What’s Included In a Service

First I examine the clock in the condition that it is in when I receive it, noting any areas of concern.

Then I disassemble the movement, and carry out any repairs that are required.

The repairs involved in a service are:

• Polishing out wear to pivots

• Removing the wear from the pivot holes and fitting bushes

• Removal of rust from steel components

• Checking geometry of escapement

• Wooden cases are cleaned and polished with a beeswax polish

Servicing antique longcase clocks also includes:

• Polishing the wear out of worn pallets

• Re-pivoting any pivots too damaged to be repaired

These repairs are built into the cost of servicing due to how frequently they are needed on antique longcase clocks, these are rarely necessary on other types of clocks so they are not factored into the price of a basic service.

Then the movement gets put through one of my ultrasonic cleaning tanks. This cleans off the old oil and grime that gets built up over time.

If its a French clock or a carriage clock that I’m servicing, then every component gets hand polished, before being cleaned again to remove any left over polish. While not every clock gets hand polished, all movements will be finished appropriately depending on the clock.

Then the clock gets reassembled, oiled, and put on test, to ensure that all the issues have been corrected.

Once the movement has run for a short period outside the case, the clock then gets cased up. If the clock is a striking or chiming clock, the hammers will be tuned to the gong rods or the bell.

Then with the clock cased up, it goes on test. Now its checked for timekeeping* and to ensure that any chimes and strikes are correct. Once the clock has run consistently for one week (one full wind for most clocks) it is ready to be collected or delivered.

*Clocks are precision tools, and are therefore sensitive to changes in its environment, such as temperature. While the clock is regulated in my workshop, it may need some slight adjustment when it returns home. On collection or delivery I will go through this with you.