01522 694 709 / 07930 652 161
01522 694 709 / 07930 652 161

A Simple Guide so Setting Up a 30 Hour Grandfather Clock

  1. Place the clock into situation and make sure that the case is level and absolutely solid with no movement, this is very, very important. If there is a large skirting board you may need to screw a piece of similar size wood across the back of the case to allow the case to stand level without leaning back.
  2. Place the dial & movement onto the clock. Carefully place the hood on and make sure the dial is positioned centrally with the hood door. If it is, remove the hood.
  3. On the back of the movement you will see a long strip of metal with a loop at the end, this is called the Crutch. You must slide the pendulum inside the case door and up through the loop. Above the loop is an extruding metal piece with a slot cut into it. Slide the thin strip of metal that is at the top of the pendulum (called the feather) into the groove and gently lower it so that the tip of the pendulum falls into place. The pendulum should now hang without touching the back of the case, if it doesn’t, lean the clock forward by wedging behind the backboard.
  4. Take hold of the pulley on the chain and turn it upside down with the chain running around the pulley. The hook should now be at the bottom for you to hang the weight on. Carefully let the weight move round until the chain is not twisted.
  5. Now simply rock the pendulum. You should now hear a steady, and even, tick, tock, tick, tock. The ticking must be even, not tick, tock ... tick, tock ... etc. If this is the case, you need to bend the wire hanging from the back of the movement (that the pendulum loop is attached to). Very carefully bend it to the left. You bend it by resting one finger against the middle of the wire, and gently press the bottom loop in the opposite direction, thereby bending it in the middle, not at the top. If the ticking is now worse, you must bend it the other way, if it is a little better, then bend it the same way until the ticking is even. To set the time, simply move the minute hand, letting the clock chime through the hours, until you reach the right time.
  6. If the clock is losing time, at the bottom of the pendulum is a nut which is moved up to make the clock run faster (ie if it running slow and losing time), or down to make the clock run slower. Please remember that when antique clocks are moved, they do take time to settle down, adjusting may take quite a while until you get it spot on.
  7. Put the hood on and enjoy your clock!