Adjust your Cuckoo Clock Gong

If your cuckoo clock doesn't sound quite the same as those heard on our YouTube movies, the first thing you'll want to do is to check the position of your gong.

Before every cuckoo call, there is traditionally a gong that is struck by a mechanical hammer. This adds depth of sound to the cuckoo clock call. If your hammer is missing the gong, or if the hammer is too close to the gong, you might get a "sick" sounding cuckoo. This gong can be easily adjusted!



In the picture above, you can see the back of a cuckoo clock. There is a hole at the center of the back side through which you can see some black wires. This is the gong and the hammer. Seen from the inside, you can see the gong...



First, be sure that the packaging paper is removed from this spiral gong. Then, replace the back piece into it's slot. Check out our setup videos for more information on removing packaging and replacing the back piece.

After the back piece is set in place, you should be able to see both the hammer and the gong. The hammer should be positioned a few millimeters above the gong when at rest. If the hammer is too close, below, or caught behind the gong you won't have a healthy or resonant sound to your gong. You can carefully adjust this by moving the gong wire up or down so that the hammer is able to strike the gong properly. Be sure to move the gong VERY SLIGHTLY, up or down for maximum effect.



Be sure to check out our NEW index for tips and instructions for proper care of your clock!

The Rack Must Fall!

How does a cuckoo know how many times to call? Why is my clock only calling once when the hands say 3:00?

These are great questions, and the ingenious works of a mechanical clock can do it, but a few things have to be in proper adjustment. Here are some things to watch out for to keep your clock working, and keep your cuckoo calling the right number.

First, check the hands.

We already have an article about the proper alignment of a cuckoo clocks hands.



Second, check the rack.



Here you can see a picture of one of our cuckoo clocks with the dial removed. Circled you see a black, sickle-shaped part that we call the "rack." This part has a certain number of teeth on it that are counted by the brass pin to the right of the part.

Sometimes, through excessive handing upside down, this rack can get stuck in a position that is too high for the pin to count its teeth. In the picture below, you are looking at the clock mechanism from the back. You can see the top part of the rack as a black hump, sticking out of the top of the mechanism.



In the picture above, the rack is in a position too high for its teeth to be counted. With the rack in this position, the clock will only cuckoo once every hour, no matter the time.

This can happen due to excessive handing upside down, or sometimes during shipping.

You can see in this picture where the rack is lower and in the correct position, as viewed from the back:



The good news is that the clock can be fixed with a simple adjustment so that the clock will cuckoo the correct amount of times every hour. Simply take a long object, like a pencil, and push down on the hump of the top of the rack so that it falls below the top of the brass mechanism. This will allow the rack to fall so that its teeth can be counted.



Push down in the direction of the arrow.

After you have completed this procedure, your clock should begin counting more than once call every hour. You may have to readjust your hands to match up with the mechanism after performing this adjustment. Refer to this article again to make sure that the hands are set correctly.

The Best Way to Set a Mechanical Calendar Clock

On the back side of the dial there are levers. Two levers behind the 3:00 and one behind the 9:00.

The one behind the 9:00 is the chime shutoff. The one further behind the 3:00 is the auto night shutoff. The lever at the front (behind the 3:00) is the date advance lever.

Please have your customer follow this procedure in shutting the clock.

1. Move the minute hand COUNTER-clockwise until both hands show 6:30 - that is, both hands should point downward.

2. Click the date advance lever until the date shows one day BEFORE the current date. That is, if today is the 12th, advance the date to the 11th.

3. Carefully move the minute hand CLOCKWISE until the next quarter-hour mark. Wait for the clock to finish chiming and then turn the chime OFF temporarily by engaging the lever behind the 9:00.

4. Now that the chime is shut off, you can freely advance the minute hand without having to wait for the clock to chime. Keep advancing the minute hand CLOCKWISE until the date turns over to the current date. It should occur sometime between the 12:00 and 3:00 AM setting.

5. Once the date has changed, you know you are in the AM setting of the timepiece. Now you can advance the minute hand to the correct time. For example, if it is 9AM simply advance the hands directly to the 9:00. If it is currently 9PM you will need to go past 12:00 noon, and to the 9:00.

6. Once you have the time set, you may re-engage the chime.

Be sure to keep all three winding arbors fully wound. Don't worry about "overwinding" there are sure catches on the springs to prevent this from being a problem.

Secure Chains for Shipping

I've had some questions on the best way to ship cuckoo clocks. Besides making sure you have enough soft packaging (you should have at least 4 inches of bubble wrap in all directions) you'll want to make sure all of the dangly parts are secure.

