Clock oiling

[TC Chris]

I've got the grandfather clock's works sitting on my table saw, the only horizontal surface not covered in other projects. My brother had sent me a clock oiling kit and it had gone AWOL. After looking in the lube cabinet 4x I finally spied it. Just read the oil guy's online instructions. Any clock experts out there with tips?

Chris Campbell

[William]

Chris, when oiling a vintage clock or any clock for that matter, do not over oil. Just a tiny drop will do and wipe off any access. Oil every axle, shaft, bearing looking thing the clock has. Check each for wiggle or movement. If you find any wiggle or movement that mean the bearing is bad and the clock will need to be drilled out and bushed which is probably something a clock expert should do. Also, oiling may not be enough. The clock mechanism may need to be cleaned.

Bill

[19&41]

I use Mobil 1 for my electric and spring wound clocks. It doesn't dry nor turn to wax over time. Bills advice for not over oiling and wiping up excess is sage. There are plastic squeeze oilers that use luer lock hypodermic needles for dispensing.

[walyfd]

No oil is better than too much sometimes. I use Zoom turbo oil with a tiny brush.

I have a Schatz 400 anniversary clock I rebuilt and couldn't get it regulated worth a darn. Went over it with a tape demagnetizer and it's only off by 3 minutes a week now.

[William]

Those oilers that Rex mentioned do work very well. If that is not available just a dab on the end of a toothpick will work too.

Bill

[TC Chris]

Today it was raining so I drove to from work and did not do the daily hike after work. That left lots of time for projects, like buying Halloween candy before the store ran out, and putting the clock back together. It's complicated because there are 5 chime tubes plus the weights and the pendulum, and first the works have to be re-inserted and secured. Eventually it was all together except for one trim frame around the dial face (waiting for an extended run before putting that on). But yay, it did run! The chimes need some adjustment (hammer distance, and some felt on the hammer faces). I'll probably leave the chimes turned off so the racket doesn't wake me up all night, but it would be nice to have them functioning properly. I ran out of patience for tonight. At 12:15 a.m. I will start the clock again. It would have taken too long to advance it through all the strikings from 11:45 where it started to 9:10 when it was ready to run. It strikes on the quarter-hour. Easier to just wait. But it was tick-tocking along quite happily.

The Halloween candy is my payback for all the loot I collected as a kid. All the suburban parents bring their kids into the city neighborhoods like mine where the houses are close together and the walk-to-loot ratio is much improved. No quarter-mile driveways or acre-sized lots here.

Chris Campbell

[William]

Chris, I'm glad you got the clock up and running. As for the chimes keeping you awake at night, I have eight chiming clocks running one being a floor clock and they do not bother me a bit keeping me awake. If I happen to wake up, usually a pee break, I will hear them chime if the chime happens to be in sync with my bathroom break. Your brain will tune out the chime while you sleep, at least that's what I have found.

Bill