Clock Doctors

Repair Process

Clocks generally stop working for a number of reasons. After all, they are actually nothing more than a mechanical device by which we measure time. Most of the moving parts (gears) within a clock movement are constructed of metals. They are suspended usually within metal (brass) plates. Therefore, there are "metal on metal" components within almost every clock movement.

The majority of the time, a clock will stop because the points of lubrication (bushings) have collected dust over the years. The lubrication no longer has the lubricating qualities needed to reduce the frictions between the metal components, rather creating more friction at these points over time.

Illustrated below are the bushings in a clock plate.

Bushings are holes in the plate which houses the pivot (point where the shaft passes through the plate)

Click on the pictures below to enlarge a view of the start of our repair process.

Sometimes, clocks stop for other reasons as well. Mainsprings can break or become "tacky" over the years thus delivering an inconsistent power to the movement itself. Other problems could be click failures, broken suspension springs, or busing wear to name a few.

The majority of the time, a clock stops simply because it needs a complete and proper service. Notice the emphasis on complete and proper.

A complete and proper service means that:

A) the entire movement is disassembled

B) the bushings are cleaned thoroughly by means of a series of small brushes inserted thru the plates. When bushings are badly worn, from a perfect round diameter hole, to an "egg shaped" hole they are replaced with new bronze bushings.

C) the pivots are polished thus allowing a smooth surface to surface

D) reassembled with a good quality clock oil .

Before Cleaning and Repair

After Cleaning and repair

Clocks should be "properly" serviced every 8 to 10 years if one wants to preserve the original movement.

Contrary to popular belief, a clock Can Not be "wound too tight". However, we at Clock Doctors feel it's necessary to include this fact because that is by far the number one reason clock owners give us as to why they believe their clocks are no longer functioning. This is, for the most part, nothing more than a "old wives tale" that started back long long ago.

Many clocks stop right after they've been wound. This happens for 2 reasons.

A) the mainspring lubrication becomes "sticky or tacky" over time thus delivering less power to the movement and,

B) the movement itself has collected dust ,over time, which has dried up it's lubrication and therefore requires more power to operate.

The result is actually very simple to explain. The springs ,over time, deliver less power to a movement that ,over time, needs more power. When a clock is fully wound and quits working, the mainsprings don't even have enough power to uncoil themselves let alone drive an already dirty movement.

When springs are new or "properly serviced" they are free of any dust, dirt or debris and they are freshly lubricated allowing them to uncoil with ease. When a movement is "properly serviced", it too is free of any dust, dirt, or debris, and with proper lubrication, needs far less power to operate properly.

Below is an example of a "tacky" spring that needs serviced.