My clock is running fast/slow.  How do I adjust the time keeping? (2024)

My wife loves old wall clocks, and has a few that need to be repaired. I had no idea that there was so much that went into these clocks! It's interesting that sliding the bob on a cuckoo clock actually speeds up and slows the time.

Do like clocks

Leave it alone and just keep doing the thing. Time takes its toll on all of us in winter. My windup and pendulums quit every December. Take heart there's nothing wrong. Don't change anything other than push. Pendulum or windup.

Gregory, These clocks are fun and there is always a lot more to learn! Thanks for your interest. If you are in the Mount Vernon, WA, area, feel free to stop by!

I have an old coocoo clock and h have moved the leaf but it either goes 15 fast or 14 slow what can I do the owner says I had correct weights

Thanks Mike, This coo-coo clock belonged to my deceased sister Julie, has been hanging on my wall for several years now.. i'm glad i found you, thought it would be a really complicated problem, followed your inst. and only after twoo days of monitoring, its only losing 1 min. per 24 hrs. thanks alot i will continue too fine tune.
the bird sounds like a rooster with a cold, can this be remedied???? haha!
have another clock i'd like to get running. belonged to my gradfather, but net time. thanks again.. jim

That's great that you were able to get it to keep better time!
About the sick rooster noise...if the cuckoo sounds loud and obnoxious it is probably working fine. If it sounds like the bird has laryngitis there might be a hole in the bellows that needs repair. :)

Re your paragraph on clocks with balance wheels - do you move the lever towards plus if the clock is running slow or vice-versa?

Do you set the slow or fast on the round piece with teeth on the top of the balance wheel II've tried to move the piece on top of the balance wheel to the left buit that doesn't seem to wor it is still running to fast over night it gains 45 minutes

I am having the same problem, and no luck in moving the lever to the left. Did you ever figure it out?

I have a nutcracker German Clock; I can turn with key clockwise, but does not seem to turn counter clockwise; how do I slow the pendulum down and how do I keep it going; and how do I move the hands to set initially?

Yes. Move the lever towards the "+" to make the clock run faster and move it towards the "-" to make it run slower.

Your clock probably needs some professional care. These clocks have a balance wheel like a mechanical watch does. If there isn't enough power pushing the wheel back and forth, the wheel will not turn very far. It won't take as long as it should to come back around, and the clock will run very fast. Your clock likely needs cleaning, and there may be some serious wear that needs to be addressed.

Thanks. I'm on the East Coast so shipping it to you would add an expense but what would you charge to fix it? (You can reply by e-mail if that's better.)

Hi Mike
I have a similarly issue to John L in this string. However my issue is the other way around. I have a nice small clock movement with a platform escapement. I’ve stripped down and cleaned the movement and re-oiled all the pivot holes. It all runs nicely after reassembling it but it’s losing a couple of minutes per day. I’ve improved the accuracy by shifting the small lever on the escapement to “F” but I can’t shift it any further now and the clock is still losing about a minute per day. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I have a mantle clock that runs slow and I need a key to turn it to fast. Where do I find a small key to be able to do this.

I have an old french mantel clock with a tiny shaft at the top of the dial but cannot
find a key to fit it.Help

Some people do not have a repair shop within a reasonable distance from them. In that case you can order a key yourself. Use a pair of calipers to measure the small timekeeping adjustment arbor and also the winding arbors (in millimeters). Harbor Freight has a cheap pair of digital calipers that will work just fine for this purpose. Once you have the required measurements, you can search for the appropriately sized double ended key on one of the clock supply websites. Ronell Clocks, Timesavers, and Merritt’s Antiques all carry double ended clock keys. Be aware that the stated sizes of the keys and the size you measure on the arbor may be slightly different, so you may need to order more than one key to get one that fits. Fortunately, they are relatively cheap. Your key should slide easily onto the arbor, but not so loose that either the key or the corners of the winding arbor can be damaged when you turn the key. Good luck!

I found one on amazon. one end winds the clock and the other end (small end) adjust for speed. Good luck

I just purchased a vintage wall clock, wind up with a pendulum. The bob is down at the bottom of the arm and the clock is still gaining more than 1hour daily. Ideas?

