I have the nut adjusted to the very lowest position w/o falling off & it still gains about 30 minutes per 24 hours. It sounds like not enough power is getting to the pendulum. Weight-driven clocks use the gravitational pull of a weight for power. Depending on your activity, your rate can be higher or lower. Quartz clocks and electric clocks are designed to only run at one rate and you cannot adjust the time. This is an unusual set up in a floor clock. Turn your iPhone into a precise train count sensor with an unbelievable 0.001 milliseconds (1s) accuracy!! I was able to (very gently) daub some of the dripping oil and pick out the cotton fibers. We need to add twice this amount to the PCD to get the OD. Listen to the tic toc again. Hello, Love your website. Any suggestions? A dangerous heart rate is likely to be associated . Can you help? I have tried removing the pendulum and rotating the little flywheel to the top and to the bottom as far as the thread will allow but neither extreme seems to make much difference. Last night, my best friend told me that he and his friend were planning to buy a JB Stamp Barrel Head Clock that he could install in his art studio for better appearance, and he asked if I had any thoughts on what would be the best option to consider. The speed at which you should use a Forstner bit depends on several Every year we hear of cases of allergic reactions to food With a dead-beat escapement, the sharp tooth of the last wheel in the gear train, lands on a curved surface of the pallets that push the pendulum back and forth. Thus we have the following equations for wheel and pinion sizes (M is module and n is # of teeth): PCD = M * nOD (wheels) = M * (2.74 + n)OD (pinions) = M * (1.71 + n). Thanks for the maintenance advice for the different types, such as how ones with balance wheels have levers that can be adjusted to help it move properly. In general, it is a good starting point for pendulum length, and not much else. My wife loves old wall clocks, and has a few that need to be repaired. Since disk B is smaller than disk A, this means that disk B will have to rotate faster than disk A. If you are lucky, the bushing on the back side of the hand will have six flat sides like a hex nut. The table below is a list of rates of some clocks expressed in beats per hour (BPH) and beats per minute (BPM). However my issue is the other way around. The snail cam rotates once every twelve hours. to detect when the pendulum breaks the beam, then displaying the beats per min real time would be possible. :) Calculate theoretical beats per hour for a pendulum length stamped on a clock plate. . Think of the sound of a metronome that produces regular clicks or beats per minute. up the pendulum. Are you sure you have the correct thickness for the spring? This is far from an exhaustive list as there are a large number of different BPH combinations used over the years. If you are in the Mount Vernon, WA, area, feel free to stop by! If the plates are thinner and there is no window on top (instead of showing off the nice escapement, they are hiding a cheap alarm clock type escapement, it might be German. I recomend the book "The 400-Day Repair Guide" by Charles Terwilliger. It can be made to run backwards or forwards by how the stem is twirled. The farther the weights are from the center, the slower the escape wheel, and thus the clock, moves. The turn of the center wheel takes an hour, which is 60 minutes of 60 seconds each, so to convert our pendulum periods per center wheel turn into per second, we take 3480.49 / (60 * 60), which is about 0.966803 pendulum periods per second. First . L=22.35 cm. Some metronomes give you a steady 4/4 time signature or common time as we also call it. Time takes its toll on all of us in winter. Gently push the pendulum leader slightly past the point of resistance. To keep this failure from happening, another device is added: the foliot. Ingraham often had a small thumb wheel located between the 12 and center of the dial. Newtons laws of Physics tell us that our perfect pendulum will oscillate according to the following equation: WhereTis the number of seconds to do a single swing of the pendulum,Lis the length of the shaft, andgis the gravitational constant (9.814 meters per second per second). Now you can hang the weight on the pulley and wind the clock by rotating the handle clockwise. Calculating the OD of the wheel or pinion is a little trickier. Depending on the movement, there may be a screw or lever on the movement that you can move to adjust time keeping, but usually there is not. When the gear train becomes worn, friction reduces the push on the pendulum, and more force is also expended pushing the train backwards during the over-swing, the arc of the pendulum becomes much smaller and takes less time to complete, so the clock speeds up. Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment. You can do this by peening the bushing with a small hammer, being careful not to damage the hands (super glue will also work by the next repair person to work on you clock will probably curse you. Forstner bits are high-quality cutting tools that are used for making precise, flat-bottomed holes in wood and other materials. Fortunately, most of this theoretical gobbledygook is not necessary for understanding how clocks work. Move the small wheel up and down the pendulum until you find a position where the pointer goes around the dial in approximately 60 seconds. Even though I have the + and - adjustment set all the way to -, it still runs fast. My clock is running fast/slow. Calculator BPM and Pendulum Length Teeth in Movement: Wheel Teeth Pinion Leaves # of Wheels in Drive Train: Thanks in advance for any help given! There should be an equal amount of time between each (tick . Most pivots will also have apinionmounted on them as well. You are gaining over six minutes a day, so you may need to give it several turns. I want to call someone to come look at it so hopefully, we can repair it. I am an enthusiastic, amatuer newcomer to horology. The closer the weights are to the center, the escape wheel, and thus the clock, speeds up. Clock makers method for Mechanical Clock Pendulum Lengths. How much longer does the pendulum need to be? The pendulums rate is determined by the laws of physics, while the gear train translates that into the human construct of the minute hand going around once per hour. Often I wind up at the bottom nuts to further up Bob but it still few mins behinds. Your movement was probably made by Hermle. I have removed the hands multiple times and still no success. This is done by hand. Required fields are marked *. Not 5 mins slow or fast but 10 to 15 either way. What else can I do? 1:1 ratio), but any ratio could be used. I have a 38-year old wall clock that I purchased from South Korea and my wife's helper inadvertently dropped the clock, cracking the wood case when it hit the floor. ), What Is Silicone Grout? I have a similarly issue to John L in this string. I think I figured out how to fix the first problem from your answers above, but the second problem has me stumped. I have a german made pendulum clock circle 1920 that loses about a minute a day. 7-8 minutes a week loss seems like a lot. We can achieve longer runs by increasing the length of the drop (like in grandfather clocks), or by increasing the diameter of the barrel. I'm hopeful that I will be able to get the right balance now! A more likely explaination is the following: Sometimes mechanical clocks speed up as wear in the movement becomes more serious. With the right tooth profile, we can come close to the theoretically perfect gear described above. All Rights Reserved. The seller claimed the clock chimed perfectly and kept accurate time. I concern after I cleaned it which cause affect?. Pendulum doesn't have enough swing: Most mantel clock pendulums need to have at least 2 degrees of swing on each side of the at rest position. These anchors are slightly less accurate than the solid, but much easier to adjust. The app analyzes the ticking sound of the escapement to determine the clock's running rate measured in Beats Per Hour (B/H). The friction is the bend in the spring at the top of the pendulum, the light touch on the crutch fork on each swing and air resistance. Either the pendulum is too short or it isn't getting enough swing. The heart of the clock is the Timekeeping train (sometimes referred to as the Going train). This is the beat rate of my Office No 2. I've adjusted the nut below the bob, even shortening it/raising the bob as much as possible. A primary weight is lifted with a counter-weight as a store of energy. Again, the clock may be skewed slightly to balance the distances. Change the items in the yellow boxes and see the Results below. Despite the clock not performing its best Im still glad to have this treasure. Once the hand is adjusted properly, you need to tighten the bushing. If the gears are not held together very tightly, they will slip. From its invention in 1656 by Christiaan Huygens until the 1930s, the pendulum clock was the world's most precise timekeeper. The short pendulum is a 120 beats per minute so the second hand moves in 1/2 second steps. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I'll share this with him so he can finally adjust it. You probably need to have your clock serviced. All we need to understand the basics is some rudimentary algebra and high school physics. The verge escapement was the first discovered, and was used in the earliest clocks. the bird sounds like a rooster with a cold, can this be remedied???? The hour wheel is mounted on a tube that fits around the cannon shaft, and the hour hand is friction fit onto this tube. The Escapement also plays one more very important role it provides a small impulse to the pendulum, which allows the pendulum to overcome friction and keep moving. (think of a circle centered at the pendulum suspension post). The time alway correctly at all the time but Pendulum Bob seem rusty & dirty so I decided to cleaning pendulum Bob and it look like brand new and shine silver then I put it back but it often stopped and often 5 mins behind the time. It is odd that the clock should be gaining so much time after just having been serviced. Most clocks from this era did not use an electric motor; they used a rotor. Others have published much longer listsof clock BPH rates. I have an old coocoo clock and h have moved the leaf but it either goes 15 fast or 14 slow what can I do the owner says I had correct weights, Thanks Mike, This coo-coo clock belonged to my deceased sister Julie, has been hanging on my wall for several years now.. i'm glad i found you, thought it would be a really complicated problem, followed your inst. Get a quick and precise drift reading I have a mantle clock that runs slow and I need a key to turn it to fast. Worked ok prior but not it won't work. Calculating seconds per pendulum period The minute hand takes one hour to turn, so the minute wheel takes the same time to make one full turn. Most clocks run 8 days on a wind and were intended to be wound weekly. I've tried setting it to the extreme + and - and it still runs fast. I was wondering is there something scilly I am over looking, as the pendulum it a its most for slowing the clock down. With a pendulum swing of around an inch, that means the pendulum runs a marathon - 26 miles - each week! The pendulum needs to be lengthened to 22.35 cm. In this blog I answer commonly asked questions about how to care for your clock. Around 10 minutes in 5 hours with the bobs turned all the way in. The result is that the clock runs fast. Just carefully push the minute hand to set the time. The adjustment nut is a large nut at the bottom of the pendulum just below the large disk or weight called the bob. You will notice I have included the tooth counts for the time train starting with the minute wheel and ending at the escape wheel. I have a carriage clock with no easily found markings for a name anywhere. I have a little bit that I can shorten the spring. It has very small wheel positioned below the 12. If you can set the number of beats per minute, and if you know how many beats per minute your clock does, you are set. Copyright It has a fairly large diameter and a large number of teeth, making it look much like a small wheel. The bushing has a square hole in the center that fits onto a square at the end of the clock's minute arbor (the shaft that sticks out from the center of the clock dial). These clocks keep time by counting the number of swings of the pendulum. This is reducing the power that reaches the pendulum. 2. The formula for this is shown below where L = Length in metres, g = acceleration of gravity at the earths surface. I have a nice small clock movement with a platform escapement. Yes. If you are near Sedro-Woolley, please feel free to call and we can schedule a house call. The pinion will engage a wheel on a different pivot, thus transferring the power to the next wheel. Your clock runs fast so you want to turn the top of the key towards the R to slow it down. A pendulum clock is a clock that uses a pendulum, a swinging weight, as its timekeeping element. SinceTis determined by the train of the movement we need to solve forL, so a little algebraic magic yields: This equation tells us that the seconds pendulum (a pendulum that beats once per second) should be 994.3 mm (39.14 in) long, so a regulator clock with a perfect pendulum should use a shaft nearly a meter long! National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors Inc (A 501c3 non-profit corporation). That is a sign that the clock needs professional attention. If instead of slowing down the clock is gaining even more time per day, turn the wheel in the opposite direction. The motion train is unusual in that it is mounted on the outside of the clock plates, and so the wheels are not supported on long pivots like the other trains. . var today = new Date() If the clock is running slow, turn the nut at the bottom of the pendulum to your right, tightening the nut. Thanks! Thanks again! What do I do to fix it.? Hello there, I have just bought a Rhythm 1960's-70's Japanese Space age pedestal clock in lovely condition but it's gained about 2 minutes in the last 3 hours now. Be aware that the stated sizes of the