How to Repair a Mantel Clock Pendulum
- 1). Open the back panel of your mantel clock to expose the interior. Attach the winding key to the pendulum spring and wind it until it cannot wind anymore. This will supply power for the pendulum to swing.
- 2). Reach into the back of the clock and gently push the pendulum with your finger. The pendulum needs a little momentum to get going before it will start to swing. This may solve your problem.
- 3). Check the hands of your clock. According to clockmaker Wayne Berry, if the hands of a mantel clock are touching for any reason, it will stop the clock and keep the pendulum from swinging.
- 4). Separate the hands of the clock if they are touching. Push the hour hand back and forth while applying slight pressure toward the face. This may dislodge the minute hand and get the pendulum swinging again. If not, gently pry the minute hand back towards you until it separates from the hour hand and the pendulum swings again.
- 5). Check the level of your clock. Pendulums in mantle clocks are designed to swing when they are set on a level surface. If your clock is in one place for a while and then is moved then the pendulum will not be able to adjust to the new level. Tilt your clock gently to the left, and then to the right.
- 6). Listen to the pendulum clicking as you tilt the clock in the two directions. If it sounds more even or balanced from one side than the other, shim the clock in that direction by placing a thin piece of wood or cloth under the opposite end. This will give your clock the proper tilt and have your pendulum swinging again.
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