I have a very old mantle clock that seems to be running too fast. It has very small wheel positioned below the 12. The F or S is too small for me to see. Which way would I turn it to make the clock slow down. It's picking up about 45 minutes over the course of 7 days. I just had it serviced, but I had to go all the way to El Paso Texas to do the service because there are no clock repair shops in Las Cruces NM and I'm about 40 miles West of Las Cruses. I'd rather not make that long trip again just to it adjusted. Can you help?

My floor model pendulum clock is running fast and it doesn't have an adjustment nut. Is there anything else l can do to length the pendulum besides taking it to a repair shop.

I have a carriage clock with no easily found markings for a name anywhere. It plays music on an alarm setting.
(Daisy bell song)
Any way to identify this clock?

I don't know of a good way of identifying unmarked clocks. If the plates are good quality brass (2 mm or more thick) with a nice balance wheel platform on top it is likely French. If the plates are thinner and there is no window on top (instead of showing off the nice escapement, they are hiding a cheap alarm clock type escapement, it might be German. English carriage clocks are high quality, but very big. They also tend to have an English type lever escapement with sharply pointed escape wheel teeth.

Thanks so much for your information regarding clocks running fast or slow. While the mantel clock I recently inherited didn't seem to have the 'adjustment nut' that you referenced, it did have a thumb wheel actually on the pendulum weight which seems to shorten the pendulum. I'm hopeful that I will be able to get the right balance now! Thanks again!

Hi all,
I am an enthusiastic, amatuer newcomer to horology. I have recently stripped, cleaned and lightly oiled a 1940/50s Smiths mantle clock. It all seems to work fine except it is gaining approx 5-6 minutes per day. I've adjusted the pendulum bob down to its lowest setting which has helped but not cured the problem entirely. I'm now out of adjustment and out of ideas! Any thoughts or suggestions would be gratefully received.
Many thanks
Kevin

Hi Mike,
Many thanks for your suggestions. I will have another look at the problem.

Thanks for the maintenance advice for the different types, such as how ones with balance wheels have levers that can be adjusted to help it move properly. If you have any problems, it might be a good idea to find a clock repair services that have experience with the kind you have, such as the pendulum or balance wheel ones. In order to find one, you'd probably want to look online at different professionals to learn about their services and experience so you can find one that is able to fix your clock.

I have a nice grandmother clock & the time runs fast. I have the nut adjusted to the very lowest position w/o falling off & it still gains about 30 minutes per 24 hours.
Can i add some type of weight to the bottom of the nut to correct this?
Thank you.

Sorry for the late reply. Somehow I missed this. The most likely problem is that there is dirt and/or wear in the time train. This is reducing the power that reaches the pendulum. The pendulum isn't swinging as far as it should, so each swing takes slightly less time and the clock runs fast. Adding weight to the pendulum will likely make the problem worse. Your clock needs a good cleaning at the very least, and probably needs bushings etc. to run properly. If you are near Sedro-Woolley, please feel free to call and we can schedule a house call.

X

Hello, Love your website. I have a 1920s Seth Thomas 8" ships clock. I had it oiled a while back, and It runs fine, but the problem is that even with the F-S adjustment at full F it still loses about a minute or two a day. Is there an easy fix for this? Thank you.

Sorry, I think I mise this. Unfortunately there is not an easy fix. Any time you are messing with hairsprings, a lot can go wrong. It sounds to me like your clock needs some professional attention.

Hi, I have just bought a 200+ yr old French clock that runs fast. I have made the pendulum as long as possible, but then found on your site the 3rd adjustment key above the 12. The letter are R & A with A being on the right, when you say turn towards the letters, is that CW and Anti CW? would towards the A, in my case to slow the clock mean, turning Clockwise or Anti Clockwise?

