These instructions apply to older weight-driven cuckoo clocks and quail & cuckoo clocks that do not have a self-synchronizing feature.
SETUP AND OPERATION |
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Prepare the Clock:Open up the back by moving the latch aside and gently prying the top out. Remove the shipping clips (if any) from the bellows (on top of the whistles that produce the cuckoo sound). Remove the paper (if any) from the gong. Reinstall the back and rotate the latch down. Untwist the wire which is holding the chains and remove it. |
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Hanging the Clock:Install a #8 or #10 wood screw in the wall, angled upward at a 45 degree angle. It should be 6 to 6 1/2 feet above the floor. The screw must be long enough to be securely fastened into a stud in the wall. The screw should protrude about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches from the wall. Hang the clock on the screw. Hang the pendulum on the hanger at the bottom of the clock (near the back). Hang one weight on each hook. Give the pendulum a push and the clock will start ticking. Move the bottom of the clock to the left or right until it is ticking evenly. |
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Unlatch the Cuckoo Door:If the cuckoo door is held closed by a wire latch, move the latch aside. |
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Winding (pulling up the weights):Place one of your hands on the clock to steady it, and with your other hand, pull down on the free end of one chain, bringing the weight on the other end up to the bottom of the clock gently. Do this for each weight. This needs to be done each day. For best results, wind the clock at about the same time each day. |
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Setting the Hands (Cuckoo):Move the minute hand, pausing at each hour and half-hour for the cuckoo call. Never move the minute hand counterclockwise past 6 or 12. After setting the hands, pull up the weights if they are down. |
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Setting the Hands (Quail and Cuckoo):Move the minute hand, pausing at each quarter hour for the quail and cuckoo call. The quail will call once at quarter past, twice at half-past, three times at quarter before and four times on the hour. The cuckoo will call on the hour following the quail call. On some clocks (such as those from the 1940's and 50's), the cuckoo will call after the half-hour quail call, too. Never move the minute hand counterclockwise past 3, 6, 9, or 12. After setting the hands pull up the weights if they are down. |
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Regulating the timekeeping:The clock can be made to go faster or slower by means of the bob (usually a leaf or a disk) on the pendulum. On some clocks the bob is a friction fit, on others a nut moves it. Move the bob up to speed up the clock or down to slow it down. Move it a small amount each time. Typical accuracy is one to two minutes per day. Move the minute hand to the correct time when it is wrong by more than several minutes. |
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Cuckoo Synchronization (Method 1):If the cuckoo calls the wrong hour, pull up the weights, then proceed as follows. Open the door on the right side of the clock and push in on the vertical wire. The cuckoo will call. Repeat until the cuckoo calls the correct hour or half hour. Close the door. Pull up the weight which has descended. |
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Cuckoo Synchronization (Method 2 ):If the cuckoo calls the wrong hour, pull up the weights, then proceed as follows. Move the minute hand forward to the next hour or half hour. Repeat this until the cuckoo calls out an hour 2:00 or higher. Remove the right weight. Move the minute hand clockwise until the hands point to the hour which the cuckoo just called. Replace the right weight. Set the hands to the correct time, pull up the weights and start the clock. |
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Quail and Cuckoo Synchronization:If the cuckoo or quail call are wrong, pull up the weights, then proceed as follows. Open the door on the left side of the clock and push in on the vertical wire. The quail will call. Repeat until the quail calls the correct quarter hour. Close the left door. Open the door on the right side of the clock and push in on the vertical wire. The cuckoo will call. Repeat until the cuckoo calls the correct hour. Close the right door. Pull up the weights which have descended. |
ADJUSTMENTS: |
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If clock does not run:1) Make sure weights are up. 2) Make sure clock is ticking evenly. If not, move bottom of clock to left or right until the ticking is even. 3) Make sure pendulum hanger wire is not rubbing on slot in case bottom. If this is the problem, make sure the clock case is flush against the wall, or shim out the top or bottom of case if necessary. |
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If cuckoo door does not close:Look inside the back of the clock and make sure the wire which lifts the cuckoo bird’s tail is under the tail, not above it. |
MOVING THE CLOCK: |
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Remove the weights and pendulum. Obtain a thin wire and thread it through each chain where it enters the clock.
Twist the ends of the wire together. This will prevent the chains from coming off the wheels inside the clock.
Before shipping the clock, open the back and place clips on the bellows to keep them closed. These may be made from bent paper clips. |
MAINTENANCE: |
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Three Year Oiling and Inspection:Your clock, being a precision mechanism, needs periodic maintenance to keep it running reliably and to give it long life. We recommend the following: After using it for three years, bring the clock in for oiling and inspection. We will check the condition of the movement, and check that the mainspring ratchets are secure. We will tell you if the clock needs an overhaul, or will be okay for several more years. |
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Overhaul:Windup clocks need overhauling about every 3 - 7 years. The environment in which the clock is used plays a big role in how long it will run between overhauls. |
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Why your clock won't run forever:As dust gets in the mechanism, the oil becomes an abrasive paste which causes wear. The longer the clock runs in this condition, the more repair it will need. Most antique cuckoo clocks have heavy weights which will run the clock for years after the oil has gone bad, causing severe wear to pivots and pivot holes. If your clock stops and you spray it with oil to make it go again, it will continue to wear badly, because it is still dirty. Shortcuts like cleaning the movement whole, even using an ultrasonic cleaner, cannot properly clean pivots and pivot holes. These techniques merely postpone the need for a proper overhaul. |
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How we overhaul your clock:The movement is taken apart and cleaned, the pivots polished, worn pivot holes bushed, worn out pinion wires replaced, any other necessary repairs carried out. Then the parts are cleaned again, the pivot holes cleaned with pegwood, the pivots given final cleaning, and then the movement is assembled and lubricated. |
