Original Question from Pat on Thursday, July 09, 2009 8:52 AM
Hello nice to meet you..I have a old cuckoo clock from Germany 1969-1970. It was in a closet for years and I have it working but the music wont play the dancers do go around. The only noise from the clock is a ticking nosie from the music box. This clock is my Mothers and a Black Forest, back 30 years ago the clock broke and the repair man took advantage of her. He removed the music box and put in a cheap one. It never played right and did not play the song "Some where my love" Is there a way to fix it without taking it to a repair shop? Seem that it is turning inside just wont play music
Dear Pat,
Thank you for your question. It sounds like you have a great clock. Most likely the release wires to the music box are bent. When the clock finishes cuckooing the music box is then released and the music box turns the dancers in most cases. I'm going to cut and paste below a pre-written answer I keep for just this question. If you are fairly handy and understand how they work you just may get it running. I would definitely try it before I took it in for repair. Just don't bend any of the wires until you understand how the releases function and you should be fine. If after this it doesn't work, you will more than likely need professional help. Best wishes and have a good weekend.
I'm going to try to tell you how the music box works. It may not be exactly what you have, but all are similar and will give your somewhere to start. There should be 2 connections from the movement to the music box. On some movements both wires come from the same spot. On others there is a flat strip of metal coming off the right hand corner of the clock and a straight wire coming off the back center of the clock. The flat strip of metal is hooked to a linkage that pulls a locking pin out of the music box at the top of the hour. The music box tries to play but the fan is immediately stopped by the straight wire coming off the back of the clock. That wire will move back and forth as the clock cuckoos and when it finishes it is supposed to drop away just enough to let the fan rotate freely and the music will play and will lock itself back down. That is how it is supposed to work. Getting it to do that is extremely tricky, but if you are persistent you may well succeed. Last year I had 2 gentlemen and 1 lady succeed in doing just that. There have been at least 75 or more who didn't. Normally I advise people to stay away from that, but some are handier than others. I sometimes spend as much as a whole day on adjusting one music box. Others may take me 10 minutes. There is only one sweet spot where everything will work.
Pat, I hope this helps and at least gives you a good understanding of how it should work. If the fellow who originally worked on it didn't install it properly and the adjustment of the releases aren't the problem then you may need professional help.
Best wishes and have a nice weekend.
Sincerely,
John "Papa" Barnette
Cuckoo Clock Repairs by Mail
www.cuckooclockdoctor.com
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Dear Cuckoo Clock Doctor,
It was very kind of you to respond to our needs with our clock. We will try what you said and see how it goes and, like you say, if we can't follow your directions, we will ask for more help. Thanks so much.
Denise
"Art is good for you and the world!"
Dear Denise,
You are very welcome. I hope this works for you. Have a good weekend.
Sincerely,
John "Papa" Barnette
Cuckoo Clock Repairs by Mail
www.cuckooclockdoctor.com
It was very kind of you to respond to our needs with our clock. We will try what you said and see how it goes and, like you say, if we can't follow your directions, we will ask for more help. Thanks so much.
Denise
"Art is good for you and the world!"
Dear Denise,
You are very welcome. I hope this works for you. Have a good weekend.
Sincerely,
John "Papa" Barnette
Cuckoo Clock Repairs by Mail
www.cuckooclockdoctor.com
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Nice note from a military family that got their cuckoo running.
Dear Papa,
Toni and I want to thank you again for your help and advice on my cuckoo clock. I did as you said and so far so good. Its been running for almost two weeks now. I appreciate your help and your obvious passion for these clocks.
Here was my answer on how to get their clock running.
Dear Jason and Toni,
Thank you for your question. I would have gladly answered anyway but my son in an Army Reservist and I admire and appreciate your service to our country.
As to your cuckoo clock.
The first thing to check is to see if it is off level. You've probably already done this but this is where we start.Even if it is level on the wall, if that little pendulum hanger wire gets bumped up hard it will knock the clock out of beat. You need to try this with the weights on. Level the clock and start the pendulum. If it runs a little and stops, move the base slightly to the left. If it runs longer but still stops move it slightly further left. If nothing happens go back to level and do the same as above but move the base slightly to the right. If the clock will run without the pendulum on it, then I think I can tell you how to get it running. Leave the weights on and remove the pendulum. You may have to now give that little metal wire hanger that held the pendulum a flick. Or it may start running very fast on its on. If it runs like that, with the age of your clock it needs oiling which you can do with my help. It probably has enough wear and dried oil to stop it. I'll put oiling and "jump starting" instructions below. I have these pre-written because I get similar questions all the time.
How to make an oiler, oil your cuckoo clock and "jump start" it.