There are a couple of possibilities that I can think of. The first is that there is nothing wrong and the clock is doing just what it is supposed to do. Some clocks have what is called a passing strike. These clocks do not have a strike train. Instead, once an hour a pin on one of the wheels catches the tail of the hammer and strikes a bell or gong. These clocks usually only have one winding arbor or weight.
Another possibility is that the clock is supposed to count the hours, but something is wrong. There are several ways clocks can count the hours, but a common strike system is called the “rack and snail”. The rack looks kind of like part of a gear (say a fourth). The rack has at least 12 teeth and usually a few more. The rack also has a projection called a tail. Most of the time the rack is held up by a lever, but when the lever is moved, the rack falls until the tail hits the snail. The snail is a weirdly shaped cam that looks a lot like a snail shell. The snail cam rotates once every twelve hours. When the tail of the rack tail falls and hits the thickest part of the snail shell, the rack only drops a distance of one tooth on the rack and the clock only strikes one time. If the rack tail falls to the narrowest part of the snail shell cam, the rack drops a long ways (twelve teeth) and the clock strikes twelve times. My guess is that you have this type of striking mechanism and that for some reason, the lever that holds the rack up isn’t releasing the rack to fall, and so each time the clock only strikes once.
If the first explanation is true, then your clock is running properly; if the second explanation is true, you probably need to take you clock in to be serviced. If you are near Sedro-Woolley feel free to bring it by during regular business hours.

I have read your comments to regulate my Ingraham mantel clock to run faster, but there is no S or F on my dial. In fact there is no name brand either. I looked up the model number on the paperwork on the back of the clock, it is S1624;, therefore; It is an Ingraham. Please tell me which way to turn the arbor. It is running about 3 hours slow. Thank you so very much.

Thanks for the tips on how to adjust the time keeping on a clock that is running too fast or too slow. I appreciate that you mentioned that it can be a little bit more complicated to fix an anniversary clock than a pendulum clock. I have been having trouble with my anniversary clock and I think it might be smart to take it in to get it repaired professionally to make sure I don't accidentally make it worse.

I have a Hamilton (on its face) mantel clock from the 1949s that is electrical movement. We had a power outage for three days. Worked ok prior but not it won't work. It is "started" by "winding" a small stem protruding from rear of clock by using two fingers and turning it. It can be made to run backwards or forwards by how the stem is twirled. I have been told it can't be repaired due to lack of clock motors . Would this be repairable by anyone in this country (am willing to ship it).

Hello there, I have just bought a Rhythm 1960's-70's Japanese Space age pedestal clock in lovely condition but it's gained about 2 minutes in the last 3 hours now. Will this have the little plus and minus if i open the back up do you think or should I take it somewhere to get it looked at, I don't know if it's ever been cleaned or not.
Thanks in advance for any help given!

I suggest you contact the Rhythm Clock repair line at 770-640-6311. Rhythm does not make parts available to other repair centers. The Rhythm clocks that I am familiar with are quartz clocks, but quartz clocks generally weren't affordable in the 1960';s and early 1970's. If it really is that old and has a battery, it probably has a balance wheel like a wind up watch. It then would have a time +/- adjustment. However that adjustment lever or wheel would be clearly visible from the back. Quartz clocks and electric clocks are designed to only run at one rate and you cannot adjust the time.

Your statement about quartz clocks not being able to be adjusted. I have a couple Timex watches that have a variable capacitor across the crystal to trim the crystal frequency. I have worked in the electronics field for over 40 years. Also we armature radio operators do the same thing to twitch the freq on our crystal transmitters. I use an Atomic Clock to check all my clocks time keeping. I dabble in clock repair. Enjoy reading your comments. Thank you sir.

Hey Mike, I have a father chime clock my wonderful lady got for me. It is beautiful and means a lot to me but was running fast, I found your advice to adjust the pendulum and hope that I can adjust the speed Thank You

Hamilton West Mister Chime 8 day Wall Clock and it’s running to slow. What can I do to get the time right? It starts out on time and then as the day goes on it looses time. Like now it is about 10 min on the hour off. Any advise on how to fix it?

Your movement was probably made by Hermle. I assume that the clock has a pendulum. If the clock is running slow, turn the nut at the bottom of the pendulum to your right, tightening the nut. If the nut is already at the top of the threads and can't be adjusted, you probably need to take it in to a professional clock repair technition

can a metronome be used to calibrate a pendulum clock. like so many beats to an hour etc.?

