Antique Clock Sales
Useful Facts About Clocks
A mantle clock must be on a firm level surface. Screw a long case to the wall. Wall clocks should be hung on screws NOT nails.
Never move a clock with the pendulum still attached. No matter how well a clock is restored, final regulation will almost always be necessary. A clock is in beat when the intervals between ticks are exactly equal. An out of beat clock can be heard ticking unevenly. Pendulum clocks can be adjusted by stopping the clock and holding the pendulum in the central position. Carefully move the pendulum form side to side just enough to hear the tick. The direction which required the least movement from vertical is the direction the crutch (the part that pendulum is attached to), needs to be moved slightly. Some are fixed & need to be bent some are friction tight & are easily moved. Some Manufacturers fitted pins to the cructch to stop the escapement from being damaged when a clock is moved with the pendulum attached. If this is the case, the escapement has to be held with one finger whilst the crutch is moved with another. This is best done by your horological expert. If he has set up the clock for you, this should not be necessary, unless you have resited your clock. The longer the pendulum, the slower your clock will run. Manufacturers had a number of ways to do this. Most are regulated by a small nut at the base of pendulum or within the pendulum bob itself. Some have a small arbor protruding from the dial, in most cases (especially the french ones), just above the 12 0'clock. They could be mark S&F (slow or fast) or A&R (advance or retard). Small adjustments are best & only once in 24 hour period. Don't forget that the clock may run slower as the spring unwinds so you need to take that into account as well. Weight driven clocks won't have a problem, because of the constant force attained by the weights falling. An out of beat wall clock can have a very small adjustment done by moving the whole case slightly to one side, you will have to listen to find out which way you need to go. You will hear a definite change to the intervals between ticks. French clocks can have a beat adjustment by moving the whole movement within the case. Not much though because it will be noticeable when viewing the clock. Slacken the two screws that hold the bezel to the back of the case, just enough to rotate very slightly. re-tighten the screw again. Never move the hands backwards on a striking or strike/chime clock. If changing the time back from BST to GMT just stop the clock for an hour then restart. To change from GMT to BST and you have a strike/chime that sounds the quarters, then let it strike/chime before proceeding to the next quarter. Expensive damage can occur if you do not take proper care of your clock. If you have any doubts about these procedures you should contact your local horologist for advice before proceeding.
Contact us now, for your horological requirements:
Tel: 01256 862492
email: michaelwebb44@hotmail.co.uk | 
