wooden clock wont run

[polopolo]

hi i just finish my clock and the bob w'ont swing for more than 1 minute or so . i dismantle all the clock check the gears on the plan ok it turns well when the weight is not on nothing binds but when the weight is on it stops.

oh yes the fishing leader on the bob i am not sure about it. Does any body have a part number or a brand to buy?

and the way the string is winded on the wheel for the weight am not sure about

help me please i do not want to put it in the trash after putting so many hours building it

thanks Paul.

[BobD]

Hi Paul,
Here's a whole thread on the clock...Marc Tovar has been offering advice here.

Wooden Gear Clock

Bob Duncan
Technical Editor

[ssoich]

It sounds like you have a friction problem. As Marc states in his article the friction will kill the clock. Keep on trying to get it running. Everytime the clock stops mark all of the gear teeth and pinions that are associated with each other. Take it apart and sand and polish each gear and pinion that seem to be stuck. Make sure that you don't have any finish on the gears and pinions, they should be as smooth a a baby's bottom. Make sure that you have burnished all of the shafts, spacers and bushings, no burrs on anything. When you tighten your hands, be careful that you don't pinch the minute and hour hand bushing. That will cause your clock to stop. When your clock stops, study it. I had a misalignment with the second wheel (due to some sloppy cutting of the spacers) and it binded with the ratchets. Recutting helped that problem. After some take aparts, some sanding, rebuilds on the spacers and put back togethers, the machine is keeping good time.
Stay with your clock, have patience and don't give up. Your clock will run like a champ and everytime you look at it, it will be a look of awe. Check out the clock forum for more advice that other members have posted.
Anything worth doing is worth doing right -

Originally Posted by polopolo

hi i just finish my clock and the bob w'ont swing for more than 1 minute or so . i dismantle all the clock check the gears on the plan ok it turns well when the weight is not on nothing binds but when the weight is on it stops.

oh yes the fishing leader on the bob i am not sure about it. Does any body have a part number or a brand to buy?

and the way the string is winded on the wheel for the weight am not sure about

help me please i do not want to put it in the trash after putting so many hours building it

thanks Paul.

[bandit]

Don't put it the trash just sell it for art that what I will end up doing if I can not figure this out.

[rschink]

I built a similar clock, MLT 7, and had the same problems. I polished all teeth with a felt wheel on a dremel. That made a huge difference. Also, the clock is very sensitive to being in beat. Hang the clock and start the pendulum. When it stops, check on which pallet the clock stopped on. Move the bottom of the clock horizontal 1/16 inch toward the side it stopped on and try again. Finally, hang a 2" clamp on the weight and see if it runs longer. If so, you may have to add more weight and/or recheck for friction. You might have to file a tooth on the escapement wheel or a pallet.

For heavens sake, don't give up. The design works, it's just a devil in the details of your clock. You'll be sooooo proud when it does run.