As some of you may have read, I like clocks. Old clocks, the older the better. I usually manage to collect mid to late 19th century wind up or weight driven clocks. There is something to be learned from the simpler way of life that prevailed when these keepers of time were shiny and new.
However, when I get them, they are generally in need of some light work. While I don’t (yet) consider myself an expert on clocks, I do feel I’m a “gifted amateur” and so far I’ve managed to only mangle 2 clock movements: one early 20th century Waterbury movement that probably needs a new escape wheel (part of the portion that makes a clock “tick-toc”) and bushings, and a New Haven that was bought specifically for me to torture, as it had a broken mainspring. I soaked it in water in my ultrasonic cleaner, all together. Not good, trust me.
Here’s today’s victim: A late 19th or early 20th century (that’d be 1880-1920 folks)
Antique E. Ingraham Co. Mantle Clock
E. Ingraham 8-day mantle clock. “8-day” is about how often one needs to wind it up again, and of course, it should sit on a mantle.
“I don’t HAVE a mantle, Jeff.”
Oh, ok then, neither do I, so use a shelf.
Now, I had started to tear down the clock before I remembered I wanted to do a post on tearing down and cleaning a clock, so you’ll note there’s no movement in the case in this pic. Gotta love that old paper dial, I’m not touching that.
God, it’s filthy. I got this clock in a lot of 3 off eBay about 2 weeks ago. There was a Seth Thomas shelf clock and an empty regulator case, and this one. The Seth needed nothing, it just had a loose glass in the door which I wedged up nicely.
View from the strike side
This one doesn’t run. Yet. Not shown is the bell. This movement has both a gong and a bell; the gong is driven by the strike side of the clock. The bell is driven by a small spring and a pall on the minute shaft of the clock.
The bell strikes on the half hour, and the gong strikes the hour, on the hour. More complicated clocks on my shelf are those with a Westminster chime movement, chiming every 15 minutes. I don’t consider myself “gifted” enough to tamper with those as yet.
Our object here is to tear down the movement, minding the mainsprings, and cleaning it in an ammonia-acetone-oleic acid based solvent in the ultrasonic cleaner, then reassembling. If the mainsprings need cleaning and oiling, we’ll do it while waiting on the US cleaner.
To any clock-repairing types out there: This blog is NOT repeat N-O-T the place to fight the Great Ammonia War. Thank you.
After cleaning, we rinse the parts in water (I use hot water) then pat down the plates. I put the gears into a cup and douse ‘em with denatured alcohol, as it is hygroscopic, or it absorbs water into itself. Works to get rid of water in your gas tank, too. Hit the gears with a blow-dryer to evaporate the alcohol, then come back and reassemble.
Yes, I actually DO know the meaning of hygroscopic. I’m not as stupid as I look, thanks 
So I have the movement removed:
Now to restrain and unload the mainspring. I already have the strike side done, as you can see.
I will probably start using the steel spring holders, as soon as I get a few liberated from my mainspring collection. For now I’m using zipties, shown below:
Letting down or unloading the mainspring involves releasing the “click” on the mainwheel, then winding slightly until the click disengages the ratchet, and controlling the unwinding of that mainspring with a tool. A tool I don’t have. I am using a key, but I also have king-kong hands. YOU will use a tool. It’s basically a broom-handle that’s cut down to fit over a winding key.
It’s hard to see the click spring in the pic thru the dirt, but the second picture shows it’s there.
After unloading the mainsprings, it’s time to tear down. There are 5 nuts on this movement that hold the plates together, shown here:
After these are removed, we can then remove the back plate:
Part 2: Putting it in the cleaner, then putting it back together.
NOT REALLY A COMMENT…MORE LIKE A QUERY
I recently purchased a clock movement by Ingraham Co…The main springs were broken..the original movement to my clock had only the mainsprings in excellent condition…so I married the two together…after three hours of reassembly it actually worked…the half hour bell rings and the hour gong chimes…”but” the gear at the top right that runs the “flywheel or governor” has one pin like yours…said pin on the gear sometimes hits the steel lever below said gear which makes the gear suddenly stop and makes the governor jump backwards for a split second…Is this normal or is the timing of the gear off…I found your pics very useful but as a beginner “yes call me a greenhorn” I don’t know the actual names of the parts..so I appologize for my ignorance.
