metal working - Clock winding keys: source or DIY howtos?

pyotr filipivich on Fri, 15 Dec 2017 10:06:36

-0800 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Took it too the clock shop. New winding key - $16. Doubled my costs for it. B-) Better news - because of that trip, went to a different Value Village than usual, found Ryobi battery charger (with 2 batteries) with three tools for 31 out the door. And the batteries took a charge, so that's good.

Now to see if I can get the clock to run, or does it need a trip to the shop for a professional's tinkering with it?

Merry Christmas all.

pyotr .

-- pyotr filipivich "With Age comes Wisdom. Although far too often, Age travels alone."

Reply to
pyotr filipivich
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Ouch! You're a much better man than me supporting your local shops :)

I saw that earlier gloat. Sounds like a nice deal.

It shouldn't hurt to try. What you're telling us though is kinda like saying you've got a car. I can't give you many tips without knowing more about what you've got. You may have to adjust the pendulum some. Ours has a friction mechanism for centering it. Otherwise it will swing too far in one direction and not enough in the other. Yours could be completely different though. Some old friends of mine had a similar mantel clock to ours but it used a rotary pendulum. I was amazed to see it still running while lying on its back...

Thanks and Merry Christmas to you and all too!

Reply to
Leon Fisk

Leon Fisk on Wed, 20 Dec 2017 13:34:21 -0400 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

The batteries are $54 by themselves! So now I have a small chain saw for occasional use, plus "all that other stuff".

Couldn't tell you more, cause I didn't know. It would just come to a halt. Having it up near the top of the wall, makes fussing with it - 'Problematic".

"It isn't making a funny noise."

Anyway, moved it down where I can fuss with it. If I have it level, the pendulum stops in about two minutes (fun watching the minute hand move). And it sounds "funny" - sort of "ticka-tick, ticka tick". But if I "tune it" by ear, so that it goes "tick-tock, tick tock." it is a full bubble off plumb! But it works.

"If it looks stupid, but it works, it isn't stupid."

tschus pyotr

-- pyotr filipivich "With Age comes Wisdom. Although far too often, Age travels alone."

Reply to
pyotr filipivich

About 35 years ago a friend gave me a clock slightly resmbling one of those 400 day clocks in that it was under a dome. On closer examination, it is a "Poole" battery powered clock made by "The Morse Chain Co." About every six months I need to clean the points by passing a strip of writing paper throuh between them.

Reply to
Gerry

It it keeps running like you have it when the tick-tock sounds right, then the "beat" needs to be adjusted. Read the bottom of this page, "Adjusting The Beat" if see if that sounds like your case:

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There seems to be several web pages and youtube videos for this. So you may have to search some to find one that is like your clock.

As I mentioned before, this is just a friction mechanism on our clock and easy to manipulate. Maybe you can be so lucky too :)

Reply to
Leon Fisk

Leon Fisk on Thu, 21 Dec 2017 08:50:10 -0400 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Thanks.

Right now it is working "well enough". I can hear the ticking in the WC on the other side of the wall. or when sitting in the kitchen. And it does go "bong" at the (almost) right times.

-- pyotr filipivich "With Age comes Wisdom. Although far too often, Age travels alone."

Reply to
pyotr filipivich

Michael A Terrell on Sun, 17 Dec 2017

12:05:30 -0500 typed >> Michael A Terrell on Sat, 16 Dec 2017

I went tot he store, bought the key - which was more than I paid for the clock at Goodwill - then hung it in the "lumber room" where I could easily get at it. Leveled the clock by ear - that is, when the ticking sound was "right" the clock was deemed as "level" - about a full bubble off plumb. Now working on the "regulation" so it stays more or less in sync with the living room clock. That clock plays a chime on the hour, but no sounding the hour. So I have one clock to tell me it is now the hour, and another to tell me which one.

Works for me.

-- pyotr filipivich "With Age comes Wisdom. Although far too often, Age travels alone."

Reply to
pyotr filipivich

No one wants an irregular clock... ;-)

Reply to
Michael A Terrell

Right you are. How can you tell if it's noon or midnight without the flashing 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 ?

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Simple. Look out the damned window!

Reply to
Michael A Terrell

Michael A Terrell on Fri, 29 Dec 2017

08:49:10 -0500 typed >> >>

Save that we have blackout curtains in the bedroom. Because the city decided, in the interest of saving money, to switch to security grade ice-white street lights. At least I don't have to turn a light on to find my way to the loo in the middle of the night.

-- pyotr filipivich "With Age comes Wisdom. Although far too often, Age travels alone."

Reply to
pyotr filipivich

That was part of a punchline from a yellowed old Playboy cartoon that someone had taped up in the Radio studio at Ft. Greeley, AK.

The announcer is saying, 'If you want to know the weather, look out the damned window'...

:)

Reply to
Michael A Terrell

Michael A Terrell on Fri, 29 Dec 2017

20:12:36 -0500 typed >> Michael A Terrell wrote:

I read of an incident where the guy was the only one getting ready to fly, because he'd been outside and could see what the weather was doing.

B-)

tschus pyotr

-- pyotr filipivich "With Age comes Wisdom. Although far too often, Age travels alone."

Reply to
pyotr filipivich

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