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How to position a Mechanical Grandfather Clock

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Mechanical Grandfather Clock Positioning

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Mechanical Grandfather Clock Positioning



Mechanical Grandfather Clock Positioning in the house should be in a place with not much vibration. If you have a people or pets coming and going in that area you would have to take this in account. The clock needs a firm foundation and located in a room that does not have much vibration on the floor. Its not mandatory but it will help if there is not so much vibration disruption to the operation of the movement.

Avoid positioning the top against the wall



The mechanical grandfather clock cannot be up against the wall on the top side of the case. If anchored to the wall it will need to be done in a way the clock case can move slightly side to side. This is why you see most wall clocks with the rubber feet on the back of the case. This is because in a sense the entire clock case is swinging with the pendulum.

What happens if the case cant swing



If the clock case cant swing it may cease to function when the weights meet the bob area. The rhythmic vibrations is attempting to move the weights and cant and at the same time its trying to keep momentum. This will just end up stopping the clock when the weights get to the area of the pendulum bob. It will not damage clock clock in any way only the clock will not run the 8 days like it should. Fix this by moving the top of the clock case away from the wall. The case is swinging with the movement and pendulum in a strange way and keeps everything moving.

The best clock positioning



The clock should be firmly set on the bottom side of the clock case on the floor, the top should be free to rock a little. The clock will be top heavy when the weights are all up, so the firm base is a good idea.

Volume of the grandfather clock chime



As there is no chime volume control on a mechanical grandfather clock. The only way to alter the tone volume is with positioning of the clock case. The clock case on a soft surface like a rug will be quieter than one that is on hardwood. The material the clock sits on will determine the volume of the chime sound.

The content of this website is copyright by Clockworks and written by James Stoudenmire in year 2020

Last Updated: 2 months ago in

Updated on: 05/08/2022

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