Thank you in advance for any advice you mat have.
Reed
The governor is generally called a “fly.” The lever that is hitting the pin, is it a wire or an actual lever, stamped metal piece? If it’s a wire, you can usually bend it slightly to adjust it.
It’s possibly not timed correctly. There are usually 2 gears to worry about, the one directly before the fly (before meaning the one that drives the fly) and the one before that. The gear with the pin acts to catch the linkage. The other has a round metal piece on it with 2 notches that the linkage rides on. The notch and the catch need to be timed so that the linkage will drop into the notch and the pin is still behind the lever, coming up under it.
Don’t worry about terminology…I’m not sure I know that much of it myself. The main reason this is fresh in my mind is that I just cleaned a Tysho Schoolhouse clock. Very nice piece.
Thanks for the reply.
The movement looks almost exactly like the one in your last picture…except the bell hammer is similar in shape as the chime hammer….
it looks like a stamped lever…I think you’re correct about the timing..the gear fell out while I was taking the back plate off…
I want to go back in and take everything apart so I can clean it properly…how the heck do you put the movement back together without using twenty hands to hold the gears in alignment with the holes in the back plate once it’s time for reassembly???
Thanks
I start by putting in the mainwheels in. I’d say I usually use the front plate, as the mainwheels are usually flush against it and they rock less. Then I build the trains from there (or one train if I’ve got to figure out what gears go where) then add on the other plate. The trick is to get the mainshafts aligned into the back plate, then find the shafts that are “binding” or keeping the plate from dropping “in.” I find it usually works best once again working from the mainwheels to the fly/escape wheel, ie: drop in the next shaft in the sequence. I’ll generally hold the plates together with one hand and manoeuvre the shafts with either a small blade screw driver or a pair of forceps. I have also been known to install the nuts on the 2 spacers at that end so I have both hands.
As far as timing, I just toss stuff in, and home for the best. I get lucky sometimes, but usually then I have to do it right. So, first I try to get the count lever into a deep slot, then I align the gear it rides on. It can help to have a plate spreader for this stuff, but I can usually get by without. After the count lever and it’s gear are aligned, the gear with the pin can be rotated to the right spot.
Sometimes, I install the count lever with the plates open, then add in the last gear of the strike train. I play by eye a lot, as I found differences in movements mean there’s no set rules, really, except some general stuff.
Thanks so much for the info…
Sooo basically I reassembled the movement the same way you did…I used the backplate and one nut at a time until everything lined up….although I probably suffered from a PANIC attack trying to assemble mine with the mated springs…lol
I actually pondered on using modelers clay “nonhardening” to hold the gears in place…wedging it between the gears and then pulling it out a piece at a time…just a thought
It takes a few runs, but after a bit you’ll get a feel for it. If you’re planning on doing more, take the one you have now down and back a few times. Since you’re familiar with it, it’ll get easier.
You had the springs restrained?
The mainsprings were the first thing I restrained…almost learned that the hard way while working on a victrola motor spring….I figured it looked like it could take an eye out…
Yeah, they can be nasty.
Hello Mr.Byte
I have another question for you. I cleaned and oiled the movement. It ran great with a slite nudge of the pendulum…tick..tick…tick…for three wonderful days then stopped. I started it again ran for five minutes stopped…again for an hour, stopped….It does this randomly and I can’t see anything wrong with it. What am I doing wrong!
I also ran into a deal at a local antique shop…amother mantle clock in better shape than the one I’ve been working on…I cleaned it, oiled it and does the same thing….the new clock I bought was made in 1879 the old clock from 1912
I’d appreciate any ideas
I tried to send you a similar letter but it looks like it didn’t make it
Sent you some email a bit ago about that…glad you got them working.