Pendulum of Mayfair
King House,51 Maddox Street,
London W1S 2PH
Telephone:
+44 (0) 207 629 6606Fax:
+44 (0) 207 629 6616Email:
Pendulumclocks@aol.comCoppelia Antiques
Holford Lodge,Plumley Moor Road,
Plumley,
Cheshire
WA16 9RS
Telephone:
+44 (0) 1565 722197Fax:
+44 (0) 1565 722744
Setting up Antique Clocks
CARE & SETTING UP INSTRUCTIONS OF A LONGCASE CLOCK
Congratulations on your purchase of a Longcase clock from Pendulum of Mayfair Ltd / Coppelia Antiques. Given proper care and conditions your Longcase clock should give many years reliable service.
Proper Care After Set-up
1) Winding:
‘30Hr’clocks are generally wound with a rope or chain. This should be done once per day.
‘8 Day’ clocks may either have one weight (typically regulator clocks) or two/three weights. All weights are to be wound by inserting the correct size of key on to the winding arbour. Your clock should arrive unwound, so on winding, the lines should follow the grooves in the barrel (if applicable) ‘8-day’ clocks are usually wound clockwise
‘Month’ duration clocks typically as above but since these clocks have an extra wheel in the train they are generally wound anti-clockwise.
2) Time:
When setting the time never move the hands backwards. If you move the clock hands backwards past a striking section you may cause damage to the movement. Always let the clock strike each hour/quarter etc when setting the time. It is also a good idea to wind the clock prior to setting the time and starting the clock.
3) Calendar:
As the clocks allow for 31 days per month, when there is less than 31 days, you need to adjust the calendar. Depending on the sort of calendar of your clock, this can be done from the front (hand variety) or the rear (square or lunette variety). The calendar disc on the latter sort is attached to the back of the dial. You can move the square or lunette type from the front but you may leave finger prints to the dial, that will leave a mark over time. If the calendar does not want to move, wait for a few hours and try again, it may be in mesh. Generally the calendar can be moved by hand between 3 and 5pm each day.
4) Regulation:
If you notice a day after set-up the clock is running fast by a few minutes, the only thing that controls the timekeeping is the pendulum. (assuming the minute hand is not loose) Stop the clock by grabbing the pendulum and move the nut on bottom of the pendulum anti-clockwise, in effect lengthening the pendulum. Generally 1 turn either way would make the clock gain/lose 1 minute per day. Up= Faster, Down = Slower.
5) Striking:
If your clock is count wheel strike, occasionally the clocks strike may go out of sequence. This can happen if the clock has been left to run out. There is a lever on the movement which you can lift to adjust this. Alternatively if the clock is striking 4 but pointing to three and the time is 3.10 by the clock, move the clock hands past four quickly and on to five before the clock has finished striking five. The clock will now be in sequence again, striking five and pointing to five.
HUMIDITY
You should always keep your antique clock in R.H. 40-65%. Never keep your clock in dry or damp conditions. As a result of central heating over the last 20 years more damage has been done to antiques than at any time in the previous 300 years. Always check your humidity level. It is recommended in dry conditions you purchase a Humidifier or in damp conditions you purchase a DE-Humidifier.
WAXING
Always use a Beeswax polish every few years, never use spray polishes on antiques.
OILING
You should oil your clock movement every year or so with a specialist clock oil. This can be applied with an artists brush. Oil needs to be applied to the pivot holes on the front plate and backplate. (I.e. where the pinions of the wheels go through front and backplate) It is also advisable to oil the pallets and the pulleys that the weights hang on. You do not need to oil any of the gears in the movement. A few drops of oil should oil an entire movement, do not over oil as this will attract dust and cause wear.
