I have a beautiful, 40-year old cuckoo clock that I sent home from Germany in the mid-60's. It has had a sort of on and off again life with us. When it works, it works really well and when it doesn't work, it is a real pain. Carolyn and I decided that we should get it working again so it can go well with the other noisy clocks in the dining room. My recollection was that when we last packed the clock aaway, it had serious problems with broken hands, loose bellows, and a jammed mechanism.
But when I set it up today the hands were intact, the bellows were tightly glued, and the mechanism seemed to work - as long as I increased the weight on the chain that drives the time mechanism. Three vise-grips appears to be about right. My diagnosis is that a good cleaning and lubricating job would take care of all that ills that clock.
I have a beautiful, 40-year old cuckoo clock that I sent home from Germany in the mid-60's. It has had a sort of on and off again life with us. When it works, it works really well and when it doesn't work, it is a real pain. Carolyn and I decided that we should get it working again so it can go well with the other noisy clocks in the dining room. My recollection was that when we last packed the clock aaway, it had serious problems with broken hands, loose bellows, and a jammed mechanism. 
But when I set it up today the hands were intact, the bellows were tightly glued, and the mechanism seemed to work - as long as I increased the weight on the chain that drives the time mechanism. Three vise-grips appears to be about right. My diagnosis is that a good cleaning and lubricating job would take care of all that ills that clock.
Looks like this project could drive one cuckoo. My grandparents had a cuckoo clock as well. I remember it being very special and only Grandpa (the watchmaker) could touch it. He would have liked your "solution"
ReplyDeleteMy mom and dad had a cuckoo clock like this when I was a kid. Remember listening to it all night long on Christmas eve counting the cuckoos to know the time waiting for morning to come; was too excited to sleep!
ReplyDeleteNow you see, when I try to think of good meaningful gifts for my parents, fixing the cuckoo clock has always been on the list. Now I have to think of other things.
ReplyDelete