructions and warranty information (plus finials & side panels if applicable). We have enclosed with this letter, a pair of cotton gloves to use when handling the brass parts of your clock.

Place the clock case in the position in which you would like it to reside. Using a level, plumb the clock case ... left to right and front to back. This can be accomplished by adjusting the leveling feet under the four corners of the clock base. STABILITY is more important than level, therefore the cabinet must not wobble.

Open the front door(s) and side doors (panels). Carefully remove all packing and rubber bands from the chime hammers (right side), strike hammers (left side) and slide the packing down the chime and strike rods. If present, gently remove the black colored flat metal strap from the rear of the mechanism that secures the pendulum "leader."

Carefully remove any protective paper/plastic wraps from weights and pendulum.

Hold the pendulum with a gloved hand. The pendulum hangs from the leader (found near the rear lower center of the movement. Support the leader in your other hand, (a glove is not necessary to handle the leader and could even make it difficult to manipulate). Hang the hook located at the top of the pendulum, into the hole or cross pin in the bottom of the leader. Gently test this connection before letting go of the pendulum.

After the pendulum is secure, straighten any twist in the pendulum by securely holding the upper (triangular) throat in one gloved hand and the bottom disc ('bob') in the other gloved hand and give a slight twist to straighten.

The pulleys may be secured below the mechanism with Styrofoam blocks. DO NOT try to remove these blocks forcibly at this time. Check the cables to be sure that they are riding centered around the pulley wheels and the strap of the pulley is hanging downwards.

The weights are marked on their bottom caps. With your gloves hang the weight marked "R" on the right as you face the clock (this weight controls the chimes.) Hang the weight marked "C" in the center (this weight moves the pendulum.) Hang the weight marked "L" of the left (this weight controls the strike.)

Leave the Styrofoam blocks in place for now. As the clock runs, the weights will move down and you will be able to remove the Styrofoam more easily after several hours.

Adjust the chime hammers if necessary. They may be gently bent with your fingers. Align each hammer with its rod and allow about 1/16" clearance between the hammer and rod.

IT'S TIME TO START YOUR CLOCK

With your gloved hand, gently move the pendulum "bob' almost to the side of the clock and let it go (modern clocks have a built in beat setting feature that requires a wide swing to start them). The clock will begin to tick and the seconds hand (if applicable) will begin to turn. Be sure that the clock hands are not touching each other or the dial. The hands may be bent if it is necessary to adjust them, as long as you are gentle.

Set the time by moving the MINUTE hand (long hand) forward (clockwise.) You may turn the minute hand clockwise or counter clockwise without stopping as long as you NEVER FORCE past any resistance. If resistance is felt, STOP, the chimes are jammed. Turn the minute hand backwards about 5 minutes, let the clock chime and/or strike and then you may resume setting the time. You may confuse the sequence of chimes while setting the hands in this manor. Your clock, however, is smarter than we are, and it will synchronize the chimes within the next 2 hours. The clock may skip some of the quarters or it will play them out of sequence. If so, ignore the chimes for two hour. They will self-correct soon.

You may set your clock by pausing at every quarter as you turn the minute hand clockwise. This, however, takes much more time. Your instructions say you may turn the hands backward to set the time, WE do not recommend this procedure as general practice.

REGULATION OF TIME KEEPING

Although we have adjusted the timing at The Clock Shop, final regulation is your responsibility after the clock has acclimated to its new home. A bit of patience and the following information is all that is required. Remember not to handle the brass parts without your gloves.

One person should be responsible for regulating the clock. Expect it to take a week or two to satisfy your time keeping desires. We suggest that you regulate your clock once every 24 hours. Check the time against a consistent, accurate source. Use the nut at the bottom of the 'bob' to adjust the time keeping. Hold the "bob' firmly to keep it from twisting and turn the nut to the right (up) to make the clock run faster ... left (down) to run slower. The pendulum "bob" should move with the adjusting nut (leaving no space between.) An easy way to remember - 'Speed it UP, Slow it DOWN.'

On your clock, ONE FULL TURN OF THE NUT EQUALS approximately 40 seconds PER DAY. Make the adjustment then reset the clock's hands to the correct time. Check the time 24 hours later. Continue this sequence until you are happy with the results.

Remember, ANYTIME the pendulum is stopped for ANY reason, you must give it a wide swing to actuate the self-setting beat mechanism. (NOTE: older clocks with manual beat setting should be started with a small swing of the pendulum.)

