The Pendulum Wall Clock
I have a pendulum wall clock in the hallway of my home, which I like to listen to on the hour every hour. At the present time, the clock is not working. However, I catch myself looking at it from time-to-time anyway. This isn’t the first time it has stopped on me. I have had it fixed on several occasions. It runs nicely for a considerate amount of time, then it stops working.
As I was cleaning the bookshelves the other day, I came upon a book that was about clock repairing. I opened the book out of curiosity, for I thought maybe I could find some clue as to why my clock keeps stopping. The first sentence I read was “The book is written for those who have a fascination for clocks, but have never taken a look at the movement.” Then a few sentences down, I read, “All of the precise and delicate gears and levers in a clock can appear dizzy to the amateurs, but the guide with its wonderfully detailed diagrams can clear things up even for the beginner”.
I learned from reading this book that the invention of the pendulum was in the year 1657, and ranks as one of the great inventions of all time. It revolutionized the construction of clocks. It is a precision instrument for the measurement of time. Its vibratory motion, which friction and the resistance of the air tend to destroy, is sustained by means of a weight or mainspring, a train of wheels, and an escapement.
Wall clocks with pendulums are mechanical clocks and the movement of the pendulum regulates the time. If the pendulum does not swing evenly, the clock will not keep accurate time. The pendulum is attached to a loop of wire called the crutch. In order to fix the swing of the wall clock, the crutch would need to be adjusted.
To fix the swing of the clock you need to do the following:
1. Stop the pendulum on the clock.
2. Wait for the pendulum to rest under the center of the clock.
3. Move the pendulum to the right until you hear a clicking sound, then to the left until you hear the clicking sound again.
4. Notice how far the pendulum is moved in each direction before it makes a clicking sound.
5. Bend the crutch slightly toward the side of the clock that clicked first when the pendulum was moved.
6. Restart the pendulum, and watch how it swings. If the pendulum does not swing evenly, stop the pendulum, and readjust the crutch.
After scrolling through the book, I thought, “I didn’t want to be a beginner after all.” I decided to take it to my clock repairman because it is important that you take your wall clock to a shop that has the proper tools to service it, as clocks can be victims of poor quality repair by “benevolent” repairmen.
They mean well but do more harm than good to the clock.