I am sure it can. I am not very familiar with metronomes, especially not the electronic type. If you can set the number of beats per minute, and if you know how many beats per minute your clock does, you are set. Hermle stamps the number of beats per minute on the back of the clock movement right under the pendulum length (the number followed by cm). Many grandfather clocks have 60 beats per minute. Be careful however, many do not.

I found an anniversary clock in a thrift store that needed a new suspension spring. I ordered a pack of 3 and the lower block. Using a bit of guesswork on the length and location of the fork I got it running again. But it runs slow. Around 10 minutes in 5 hours with the bobs turned all the way in. I have a little bit that I can shorten the spring. But would moving the fork closer to or farther away from the regulator pivot do more?

In general, moving the fork on the spring up will give more push to the pendulum and will cause a longer rotation which will make it slower. Moving the fork down will make it faster. Are you sure you have the correct thickness for the spring? A thiner spring will allow the pendulum to turn more and run slower. You can thin the spring yourself by gently pinching it with very fine emory paper and stroking it a few times. I recomend the book "The 400-Day Repair Guide" by Charles Terwilliger.

MY seth THOMAS MANTEL CLOCK HAS A BALANCE WHEEL AND IS RUNNING FAST IT PICKS UP ABOUT 30 MINUTES OVER NIGHT. i HAVE CHECKED THIS CLOCK AT LEAST 20 OR 30 TIMES AND CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WHERE i CAN SET THE sLOW OR FAST THERE IS NO SCREW TO TURN OR ANYTHING AS i CAN SEE. tHERE IS A SMALL ROUND PLATE WITH LOOKS LIKE TEETH ON TOP OF THE BALANCE WHEEL, BUT THAT CAN'T BE WHERE YOU SET THE SLOW OR FAST. i ALREADY TRIED TO MOVE THAT. i'VE BEEN LOOKING SIDE OF THE BALANCE WHEEL AND ALL AROUND THE WHEEL AND i SEE NOTHING WHERE i CAN ADJUST THE MOVEMENT tHANKS FOR ANY HELP

You probably have a clock with a "floating balance". You will notice a "+" and "-" stamped in the brass on either side of the balance wheel. On the rim of the wheel you will see a bunch of circles. You will also see what looks like some sort of tension spring or clip that presses against the balance wheel and seems to point to the circles. This is the adjustment pointer. With your thumb, stop the balance wheel from turning. With a tweezers, move the pointer towards the "-" to slow it down. However, if its is losing 30 minutes a day, you might be out of the range of adjustment. Clocks that are dirty or worn rob power from the balance wheel. It doesn't turn very far which doesn't take as long so the clock speeds up. You probably need to have your clock serviced.

Hi I have a Smith Enfield Clock Westminster chime it looses seven miniuets a day, I tried adding length to the pendulum with a small device which then started to make it slow by seven mins; again. I was hopeful it had done the trick, it was a small device for the extention attached to the pendulum at the top end. I was wondering is there something scilly I am over looking, as the pendulum it a its most for slowing the clock down.

Clocks are designed to run and keep time with the pendulum having room for adjustment. Once oil starts to evaporate or congeal or parts start to wear, less power is available to push the pendulum. Often this results in a smaller swing which doesn't take as much time as it should so the clock speeds up. Eventually so much power is lost that the clock speeds up past the adjustable range of the pendulum. That is a sign that the clock needs professional attention. If you are in or near the Skagit Valley, I would be happy to look at it. If not, there are many great clock repair technicians out there. Look at the American Watchmaker's - Clockmaker's Institute website for their "Find a Professional" page.

My mantle clock (family heirloom) seems to lose 15 minutes but then keeps (the wrong time) any idea why it would do that?

what to do if the clock runs fast when wind and then slows as it runs throughout the week? The beginning of the week it is fast and by the end of the week slow. Not 5 mins slow or fast but 10 to 15 either way. help?