SETTING UP YOUR LONGCASE CLOCK ON DELIVERY
Parts of a Longcase Clock:
1) Trunk
2) Hood
3) One / Two / or Three Weights
4) Pendulum
5) Movement
Tools Required to install your Longcase Clock and Fix it to a Wall
1) Drill
2)Wood baton (8inch * 2inch * thickness of skirting (generally 1inch thick)
3) Screwdriver and screw to screw clock into baton
4) 4/5 thin wooden packing blocks to straighten clock and make it lean against the wall
5) Raw plug and screw to fix baton to wall
Introduction
It is always advisable to fix your antique clock to the wall. If this is not done then apart from the risk of the clock being knocked over, sometimes if the clock is not firm the clock may stop when the weights are level with the pendulum, as the clock rocks slightly. You can avoid the fixing to the wall by just packing up the front feet up and thus throwing the clocks weight to the wall, which is done when you screw the clock to the wall in any case, but I would recommend fixing. The process outlined below appears very difficult but it is easily carried out by most people. If you do not wish to undertake this process, you can ask any joiner to do this for you. Let them have our instructions if they are unsure of the process.
The first step after unpacking the boxes that the clock is packed in, is to check the clock for any damage in transport and if so , inform your shipper. Hopefully this is not the case and you can continue with the fixing of your clock. Find the most suitable place you would like the clock to be and with the use of the thin packing blocks under the clocks front feet, place the trunk of the clock against the wall in this position.
The second step requires some assistance from a willing family member. Now you have set the trunk straight against the wall, (by eye is fine) whilst one person takes the movement and places it on the cheeks of the case, the other person brings the pendulum. Do not leave the movement unattended on the cheeks, keep your hand holding the clock until at least the pendulum is connected. Now thread the pendulum up though the crutch (the slot to the rear of the movement) and finally onto the back-cock of the movement.
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Generally it is now safe, if the movement is far back on the cheeks, to let go of the movement now, but do so carefully, making sure the movement does not overbalance.
At this stage put the hood onto the trunk and with your hands under the bottom of the seatboard lever the movement into the correct position in the mask, making sure the hood is still firmly back. The dial now should be fitting the mask evenly on both sides. At this stage you can carefully take the hood off and if applicable screw the movement down into the cheeks and so it it stable and in the correct position. This is an optional stage of the process.
Now comes the time for fixing the clock to the wall or if you do not wish to do this, all you need to do is hang the weights on the clock and follow the latter stages of the process.
Mark the wall through an existing central hole in the clocks backboard (if there is one about chest height as you open the trunk door) If not drill a small hole through the clocks backboard at this point and mark. Temporarily at this height and to one side of the clock put the baton you are going to use just behind the clock, leave it there sticking out from one side of the clock for the moment while you check the pendulum is free and not touching the backboard. You have now checked the baton is of the correct thickness. If the pendulum is still touching the back of the clock while the baton is temporarily behind the clock and the movement is correct in the mask. (not been pushed back) use a slightly thicker baton and recheck.
Now you are happy with the thickness of the baton, mark the position of where the clock is standing and move the clock to one side. (two people can lift the complete clock to one side or alternatively dismantle in the reverse order you set up. Make sure you know exactly where the clock was positioned. To one side of the mark you have on the wall, make sure you now test the wall so that there is no problem with drilling here. (no cables etc behind) Drill the hole to one side of the mark you have made to the correct length of your raw plug. Attach raw plug and screw baton to wall. Re-assemble clock in exactly the original place with exactly the correct number of packing pieces under the front feet. Screw through the hole in the clock’s backboard into the wood baton now fixed to the wall. Your clock is now secure.
You can now attach the clock weights and wind the clock. The clock should come to you unwound so on winding the lines should follow the grooves in the barrel (if present)
Now you can swing the pendulum and listen to the tick. The clock should tick evenly, I.e. tick, tock. Not tick, tooooooock. If the clock is straight and you are happy with this you need to adjust the beat. You will need to bend the crutch away from the sound of the long tock. If the clock is not in beat even if all the hands of the clock are free and not touching the dial or each other, the clock will stop within a few minutes. If the clock is in beat though and the clock stops at five past one for instance the hands may be touching, gently ease them away from each other.
