Time and Strike AMERICAN CLOCKS:
Most time and strike (hour /half hour) american clocks work on similar
theory. Most of them use a count wheel with count arm and trip levers on the
inside of the plate. Keep in mind that the bushings that the shutoff and trip levers
ride on must not be too loose.
Be sure that the trip lever moves far enough before releasing the lock lever so
that the warning pin on the 4th wheel will be hooked by enough of the warning
lever so that the action will be dependable.Keep in mind that because of the nature
of the american time and strike clocks there must always be some play in the bushings ,
particularly the shutoff and locking lever bushings.Any tighter than .002in. will
cause intermittent problems that may be impossible to find; any looser than .005in.
will also cause intermittent problems.
Some of the new haven mechanisms will have a shutoff that uses the
actual lever hooking on the 3rd wheel (a slot in the plane attached to the 3rd wheel)
o shutoff the gear train. The shutoff will usually be spring loaded. They are very
tricky because the angle must be such that a minimum of drag is put on the gear train.
The shutoff end must be at 0 degrees to a line drawn through it and the shaft of the
3rd wheel. Do not under any circumstances change this angle. Do, however, be
sure that the surface of the slot and the lever are polished.
Be sure to check the lantern pinions on all the wheels for wear. Also
be sure to check the mainsprings; take them off the arbor , unwind them and
check for cracks or distorted areas. They must be replaced if there is a problem.
On the units that have a trip lever that is just an L shaped piece of wire
be absolutely sure, when it is apart, that the wire is tight. If it is not the trip position will be off: it will either strike before the 12 or after it: and it will have to be disassembled to fix this tiny little problem.
There are some of the american Time and strike clocks that have alarms that are
set by a brass or silver colored ring in the center of the dial. The ring will usually
have roman numerals on it (1 through 12). There will usually be a small movement
at the bottom of the case with a separate size key and a small mainspring and a verge
and a very heavy duty escape wheel that runs on it. To set these alarms first be sure
the alarm is wound. (THESE ALARMS ARE VERY LOUD , BE PREPARED
FOR LOTS OF NOISE!!!) Then, line up the XII on the alarm ring with the hour
hand. Then, set the strike sequence and bring the clock around to the 12 o’clock
position to check if the XII is indeed at the 12 o’clock position when the alarm
trip lever drops and the alarm sounds; if so, then line up the hour hand with the
roman numeral of the desired hour that alarm is to go off by turning the small
ring with the numerals clockwise. (it is friction fit on the hour tube and can be
turned with a slight effort)Be sure to not disturb the hour hand.
The trip/lock lever setup on the 8 and 1 day time and strike american clocks
must be watched closely on th lock position. The pin n the warning wheel(usually the 4th
wheel) must catch and hold on the lever edge solidly and must have at least the diameter
of the pin over and above when all the slack is backed off the hands and the
bushings on the levers must be reasonably tight or the clock will not stay in sequence.
The fact to remember here is that the clock may work ok for a while but then after
he customer gets the clock home and runs it for a while then it will act up. this is
critical: check this out very carefully. If you get a return and don’t check it out you
may get bit by a mad customer.