Workshop Hints
Transporting Longcase Clocks
The British Horological Institute has archived and edited the following from e-mails sent to the Clock/Clocksmiths mailing lists on the Internet. The information here does not necessarily indicate a method approved by the BHI, we are only publishing this digest so that others can decide for themselves whether the methods listed below will suit them.
After a line driven Longcase clock has been repaired at your workshop, there is the problem of delivering it back to the owner without tangling the lines or scratching the weight cases. Here are some tips to help.
Preventing the lines from tangling
There are three main techniques used by various repairers that allow the transporting of these clocks without the lines tangling.
Method 1
- The simplest way is to transport the clock with the lines totally unwound from the barrel. To achieve this you can either,
- Wait until the clock has run down at the end of it's final testing,
- Let the lines down by pressing on the click to release the click wheel and then gently pull the line down until it totally unwound.
- The advantage of this method it that lines will never get tangled on the barrel, but the disadvantage is that you have a lot of loose line to gently secure during travel.
Method 2
A second method is to transport the clock with the lines wound up so far that the pulleys are hard up against the seatboard. The advantage of this method is that you don't have a lot of lose line that you have to handle during transport. The disadvantage is that it is very hard to hang the weights on the pulleys once you have re-installed the movement into the clock case. There is also the possibility that a line may come off a pulley in transport, so giving enough slack that the lines on the barrel start to jump over each other.
Method 3
The third method is to leave some line on the barrel and clamp it there so that it does not move during transport. There are a couple of methods of clamping the lines, they are,
- Wrap masking tape around the barrel & lines to stop the lines coming away from the barrel
- Making a wooden clamp that clamps over the lines to stop them lifting off the barrel.
The advantages of this method is that you don't have the loose lines of method 1 and you do have enough line to make the hanging of the weight easier. The disadvantage of this method is that there is a possibility that if you don't put the retaining device, whether tape or clamp, on properly it could allow the lines to come loose and tangle. Also some tapes leave a sticky residue on the lines that will need to be cleaned off.
Transporting weights
One little trick to help in transporting weights without scratching the brass cases, is to use the heavy socks used for outdoor sports. These are large enough to hold most weights and they can also be marked L,C,R to show which weight went on the Left etc.