Now your clock is set-up you can now sit back and relax.
If you want to set the clock up in a corner position, it is basically the same process as above but you will need a i-shaped backed. The baton will be on the wall and you will have a baton on the back of the clock with a adjoining piece of wood connecting the two. The above process may seem complicated but it really is not and should take no more than 20 minutes for a practical person or 45/50 minutes for fitting in a corner.
SET-UP SUMMARY SHEET
1) Decide where you want clock and fit a wooden baton to wall, similar thickness to skirting.
2) Place case in front of this and fix it to the piece of wood.
3) Place movement in case and get someone else to hang pendulum on whilst you steady movement.
4) Put the hood on and then slide you hand under seatboard to position in the dial in the mask correctly
5) Remove hood and attach weights correctly to pulleys.
6) Carefully wind up clock making sure the lines are not twisted and winding evenly on barrels
7) Wind the clock to a point where the lines fill the barrel, do not over wind. Leave a gap of about 2inch between the underneath of the seatboard and the pulley.
8) Swing the pendulum gently and listen to see if the clock is in beat. Tick - Tock. If the sound is correct, set-up is complete, if not adjust beat of clock by bending crutch away from the sound of the long tock.
9) If the timekeeping is fast, adjust by lowering pendulum rating nut on bottom of pendulum. Roughly one turn down will make the clock go slower by one minute per day and vice versa
10) Always wind the weights before moving the hands of the clock.
Recent Articles
Antique Clocks - A short journey - December 2011
My Life in Antique Clocks
The question, “ What would you like to be when you grow up, a fireman, a policeman , an accountant or doctor?” This never really applied to me. From an early age my love of antique clocks was unconditional. I used to travel with my father every summer holiday or at any chance to go to major auction houses in London and even overseas. Nothing interested me more than watching and learning from my father. I suppose in some cases you could say, well, you are only doing it as you want your father to be proud of you? Yes for starters there is no getting away from that fact but as the years passed and as my understanding grew, I was hooked like a drug. I needed more and the more information. I loved living and being surrounded by such beautiful antique clocks and furniture. Nothing interested me more than watching and learning about clocks and from my father examining them in fine detail. This is what makes me tick I used to say. Having your own workshop at home is every child’s dream, I was actually given the opportunity to tinker and try to reassemble the movements, so it was great. Toys, these were my toys and along the way my knowledge grew and grew. I used to watch the transformation of these dusty, dirty clock movements and cases from years of neglect into wonderful showroom condition examples, worthy of any home. It gave me pleasure to think that bringing them back to life was a way in thanking these great clockmakers, great intellectuals of their time for the treasures they have left us. What do we have now that would be around in 200 years time, I used to think? These clocks literally came alive after being restored. In seeing this transformation it became clear to me the beauty in the craftsmanship of the cabinets and workmanship in the movements.
I remember lots of funny stories while growing up. I will write about a few here to take you along my life journey. I was probably about 10 or 11 at the time, we used to go to Scotland a lot in those days, as high quality antiques were more prevalent up north. We had a motor caravan so we could combine business with pleasure I suppose. Working holidays, when you own your own business, were the norm. With three children to put through school and to bring up, and a business to build, there was no fancy foreign holidays or luxuries. Those days were a continual struggle, you get nowhere without hard work though, was what it taught me. On this trip we had just about finished travelling round and it was time to collect all our purchases and head home. This trip was successful and we have about 5 Longcase clocks both lying on the floor of our motor caravan and in the bunk beds in the roof, as well as many other items we had purchased along the route. On setting off for home every time we went around a corner a loud rolling sound and a sudden thump came from the rear. We stopped, took everything out of the van but could not see any reason for this strange noise. We packed again and set off for the second time. Still the same noise, this time we stopped at the next service station unpacked and went through everything carefully. In the bottom of one of the clocks was an old half empty whisky bottle. The clock had come from a deceased estate, and the old guy had obviously used the base of the clock as his hiding place from his Mrs. We both smiled and made out way home. On reaching home, even though it was late, we got a couple of the clocks out of the van and stood them in all their glory in our kitchen. They were dirty, dusty, bits falling off and smelling of tobacco. We just purred and starred with ‘rose tinted’ spectacles at them. Anyone walking into our kitchen at that time must of thought we were mad. I suppose we were looking at them with a view to their potential, not how they looked at that moment. Transforming these past masters gives us great satisfaction, no less now, that it did all those years ago.
