Troubleshooting Forestville Mantel Clocks: The Hassle when Malfunctions Occur! (Part II)
Repairing a Vintage Forestville Mantel Clock: A Detailed Account
The repair process of a vintage Forestville mantel clock, a nondescript Art Deco-style German clock from the 1960s, has been underway. This clock, purchased in Gananoque, Ontario in 2013, is a focus of a previous article on our website.
The repair process began with a challenging phase, as the mainspring barrels required more effort to reassemble than anticipated. The mainsprings needed to be precisely aligned to catch on their hooks, a common feature of movements from the period. A pivot on the center wheel of the clock's front plate broke during the repair process, adding to the challenges.
To repair the broken pivot, a careful disassembly of the clock movement was necessary. This required precision tools and knowledge of clock mechanics to avoid further damage. The broken pivot was inspected, and it was found to be beyond repair.
The repair options included replacing the pivot, bushing the pivot hole, or oiling and cleaning the pivot points. Given the vintage nature of the Forestville clock, it was recommended to use specialized clockmaker tools and oils to avoid damaging the finish or mechanism. The broken pivot was eventually replaced using a piece of pivot wire from an assortment of 0.85mm to 1.10mm wire. Out of caution, an additional 2 bushings were installed.
The rack and snail movement of the clock is relatively simple to work on, with all adjustments on the outside of the plates. After two 8-day running cycles, the movement of the Forestville mantel clock is performing well, excluding the jeweled ones in the escape wheel. No further issues with the hairspring escapement of the Forestville mantel clock have been reported.
The next step in the repair process is to re-install the strike hammers and other moving parts. The Forestville mantel clock will be returned to its case after the movement has been serviced, ready to keep accurate time once more.
[1] It's worth noting that a brief mention from a TikTok repair tip suggests spraying old movements with WD40 and oiling pivot points to revive ticking clocks. However, this mainly applies to lubrication rather than mechanical pivot repair.
[1] During the servicing of mechanical clocks like the vintage Forestville mantel clock, it's preferable to use specialized oils and tools, rather than general lubricants such as WD40, to preserve the finish and mechanism.
[2] Once the replacement of the broken pivot, bushings, and reassembly of the movement are complete, the vintage Forestville mantel clock will undergo clock servicing, which includes the installation of strike hammers and other moving parts, before being put back in its original case to resume its function as a timekeeping piece.
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