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Abel Cottey New England Clock Company

by Greg
(Massachusetts)

My grandfather clock is plumb and level but the pendulum stops after 30 to 40 seconds, then twists a little when it stops. It always "misses" when on the swing to the right side. I exaggerated the balance to that side to see if it would "help" keep it in motion to try to diagnose it, but continue to have the same results. Any ideas would be helpful. There is only 1 repair shop in the area and unfortunately he doesn't have a very good reputation.

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Abel Cottey New England Clock Company

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Abel Cottey New England Clock Company
by: Greg

Thank you Bill for your suggestion. I looked into the suspension spring and found that both the "legs" are still intact. When opening up the back of the clock there was a spare suspension spring taped inside the back of the clock. My next question is, can this still be the problem even though it isn't broken. Can it loose its spring tension or some other property? With the pendulem off, this thing wants to run forever, even if I stop it manually, any bounce in the floor causes it to start and run again. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again,
Greg
Suspension Spring
by: Bill

I'm not sure what your problem is, but the fact that the pendulum twists when it stops suggests that the suspension spring is probably broken.

If you look at the back of the movement - at or near the top center, there is a small flat spring that the pendulum leader hanges from. It probably has two thin strips of spring steel in between two metal blocks. The top has a hole for a pin to hold it to the movement, the bottom has a peg that the pendulum leader hangs on.

If one of the two spring steel pieces is broken, the pendulum will twist and stop the clock.

You can replace this spring for a few dollars. Just match up the old spring with the same size at a supplier such as www.timesavers.com or take it to a clock repair shop for a new one.

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