I often get asked by the way, have you ever had a bargain, well my second funny story of when I was small and growing up, always springs to mind. Bargains do not normally happen in this trade, everyone with the onset of programs like the antiques road show and bargain hunt etc, usually think they have something that is worth the earth or at least double what it actually is. Bargains are not common, one day though when I was about 13 this was not the case. I remember the day like it was just a few years ago. We all as a family had viewed the antique sale (major auction house) and we found a couple of reasonable clocks that were genuine and worth bidding on, but there was 1 more stuck away in a corner. My father walked up to this looking at catalogue, ‘electric clock’, it said. Sure enough ‘electric clock’ was engraved on the cartouche on the dial. My father pulled the hood off and saw brass plates where the movement should have been. He lifted these plates and sure enough the original movement was behind, not ‘electric’ at all. My fathers eyes lit up and he quickly put the covers on the movement and the hood on, and walked away before anyone saw him looking at it. Special regulator clocks have brass dust sheets to cover the movement and keep them sealed from the atmosphere. The day of the auction came, my mother and father went. My father said you stand away from me and you bid on that clock, as the other dealers will twig what is going on, if I start bidding. They both got to the auction in lots of time and while they were waiting for the lot to come up, someone asked my father if there was anything he was interested in, he made the mistake of saying 2 or 3 clocks. The guy looked puzzled and thought 2 or 3, he could see 2 decent clocks, my father might like but not 3. My father got concerned when the guy went over to this electric clock and took the hood off. The guy seemed to shrug his shoulders and thought nothing of it. My father had a big sigh of relief. The electric clock then came under the hammer, my mother was asked to act not interested and bid right at the end. Well no-one was about to bid and the hammer was just about to be put down and she put her hand up. Another dealer upon noticing this said to my father who he was standing with. Is that not your wife bidding on that clock. My father said, yes, she collects electric clocks. The auctioneer had to speak up, are you bidding Madam, as my mother tried to act so disinterested, she said yes, and he put his hammer down pretty much straight away, as there was no other interest. This was the 1 main bargain in our life with antique clocks. When they got home, the horologist dismantled the movement and took the cartouche off, on the back of the engraving, ‘electric clock’ , it said the makers name, ‘John Holmes London’, a famous clockmaker.
I have been full time in the antique clocks business now since leaving university at 21 and obtaining a 2.1 Bsc. Hons in Business Studies and Chemistry. In the 19 years I have been full time, I have watched our business grow naturally from a small enterprise, to the size it is today. 15 years ago we opened a central London antique clock shop, Pendulum of Mayfair Ltd. We have sold clocks and made numerous VIPs friends along the way, many CEO’s of large UK and USA business, we have restored clocks for members of the Royal Family, I have appeared on national TV and in the national papers talking about antique clocks. We have also been privileged to deliver to the Russian Embassy, a clock for the Russian Ambassador, and we have also been asked to restore some of their clocks. We have gone from a small business to earning the respect of special people like this. I am the second generation antique clock dealer. One day I hope one of my sons or daughter can follow me into the antique clocks business. Working in the business makes me proud but leaving something special for others would also make me happy. A great life in antique clocks. This article is written from the heart. I hope you enjoy.
Daniel R Clements - antique clocks specialist