Any Clockmakers Out There?

[Luv Bunnies]

I'm trying to solve a bit of a mystery involving my large grandfather clock. It's a mechanical clock with weights and a pendulum. It doesn't have batteries or use electricity. It's completely mechanical. I was just sitting in the living room and suddenly heard a banging noise. I looked around and realized it was the clock. The center weight was banging against the back of the clock cabinet. It was hitting the top of the pendulum, causing it to also hit the back of the cabinet. We live in earthquake country, so I looked around to see if anything else was moving. Nope. All the hanging light fixtures, the pull chain on a lamp, etc. were perfectly still. Definitely not an earthquake. The movement was solely in the clock. My rabbit was acting a bit strange last night, thumping and on alert like something was bothering him. When the banging started this morning, he made a beeline for his pen and is still hiding in there. This is the second time this has happened in the past couple of years.

I'm wondering if there's anything in the mechanism of the clock that would cause the weights to start swinging on their own? Perhaps a glitch or a gear getting jammed? The banging lasted for a couple of seconds and the clock kept running normally when it stopped. It's still running well and keeping time.

This is a handmade clock and I would love to ask the clockmaker about this. However, the clockmaker was my dad and he passed away in 2019. He took up woodworking and clockmaking when he retired. My house is full of his beautiful creations, including my grandfather clock. My mom, sister and brother also have grandfather clocks since he made one for each of us. The first time this happened, I asked them if their clocks had ever done this. They all said no. And yes, it's crossed my mind that messing with my clock is my dad's way of saying hi!

So, anyone familiar with mechanical clock mechanisms that can help me solve this mystery?

 

[_19disnA]

Even if the grandfather clock was homemade, I would assume he purchased the actual clock/pendulum mechanism. Can you see anywhere on the clock itself if there is a brand name or model number? Do you have any of his older paperwork that might show where he bought those components? Might be able to find their website and see under the list of common issues what they say or perhaps they provide an email where you can ask them questions. My parents used to have a grandfather clock and as I recall, the mechanism is very sensitive, temperature & humidity can impact how it works and if something like one of links of the chain is bent or out of shape, it could cause the weights to fall or move around unexpectedly.

A local clock store might also be able to have someone come out to service it. Some may work on handmade items but others may not. I would assume most grandfather clocks are too big/fragile/bulky to take someplace for service so most likely they send out service people to your home when repair are necessary.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Even if the grandfather clock was homemade, I would assume he purchased the actual clock/pendulum mechanism. Can you see anywhere on the clock itself if there is a brand name or model number? Do you have any of his older paperwork that might show where he bought those components? Might be able to find their website and see under the list of common issues what they say or perhaps they provide an email where you can ask them questions. My parents used to have a grandfather clock and as I recall, the mechanism is very sensitive, temperature & humidity can impact how it works and if something like one of links of the chain is bent or out of shape, it could cause the weights to fall or move around unexpectedly.

A local clock store might also be able to have someone come out to service it. Some may work on handmade items but others may not. I would assume most grandfather clocks are too big/fragile/bulky to take someplace for service so most likely they send out service people to your home when repair are necessary.

Good info. Thanks! I doubt we still have any of the documentation on the movement. I do know he bought most of his clock movements through a catalog. He would actually fill out an order form and mail it in (old school style!). I'll see if they have a website with a help section. Perhaps there is a small kink in one of the chains, as you pointed out.