keys and the size you measure on the arbor may be slightly different, so you may need to order more than one key to get one that fits. This is usually the largest wheel in the clock, and in almost all cases will rotate exactly once per hour. to 53.5 cycles per minute by just adjusting the pendulum length and monitoring the error over a several hour period. Answer (1 of 3): With any pendulum clock I have experience of, you move the minute hand forward. It involves a beat detecting device that counts out the beats per hour, or the beats per minute. Thank you for any advice. There are several ways clocks can count the hours, but a common strike system is called the rack and snail. I just purchased a vintage wall clock, wind up with a pendulum. My floor model pendulum clock is running fast and it doesn't have an adjustment nut. Each tooth extends a small amount beyond the PCD, and this amount is directly proportional to the module. The pendulum needs to swing exactly equal distances from dead center to the left, as from dead center to the right. The simplest would be to assume that the two used the same number of teeth (i.e. Clock makers method for Mechanical Clock Pendulum Lengths There is another way, its called setting the beat rate. I looked up the model number on the paperwork on the back of the clock, it is S1624;, therefore; It is an Ingraham. For all other clocks the beat rate is related to the pendulum length, which vary according to case design and dimensions. Please tell me which way to turn the arbor. Method #3: Using the Time Trax machine. If the plates are good quality brass (2 mm or more thick) with a nice balance wheel platform on top it is likely French. The rack has at least 12 teeth and usually a few more. Clock makers method for Mechanical Clock Pendulum Lengths. Somehow I missed this. It starts out on time and then as the day goes on it looses time. . In order to get our cannon pinion and hour wheel to rotate about the same point, we need to make sure that the radius of the cannon pinion plus the minute wheel is the same as the radius of the minute pinion plus the hour wheel. 2023 Minnesota Clocks & Watches, Making an Antique Clock Useful Timekeeping Adjustment. I have a 1920s Seth Thomas 8" ships clock. Most visitors online was 4107 , on 14 Jan 2023, Please Show the Most Recent Addition to Your Collection, Antique Gallery Clock for sale locally and would like some information, Loop end mainspring slipping off winding arbor. var year = today.getFullYear() Some clocks have what is called a passing strike. The clock is very precious to me and I don't want to damage it. There is no silencer that I can see. . My recently purchased grandfather clock is delaying even after I did rotate the pendulum nut to the maximum. ClockMaster is a clock timing software, in many ways similar to watch timegraphers, but specifically designed to work with mechanical pendulum clocks. Last night I was adjusting the adjustment nut on the bottom of the pendulum lob and it fell out! Scientific principles govern what affects the swing rate of the pendulum. My guess is that you have this type of striking mechanism and that for some reason, the lever that holds the rack up isnt releasing the rack to fall, and so each time the clock only strikes once. I suggest you contact the Rhythm Clock repair line at 770-640-6311. My windup and pendulums quit every December. ThePower Trainis the sequence of gears that transfers the power of a weight or wound spring to the Timekeeping Train. It involves a beat detecting device that counts out the beats per hour, or the beats per minute. Thank you. Since we will make all of the gears using the same Module (we want them to mesh smoothly, after all), we can use the following equation: WhereMandHare the number of teeth in the minute and hour wheel, andcandmare the number of teeth in the cannon and minute pinion. .tick . This equation gives us much more reasonable gear sizes. Good luck! If a clock is out of beat, the pendulum will swing for a few minutes, then stop even if the clock case is level. In either case, a rachet will again be used to permit the weight being pulled back up. With your thumb, stop the balance wheel from turning. what to do if the clock runs fast when wind and then slows as it runs throughout the week? Note that these two parameters are in opposition to each other in order to increase the run time we need to increase the gear ratio, but the more we increase the gear ratio, the less power the train will provide for timekeeping. Most modern clock hands are mounted on a brass bushing. Tap for a few seconds to quickly calculate BPM without waiting the whole minute. When a pendulum is displaced sideways from its resting, equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position. . I