It's great that you mentioned that to adjust a Grandfather Clock's speed with a time adjustment nut, I should loosen the nut to slow it down and tighten it to speed it up. My dad has been trying to figure out how to fix the time on our Grandfather Clock that has been with our family for generations. I'll share this with him so he can finally adjust it. If it doesn't work, I guess we'll just have to call a clock repair service. Thanks!

Hi. I am trying to slow down a smith clock with balance wheel. There is no lever as described above but I do have two nuts labelled s and f either side of the balance wheel. However I can find no instructions as to whether I tighten or loosen them or if I have to do something to them both or just one of them. Any advice would be gratefully received. Thank you.

I have an old cuckoo clock that runs but the pendulum carving is all the way up to the base of the clock and it still runs a bit slow. How can I fix this? It is the original to the clock.

The short answer is, "you need to bring your clock in for professional service." The long answer explains why. Cuckoo clocks generally tend to run faster as they become worn. Most have a recoil escapement that turns the gear train backwards just slightly as the pendulum swings past the tick or tock but before it reverses direction. As soon as the pendulum reverses direction the gear train resumes its forwards direction and pushes on the pendulum until you hear the next tock or tick. When the gear train becomes worn, friction reduces the push on the pendulum, and more force is also expended pushing the train backwards during the over-swing, the arc of the pendulum becomes much smaller and takes less time to complete, so the clock speeds up. Some escapements are “dead beat” escapements – even some cheap bent strap escapements that could be in a cuckoo clock. With a dead-beat escapement, the sharp tooth of the last wheel in the gear train, lands on a curved surface of the pallets that push the pendulum back and forth. The curved part of the pallet is called the “locking face” or the “dead face.” If the curve of the locking face is made correctly, the escape wheel rides against the curved face for most of the swing of the pendulum and only moves once the tooth slips off of the locking face onto the flat angled “impulse face” that gives a short push to the pendulum. The time spent pushing against the locking face acts as a drag on the pendulum which decreases its swing. Thus as the movement becomes worn, the push the gear train gives to the pendulum is decreased, but the drag on the pendulum during locking is also decreased, so the arc of the pendulum can actually increase and the clock can slow down. Sometimes oil can decrease the friction, but usually the wear must be corrected to return the clock to proper time keeping.

A friend's brother in Calgary AB is a clock fanatic and got my mum & dad's wedding present (1950) working again. A mantel clock with a Westminster chime I was told' the sound of which I hadn't heard since my pre-teen years! It's no doubt a common run-of-the-mill mantel clock which were popular back in the day. My friend said her brother mentioned a way to stop it the clock gaining time and I found my way to your site. The clock has done much traveling - NZ to BC to AB and back to BC where it sites on my antic sideboard. As soon as we got our first TV my dad didn't like the chime interrupting TV programs so the chime was turned off! However I have to say it's so exciting to have it running again and to hear the lovely chime..

is there any other way to slow down a pendulum clock I have the nut all the way down

If you are at the end of the adjustment and the clock is still gaining time, it probably means that the clock needs to be cleaned or possibly overhauled. Not enough power is getting to the pendulum to make it swing as far as it should. A short swing takes less time, so the clock speeds up.

Hi I have a Enfield mantel Clock with one chime striker
I cannot make it chime, Its been wound up
There is no silencer that I can see

Hi! I just got a 31 day korean movement pendulum clock. The main problem with it is that it runs too slow. The beat is about a half a second too slow. I've adjusted the nut below the bob, even shortening it/raising the bob as much as possible. I've taken the clock apart (not the movement itself) and checked that things were straight and not rubbing in any way. Once back together, I checked the hands, the bob, the rod, the verge, everything there is straight and not rubbing. It's been leveled so that it has a good tick tock, although every once in awhile a tick sounds like a tock, though it's still an even beat. It strikes 3 minutes late on the half hour and hour. I figured I can try to adjust that again once I get the speed figured out. The only other thing I adjusted was the screw/nut coming out of the bottom of the bob. It was crooked, angling to the right a smidge. I straightened that as well. Any thoughts on why my clock is still running slow? Is this just because it's a little older? (It says "Montgomery ward" on the clock face). I doubt it's ever been looked at or cleaned.

