|
Adjusting and Transporting your Clock
Daylight-saving
In summer the clock may be set forward an hour: move the
hands forward an hour. If the clock has rack-striking it is not
necessary to wait for the clock to strike each hour and half-
hour, except at twelve o'clock. If the clock has count-wheel
(or locking plate) striking, it is important to allow each full
and (possibly) half-hour to strike so that the time indicated
and the actual hour struck will not get out of phase.
With the coming of winter, the clock will need to be set back
an hour. It is very important not to turn the hands anti-
clockwise through the hour or half-hour position, as this can
cause damage to either the hands or the striking-
mechanism! One can either stop the clock for an hour or
advance the hands eleven hours, allowing the clock to
strike where necessary.
Resetting the Strike
In a clock with count-wheel striking it is possible for the time
shown and the hour struck to be different. There are three
possible ways to correct this:
- Find the count-wheel. It is a notched disc and in early
clocks this is usually on the back-plate. A lever, the
locking-detent, rests on the edge of this disc. Lift this
lever slightly and the clock will begin to strike. When
the clock has struck, raise the lever again. Repeat
this process until hands and strike are back in phase.
- Move the minute hand in clockwise direction. Keep
turning, without waiting for the clock to strike. Doing
this, the hands can pass through several hours, while
only one of the hours is actually struck. Repeat this
process, taking into account what should be struck
and what is being struck.
E.g. In a clock with half-hour striking, the clock has
stuck half past six but the hands show six o'clock: the
next hour, which will be struck, is seven, so turn the
minute hand straight through to seven o'clock.
- Bring the minute hand to about three minutes to the
hour. Move the minute hand backwards to about a
quarter to and the clock will strike. Move the hand
forward to three minutes to and then backwards to the
quarter. Repeat this process until hands and strike
are in phase.
Transporting a Clock
In a clock with a pendulum, where the pendulum is not
fixed directly to the mechanism, it is best to remove the
pendulum before transport.
Keys
It is important that the key used to wind a clock is a good fit
on the square. If a key is too loose, it will cause damage to
both the key and the square and if it slips, it can be
disastrous for the dial.
Back to top of page
|
|
|