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Escapement out of beat
If the escape lever has stopped the clock by not releasing a tooth of the escape wheel,
try to restart the clock by restarting the pendulum in motion. If it continues to run for
a while and eventually stops on the same side of the escape lever as before, then the
clock is likely out of beat. The clock is brought in beat as described in the
Regulating and Adjusting section of these instructions.
Weight
As the escape lever releases a tooth of the escape wheel, the escape wheel should
advance immediately and freely until its motion is stopped by the escape lever. If the
wheel seems to lag, follow the suggestions in the above section on troubleshooting
the gear train to minimize sources of friction. If this does not help, it might be
necessary to add more weight to overcome the friction that is present. Try increasing
the weight to see if this solves the problem. (You should not use more weight than
is necessary to drive the clock. Excess weight will place undo strain on the parts and
may increase wear and tear on the components.) You might find that more weight is
required during the “break-in” period, and that the amount of weight can be reduced
after the clock runs for a week or two.
Escape lever, crutch, or gear slippage
Make sure that none of the motion train components slip on their arbors. In
particular, check that the escape lever and crutch are not loose enough to slip. Glue
any components as necessary.
Crutch slot clearance
It is important to have the proper fit between the pendulum shaft and the crutch slot.
Friction between the crutch forks and the pendulum shaft can rob energy from the
clock and return the pendulum to a stop. The space between the crutch forks should
be equal to the width of the pendulum shaft plus the thickness of a piece of paper. If
it is too tight, sand the section of the pendulum shaft that passes between the forks.
This section of the pendulum must be smooth, as must the interior portions of the
crutch forks. On the other hand, the gap between the shaft and the forks cannot be
much larger than the thickness of a piece of paper or the clock will not run well
either.
Escape lever face smoothness
As the escape wheel teeth kick off the escape lever faces, the teeth must slip freely
across the faces. Make sure the two faces (the parts of the escape lever that make
contact with the escape wheel teeth) are very smooth and that the tips are free from
burrs. When sanding the pallet faces, use 400 grit paper, sand very lightly, and be
very careful not to change the angle or shape of the pallet faces. It will also help to
lubricate the contact faces with some pencil lead.
Hanger tightness
If the hanger bolt(s) are not tight enough, the clock’s vertical orientation can change.
This is especially likely to happen when winding the clock. Make sure that the
anchors are tight enough to prevent the clock from shifting left or right without a
deliberate effort to do so.