Wow, I didn't know that there are speed settings that can be configured for grandfather clocks that are cuckoo clocks as well. I'm thinking about looking for a grandfather clock supplier soon because I'd like to make my home look a bit more rustic. Having some vintage-looking items would definitely help with that.

Greeat reading

My recently purchased grandfather clock is delaying even after I did rotate the pendulum nut to the maximum.
What next I can do ?
Thank you

We have a Howard Miller Grandfather clock here at home and we have it since 1991. Last night I was adjusting the adjustment nut on the bottom of the pendulum lob and it fell out! I tried screwing it back on but could not do it. I even removed the pendulum to try to put the adjustment nut back but still could not do it. Any advice or instruction on how to put this adjustment nut back? Enjoy the Fourth of July.

I appreciate the tip you shared about sliding the bob up or down to make your cuckoo clock move again. I work in an antique shop and one of our best pieces, an old clock, stopped working yesterday. I want to call someone to come look at it so hopefully, we can repair it.

Hi I got wall clock with pendulum & winding. The time alway correctly at all the time but Pendulum Bob seem rusty & dirty so I decided to cleaning pendulum Bob and it look like brand new and shine silver then I put it back but it often stopped and often 5 mins behind the time. Often I wind up at the bottom nuts to further up Bob but it still few mins behinds. I concern after I cleaned it which cause affect?. Can you please give some advice?

I have a 38-year old wall clock that I purchased from South Korea and my wife's helper inadvertently dropped the clock, cracking the wood case when it hit the floor. I completely repaired the clock case and purchased a new clock movement with chime box, assembling everything together. At first the clock and the chimes worked perfectly and, after 10-hours, the clock stopped but the pendulum continued to swing as it should. I replaced the AA Energizer Batteries in the Clock Movement and still the hands haven't moved. I removed the Second Hand and tried again. Nothing. I then removed the Hour Hand and replaced the Minute Hand and, still nothing. Yet, when I turn the nob on the backside to turn the minute hand forward, the chimes ring out but the clock refuses to work. (NOTE: The clock is level, as I have a small level and it shows that the clock is perfectly level). Thus, I haven't the slightest idea as to why it won't work. I have removed the hands multiple times and still no success. Do you possibly have an idea as to why the clock is not working as it should, as I know this is a long shot asking you a question when you can't see physically what is occurring at my end. Thanking you ahead of time.

Greetings, I acquired a beautiful 1887 Seth Thomas mantle clock a year ago on eBay. When I received the clock it will only strike the half hour on its cathedral gong. It does not strike the hours. Also, the clock runs approximately 20 minutes fast even at the slowest setting. I’d also like to mention when I got the clock the seller had placed a lot of packing material (cotton fiber) inside of the clock. Someone also applied an excessive amount of oil to the clock’s works. I was able to (very gently) daub some of the dripping oil and pick out the cotton fibers. The seller claimed the clock chimed perfectly and kept accurate time. Well a seller can say anything they want to, eh? Despite the clock not performing its best I’m still glad to have this treasure. Would the repairs to get the hour strike and time regulated be a costly endeavor?

I've ready all comments but none are mine....how do you make abong go faster? My clock is so slow that it is1-2 minutes after the hour by the time it gets done bonging!

My favorite part of this article is that balance wheels could be an alternative to pendulums, they handle the time of clock. Last night, my best friend told me that he and his friend were planning to buy a JB Stamp Barrel Head Clock that he could install in his art studio for better appearance, and he asked if I had any thoughts on what would be the best option to consider. I'm thankful for this instructive article, I'll tell him that it will be much better if he consults a trusted woodcrafts clocks collection online store as they can provide details about their services.

Hi,
Other correspondents might have raised this so apology if you have answered before.. I have a gorgeous 1880's Ansonia clock which runs well and chimes well. But it gains 5-7 minutes every 24 hours. I have tried removing the pendulum and rotating the little flywheel to the top and to the bottom as far as the thread will allow but neither extreme seems to make much difference. Any suggestions?