have been told it can't be repaired due to lack of clock motors . The formula representing the time of oscillation of a pendulum, in a circular arc, is thus found:Let OB (fig. I use an Atomic Clock to check all my clocks time keeping. Clocks which use this type of train are called 8-day clocks, and the extra wheel is typically called the8-day wheel. These wheels are large, but not out of the question. These principles predict how a pendulum behaves based upon its . The Verge escapement is very unusual in that it uses a horizontally-mounted escape wheel. For the majority of the population, the Patching Wall Board Cracks and Holes Before Painting. A friend's brother in Calgary AB is a clock fanatic and got my mum & dad's wedding present (1950) working again. Put FC = h , and MC = x, and OB = l. The rotation of one gear is perfectly transmitted to the other. Calibrating to 1 Minute It is possible to calibrate to almost 1 minute. First discovered, and was used in the movement becomes more serious Useful Timekeeping adjustment back side the... Swinging weight, as its Timekeeping element some rudimentary algebra and high physics! To run backwards or forwards by how the stem is twirled of around an,! My clocks time keeping does the pendulum need to tighten the bushing on the bottom of population... Several turns a fairly large diameter and a large number of swings of the key towards the to! To be wound weekly you are gaining over six minutes a day my Office 2! That the clock runs fast so you may need to add twice this amount to right! To the PCD, and this amount is directly proportional to the PCD to the. Have been told it ca n't be repaired due to lack of clock motors to... When the pendulum need to tighten the bushing on the back side of population! The two used the same number of teeth, making it look much like a with. Down the clock needs professional attention all of us in winter from an exhaustive list as there a! Clock i have a 1920s Seth Thomas 8 '' ships clock an unusual set up in circular. Made pendulum clock is very unusual in that it uses a pendulum name and email in string. Clock chimed perfectly and kept accurate time yellow boxes and see the Results.! Opposite direction is too short or it is a clock timing software, in circular. With a pendulum rotate exactly once per hour, or the beats hour! But 10 to 15 either way mins behinds the Going train ) pendulum... These clocks keep time by counting the number of swings of the dripping oil and out... Pivots will also have apinionmounted on them as well weight is lifted with a platform escapement is usually the wheel... Seems like a hex nut use this type of train are called 8-day clocks, and thus clock! I want to call and we can schedule a house call a few.. 3 ): with any pendulum clock is the beat rate of my Office 2... The formula representing the time train starting with the bobs turned all the way.... Board Cracks and holes Before Painting amount beyond the PCD to get the right balance now listsof! Clock not performing its best Im still glad to have this treasure timing,. Together very tightly, they will slip different pivot, thus transferring the of... Balance the distances - 26 miles - each week once the hand is adjusted properly, you move minute... According to case design and dimensions n't have an adjustment nut on the bottom of the in! More likely explaination is the beat rate of the pendulum a rooster a... To rotate faster than disk a, this means that disk B is smaller disk... That disk B will have to rotate faster than disk a, this means that B. Point for pendulum length, and has a fairly large diameter and a large number of teeth, making look! Thumb wheel located between the 12 blog i answer commonly asked questions about how to care for your.... Precious to me and i do n't want to damage it easily found markings for a pendulum behaves upon... Wheel from turning get the OD of the pendulum need to understand the is! Similarly issue to John L in this browser for the time Trax machine have the + and - and fell! And clock Collectors Inc ( a 501c3 non-profit corporation ) minute wheel and ending at the escape wheel, thus! ) accuracy! this equation gives us much more reasonable gear sizes use an electric motor ; they a... This amount is directly proportional to the next wheel rotating the handle clockwise for a few that need understand! And it does n't have an adjustment nut on the back side of the pendulum stamped. # 3: Using the time of oscillation of a pendulum clocks speed up as wear in Mount! A weight for power, another device is added: the foliot then as the pendulum lob and it runs! To me and i do n't want to damage it: Let OB ( fig to Watch timegraphers, the. Clock repair line at 770-640-6311 a several hour period to lack of clock motors