SETTING THE MOON DIAL

The Lunar month is ALWAYS 29 1/2 days. Do not confuse this with our calendar month. The moon disk is located behind the clock face and is usually reached by opening the side door or panel. The moon dial looks like a circular saw blade. Turn the moon dial clockwise, but never force. If it does not turn easily, it is in the process of advancing. Wait a few hours and try again.

Easy Method #1 -On the day of the full moon (check your almanac or calendar) turn the moon dial clockwise until the moon is centered below the number 15.

Thinking Man's Method #2 - Place the full moon below the number 15. Advance the moon dial clockwise one click for each day past the day of the last full moon.

WINDING YOUR CLOCK

Wind your clock at least once each week. Pick a day and make it a routine. Insert the crank carefully and fully onto each of the winding arbors so you do not scratch your dial. Wind each weight (in any order you wish) in a steady, not too slow / not too fast, fashion. Do NOT ram the weights into the bottom of the mechanism. You may wind to the top, just do so gently.

When going on vacation for more than a week, we recommend that you stop the clock. Simply stop the pendulum from swinging. You may do the same (stop pendulum) when going from daylight time to standard time. Just start again an hour later. When returning from vacation, start your pendulum with a wide swing, set the time as explained above, and advance the moon dial clockwise the number of days you have been away.

CHANGING THE CHIMES & CHIME SILENCE

Do not move the chime selector while the clock is chiming. The selector may be shifted at any other time. Never force it to move. From five minutes before each quarter, to the time the clock chimes, some clocks will not permit you to change the tune selector. Don't force the selector - try again after the clock chimes.

SILENT POSITION STRIKE

The strike/silent lever will mute the hour strike without silencing the chime. It can be activated at your discretion when required for company or other situations. The strike silence may also have a night-off position as described below.

NIGHT SILENCE

If your clock has a separate night-off, it can automatically quiet both the chimes and the strike at approximately 11PM and turn them back on at approximately 7AM. If your clock silences the mid-day hours instead, simply use the minute hand to move your clock 12 hours ahead. The weights will not descend evenly and the clock may not always start in sync in the morning if this feature is used. We suggest that you try not to use this feature and allow yourself to acclimate to your clocks beautiful voice. You will find that your clock will not disturb your slumber after the first few days.

ACCLIMATING

Most new clock owners find it takes a few days to adjust to the chimes of their clock. The comment we get most often describes how a new owner thinks his/her clock is not chiming all the time. If the weights are descending in the pattern you wound them, then the clock is chiming and striking correctly. The other common comment we hear is that the clock seems to sound different'. The clock has only the tunes with which it came and the chimes can't change their pitch or go out of tune.

CALENDAR

Some dials have a 31-day calendar, which you set from the front with a toothpick. The clock will move this dial every day. If you feel resistance while setting the date, try again several hours later, after the clock finishes its process of advancing. You must move the calendar ahead after any month with less than 31 days.

MAINTENANCE

The mechanism of your clock should be serviced and oiled once every 2 years. If you are "mechanically inclined,' we will be glad to provide you some CLOCK OIL (USE NO OTHER TYPE OF OIL) and a crash course on how to remove the mechanism, swab out the bearings and oil your clock. If you are 'mechanically impaired' and live in the area, please call, we can set up home service for a fee.

CARE OF THE CABINET

A good cream polish will keep your wood from drying out and enhances its appearance. Whatever you use on other fine wood pieces in the home should work just fine. Please use NO SPRAYS ON THE CASE DIRECTLY. To clean the glass, spray your paper towel away from the cabinet and the brass.

MOVING YOUR CLOCK

Painting behind the clock? On a hardwood floor- slide the clock gently, as if it were a china cabinet full of glassware.

Moving to another room? Remove the weights and remove the pendulum, then carry the case in a horizontal position.

A local move? Come visit us. Ask for boxes for your weights and pendulum and a quick course on simple packing.

A cross-country move? Visit us to get weight and pendulum boxes and Styrofoam blocks plus a slightly longer course on the art of securing things inside your clock. Or you can use the same boxes we shipped your clock in if purchased from us online.

Moving to a new home? Our opinion is that you do the packing inside your clock, THEN let the movers pack the outside. You will then know that it was done right and you will be able to unpack and set up your clock more knowledgeably at the other end of your move.

FURTHER QUESTIONS?

Please call us for any further information. Read your packaged information as well. Remember to wear your gloves when handling the brass.