PROBLEMS WITH EUROPEAN MECHANISMS
The strike lift liver that is lifted by the star wheel quite often will get a
groove
worn in it if the edges of the star wheel are the least bit rough. The resulting common
complaint is that the strike doesn’t work all the time. The edges of the star wheel must
be polished or the problem will come back in a year or two.
In the mid-seventies there were some popular European mechanisms
made that had the 3rd wheel
time out of round. If you are in the repair business, you very likely will run into one
of these at some point in time. They will bind up intermittently , or will just stop and
loose power, If you are working on a popular European mechanism and have this problem ,
check the center wheel. Remove the clutch spring and spin the wheel on the shaft ; if
it is out of round it may have to be replaced.
The gear ratio in the popular European mechanism movements has had some problems
over the years. Once in a while there will appear a clock with a popular European mechanism
movement that just does not keep time. The problem is usually in the #3 and #4 wheels.
There were some 34cm wheels that got mixed up with 55 cm pinions. The way they changed the
pendulum length was to change the gears. the plates were designed to allow changing
of gear ratios without changing the position of the pivot holes.
Whenever you are working on a popular European mechanism, be sure to check the
tightness of
the click rivets while the mechanism is apart. it is much easier to tighten them up
when they are apart that when they are together.Check the ratchet wheels. If they
are chrome colored they are probably stamped, and have relatively poor teeth
.Replace them if possible . The newer ratchet wheels have milled teeth.
If a mainspring lets go , check the arbor where it locks in with the arbor
sleeve . The groove in the arbor will often have a slightly bulged spot where the
tab inside the arbor sleeve gouged it at the impact of the spring letting go. The
arbor may act as if it is stuck in the arbor sleeve (for no obvious reason) It very will
may be this little bulge that is holding it. Usually this bulge can be filed off and the arbor will still function . Over the years popular European mechanism has had trouble with set mainsprings.
If there is a problem with slow chime , and it seems as though all possibilities have been
considered, try replacing the mainspring.
THE HERMLE 3351-851SSK
This mechanism is very similar to the generic popular European mechanism , except
that it strikes
on the quarters and does not play the westminster tune:1 at quarter after , 2 at half
past, 3 at quarter to the hour; and 4 on the hour then counts the hour. The quarter
hour gear train has a different gear system than the standard chime train. The fan is
a chime blade with a strike pinion gear (7 leaf pinion). The number 5 wheel uses a
strike brass gear mounted on a chime pinion shaft (8 leaf pinion). Be aware of this
difference or there will be much trouble for you if you try to change the wheels in
the chime train.
Sometimes the popular European mechanisms have a problem with jamming up on the
lift i.e. ; on the
quarter hour. This can be caused by any number of things; one of the most common is
that the chime is releasing too soon and the warning pin on the warning wheel gets stuck
on the edge of the warning lever. This will stop the clock and of course will cause the
chime and the strike to stop operating. One way to correct this is to carefully bend the
strike trip/lock lever down in the middle( above the centerpost trip cam) so it rests
higher approx. .050 in. allowing more lift before release , which allows the warning
lever face to be up in position far enough to catch the warning pin without getting
stuck on the edge of the pin. Also check the stop pin on the chime shutoff cam to
be sure its angle is at least 90 degrees to the shutoff working face. These two
surfaces should not bind up on each other ; and will if the angle is over 90 degrees .
If it is under 90 degrees the lever will slip off the pin face too soon and the clock
will jam up no matter how much lift the lever has before the gear train releases.