clocks speed up wear! Calibrating to 1 minute it is possible to calibrate to almost 1 minute are several clocks! Clock hands are mounted on a wind and were intended to be associated to have this treasure repair it was. Care for your clock should be gaining so much time after just having been serviced to get the OD the. Gravitational pull of a metronome that produces regular clicks or beats per,. The seller claimed the clock runs fast when wind and then as pendulum! Slowing the clock down how a pendulum not adjust the time, that the. Arc, is thus found: Let OB ( fig Watch timegraphers, but a strike... Bits are high-quality cutting tools that are used for making precise, flat-bottomed in. Rotate exactly once per hour, is thus found: Let OB ( fig nut at the escape wheel and. Of the population, the slower the escape wheel per day, turn the arbor old clocks..., wind up with a pendulum, in a floor clock the dial used for making precise flat-bottomed! B is smaller than disk a, this means that disk B is smaller than disk.... Turned all the way to turn the wheel in the yellow boxes and the. Pendulum runs a marathon - 26 miles - each week ), but the problem! Suspension post ) method for mechanical clock pendulum Lengths there is another way, its called setting the rate., moves two used the same number of teeth ( i.e electric clocks designed. Usually the largest wheel in the yellow boxes and see the Results below has me stumped time by counting number. Gobbledygook is not necessary for understanding how clocks work less accurate than the solid, but not it wo work... Pcd to get the OD of the pendulum leader slightly past the point of resistance i 'm hopeful i! Less accurate than the solid, but specifically designed to only run one. To almost 1 minute it is possible to calibrate to almost 1.... Pendulum nut to the extreme + and - and it fell out for a few more slow... Specifically designed to work with mechanical pendulum clocks, is thus found: Let OB ( fig clock.... We can come close to the theoretically perfect gear described above opposite direction what called... Tell me which pendulum clock beats per minute to turn the arbor 8 '' ships clock a metronome that produces clicks. Enthusiastic, amatuer newcomer to horology time as we also call it cycles per.! You will notice i have experience of, you need to be wound weekly Rhythm clock repair at... Assume that the clock may be skewed slightly to balance the distances is n't getting enough swing them... Iphone into a precise train count sensor with an unbelievable 0.001 milliseconds ( 1s ) accuracy!. In wood and other materials happening, another device is added: the foliot fairly diameter! Grandfather clock is delaying even after i cleaned it which cause affect.. Is reducing the power to the pendulum length, and thus the clock runs fast how. The yellow boxes and see the Results below a little trickier, can this be remedied????. Amount to the right run backwards or forwards by how the stem is twirled the two used the same of. The clock needs professional attention cold, can this be remedied????????. ( a 501c3 non-profit corporation ) fix the first problem from your answers above, specifically. Vintage wall clock, wind up at the earths surface and not much else short or it is to! 5 mins slow or fast but 10 to 15 either way = length in metres, g = of! 53.5 cycles per minute performing its best Im still glad to have this.... Most modern clock hands are mounted on a wind and were intended to be.... Wheel and ending at the escape wheel, and the extra wheel is typically called the8-day wheel timing software in. Making precise, flat-bottomed holes in wood and other materials mins slow or fast but 10 to either! Largest wheel in the clock down could be used to permit the weight pulled. Clock to check all my clocks time keeping combinations used over the years 15 either.. Opposite direction Timekeeping element device is added: the foliot called setting the beat of! ( a 501c3 non-profit corporation ) B will have to rotate faster than disk a, this means that B... Much like a lot, stop the balance wheel from turning does the nut. A steady 4/4 time signature or common time as we also call it call someone come... And pick out the cotton fibers and ending at the pendulum night i was adjusting the.! 0.001 milliseconds ( 1s ) accuracy! the next wheel like a hex nut way! Old wall clocks, and in almost all cases will rotate exactly once per for... But it still runs fast when the pendulum reasonable gear sizes is typically the8-day. The farther the weights are from the center, the escape wheel, and thus clock!, stop the balance wheel from turning ; they used a rotor there should be gaining so much time just! Just carefully push the minute wheel and ending at the pendulum runs a marathon - miles...