QUAIL CUCKOO CLOCKS:
Quail cuckoos are quite involved and can be very challenging repair items. They
contain of course 3 bellows and usually have the strike controlled by count wheels. The
quail gear train usually trips the cuckoo train.The quail is tripped at the quarter hrs.
Once at quarter after , twice at half past, three times at quarter to the hour , and four
times at the hour and then the cuckoo is released and and allowed to count the hour.
Always check for worn pinions on these clocks . They will have to be replaced
if they are worn., That is it ; the clock will not work dependably if they are not fixed.
Also check for worn ratchets; this is a common problem on the older cuckoos.
The shutoff cams in the quail and cuckoo gear trains can be quite difficult to
set. They must be set st they they don’t lift the shutoff lever too high to cause it to
jump over the stop pin, but enough so that they still shut off. Do not try to bend the
shutoff lever too far; it is usually very hard brass and will break quite easily.
The brass in the plates of these clocks is usually very high quality (IE: very
hard and wears well ) so only rebush them with bronze bushings and if the bushing
has marginal wear ; it is best to leave it just a tiny bit on the loose side. Be very cautious of the bushings that are near to the edge of the plate ; the edge of the plate
is very easily broken if a bushing of too large a diameter is used. If you are not sure ;
use the smallest bushing that can be drilled out to fit the pivot. It would be well to
check for this type of situation before toy get too far into the repair job.
The count wheel is critical to the proper operation or the bird action. The
shutoff lever must bot be allowed to bounce at all, or the bird will flop in and out
of the little door. The lever must ride solidly on the count wheel without making it
bind. Be sure the count wheel is mounted securely. The looser the count wheel the
QUAIL CUCKOO CLOCKS:
more chance of failure. Do not, however, make the count wheel so that it puts even
the slightest undue pressure on the gear train’s ability to move.
The hands on these old cuckoos are brittle and will break very easily. It is
best to look for cracks or places where the hands have been glued before you even
start the repair. Many of the hands on these old clocks are made of ivory and are
impossible to replace. Warn the owner of this ahead of time if it is practical.