Take a paper clip, open it up and whack one end of it with a hammer. That end of clip that you whacked is now your oiler and you will dip it in oil and touch each hole coming thru the back plate that has a shaft running thru it. Use any oil you have around, razor oil, sewing machine oil, motor oil, or 3 in 1 oil. Just don't use WD-40 or any spray oil. You can see the steel of the shafts and usually there are indentations around it in the brass that help hold the oil. Now, here is the most important part. Trace your finger up the pendulum, follow up on that metal hanger and you will see a wire looped around the hanger and it goes up into the movement at a 90 degree angle. That sounds complicated but you will see it as soon as you open the back. I'm not talking about what the pendulum hanger wire is suspended from but a wire the pendulum hanger slips thru. At the end of that wire is a brass wheel with sharp teeth on it called the escape wheel. When the pendulum moves back and forth it lets off the power one tooth at a time. You need to take your paper clip oiler and touch a drop of oil to about every other tooth. Just move the pendulum back and forth to get the wheel to move. If it doesn't you may have to tug slightly on the chain. When the escapement dries out, the clock won't run long. Now that you've oiled the escapement put a drop of oil on that loop the hanger goes thru and on the very top of the hanger where it is suspended from and moves on. If your clock is ever going to run without professional help it will do so now. Equally as important is the leveling of the clock. You may get a little life from this, you may get a lot or nothing will happen. The oil in these clocks turns to gum and the brass filings mix with that and they start wearing those pivot holes you oiled into an oval shape from the gravity of the weight. Once those ovals get too wide the gears separate enough to stop the clock or slow it down to where it will barely run. I hope this will fix you up.
Jason, I hope this gives you somewhere to start. Let me know what happens and I can advise you further if you need it. Have a good Sunday and a good week.
Sincerely,
John "Papa" Barnette
www.cuckooclockdoctor.com
Toni and I want to thank you again for your help and advice on my cuckoo clock. I did as you said and so far so good. Its been running for almost two weeks now. I appreciate your help and your obvious passion for these clocks.
Here was my answer on how to get their clock running.
Dear Jason and Toni,
Thank you for your question. I would have gladly answered anyway but my son in an Army Reservist and I admire and appreciate your service to our country.
As to your cuckoo clock.
The first thing to check is to see if it is off level. You've probably already done this but this is where we start.Even if it is level on the wall, if that little pendulum hanger wire gets bumped up hard it will knock the clock out of beat. You need to try this with the weights on. Level the clock and start the pendulum. If it runs a little and stops, move the base slightly to the left. If it runs longer but still stops move it slightly further left. If nothing happens go back to level and do the same as above but move the base slightly to the right. If the clock will run without the pendulum on it, then I think I can tell you how to get it running. Leave the weights on and remove the pendulum. You may have to now give that little metal wire hanger that held the pendulum a flick. Or it may start running very fast on its on. If it runs like that, with the age of your clock it needs oiling which you can do with my help. It probably has enough wear and dried oil to stop it. I'll put oiling and "jump starting" instructions below. I have these pre-written because I get similar questions all the time.
How to make an oiler, oil your cuckoo clock and "jump start" it.
Take a paper clip, open it up and whack one end of it with a hammer. That end of clip that you whacked is now your oiler and you will dip it in oil and touch each hole coming thru the back plate that has a shaft running thru it. Use any oil you have around, razor oil, sewing machine oil, motor oil, or 3 in 1 oil. Just don't use WD-40 or any spray oil. You can see the steel of the shafts and usually there are indentations around it in the brass that help hold the oil. Now, here is the most important part. Trace your finger up the pendulum, follow up on that metal hanger and you will see a wire looped around the hanger and it goes up into the movement at a 90 degree angle. That sounds complicated but you will see it as soon as you open the back. I'm not talking about what the pendulum hanger wire is suspended from but a wire the pendulum hanger slips thru. At the end of that wire is a brass wheel with sharp teeth on it called the escape wheel. When the pendulum moves back and forth it lets off the power one tooth at a time. You need to take your paper clip oiler and touch a drop of oil to about every other tooth. Just move the pendulum back and forth to get the wheel to move. If it doesn't you may have to tug slightly on the chain. When the escapement dries out, the clock won't run long. Now that you've oiled the escapement put a drop of oil on that loop the hanger goes thru and on the very top of the hanger where it is suspended from and moves on. If your clock is ever going to run without professional help it will do so now. Equally as important is the leveling of the clock. You may get a little life from this, you may get a lot or nothing will happen. The oil in these clocks turns to gum and the brass filings mix with that and they start wearing those pivot holes you oiled into an oval shape from the gravity of the weight. Once those ovals get too wide the gears separate enough to stop the clock or slow it down to where it will barely run. I hope this will fix you up.
Jason, I hope this gives you somewhere to start. Let me know what happens and I can advise you further if you need it. Have a good Sunday and a good week.
Sincerely,
John "Papa" Barnette
www.cuckooclockdoctor.com
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