As I mentioned in a previous post, you'll want to wind your clock first and remove the weights before taking it off of the wall. This will leave only the winding side free. You can wrap these loose chains around the bottom of the clock.

In order to keep them in place, stick a rubber band through the rings and hook them onto the clock.





It's also very very important to remove the weights and pendulum from their hooks and wrap these separately - perhaps even in a separate box. If the weights aren't tightly packed away from the clock they will become like missiles when the box is in motion. When they come loose they can very easily rip large chunks out of you precious clock's beautiful facade.

-Make sure the weights can't move!-

Also, be sure to remove any other easily-removable parts, such as the top piece and antlers, deer head, etc. You can wrap all of these separately. If you are sending the clock anywhere for a repair, the repairman will not need these decorative items. They may not even need the pendulum and weights - it's best to ask first.

related posts:
Unpacking and Setting Up Your Cuckoo Clock
Unpack Your Black Forest Clock
Index to Articles on Care and Instructions

Unpacking and setting up your NEW Cuckoo Clock

Congratulations lucky owners of new cuckoo clocks! Welcome to the world of clock collecting and horology! Now that you have this treasured heirloom you'll want to follow this blog for more helpful hints and tips on the care of your clock, as well as fascinating information on fun, clock-related news items. We are also pleased to be posting many interesting articles by antique clock experts and their fascinating collections.

Check out the sidebar menu of this blog for extra navigational help. This website is huge, with tons of information on a range of horological subjects. On the sidebar, you can see an index for clock adjustments, as well as an index of terms. You can also see an index of instructional articles here or on our main website under "Instructions."

To get you started, here's a three-part video on how to setup and hang your new cuckoo clock!

Related Posts: Unpack Your Black Forest Clock, Cuckoo Instructions (PDF), Adjusting the Bird's Tail

Changing the suspension spring on an "Americana" anniversary clock

This short tutorial will give you some help changing the suspension spring on our popular "Americana" Anniversary clock. If your suspension spring is broken, replacing it is a relatively simple fix.

The first step is to make sure you have the parts and tools you need. You'll need the clock, a pair of pliers, and the replacement suspension spring. The suspension spring actually looks like a little brass ribbon.

notice that there are two ends with a pin, or a plastic perpendicular piece sticking out that is closer to one end than to the other.

There are two square ends with pins sticking out of the sides.

Carefully take the glass dome off and set it aside. Take a look at the back of the clock.

Using just your fingers, pull the black plastic hand-setting knob straight off. This is only friction fit, and should not be too difficult to pull off. Please make sure you pull it straight back, and not to one side or the other.

Also, pull the battery door off and remove the battery.

Once you have the battery cover removed, carefully pull the rest of the back off of the clock. You can grasp the cover at the sides - one side in the battery compartment, and on the opposite side - so that you are pulling to separate the back at the TOP of the clock.

Once you have the top of the back piece separated, you should be able to easily slide the back piece up and off of the clock, exposing the movement.

In this picture (below), you can see how the replacement suspension spring fits into place. It is likely that you will see the remains of the broken one in your clock.

Remove the broken piece by lifting the top of the spring (brass ribbon) out of its cradle.

Now it's time to install the new suspension spring. Lay it out so that you can identify the top part properly. As pictured here (below) the top of the spring is on the left. The end on the right side of this picture will hook into the pendulum below.

Turn the clock over so you see the bottom of the clock.

Using the pliers, carefully loosen (but do not completely remove) the two smaller nuts at the sides.

This will allow you to remove the top of the pendulum (carousel) so that you can hook the bottom part of the suspension spring to the top of the pendulum.

The square piece of the suspension spring should fit in the slot of the hook on the pendulum. If it is too difficult to slide it in, you may completely remove the nuts at the bottom and completely separate the clock from its base. This step is optional, but may be easier to maneuver.

See below how the bottom end of the suspension spring hooks into the pendulum.

Thread the top end of the suspension spring through the hole at the top of the carousel.

Hook the top end of the suspension spring to the cradle at the top of the clock (where you removed the broken piece.

IMPORTANT: The plastic pin that sticks out perpendicularly to the brass ribbon on the spring should be TO THE LEFT of the star wheel on the movement.

Now you can either reattach or tighten the base by tightening the nuts on the bottom of the clock.

Make sure the round bottom of the pendulum falls into the large brass piece in the center of the base.

Tighten the nuts at the bottom, but be sure not to tighten them too tightly so that they crack the porcelain.

Before you replace the back piece, test your work. Set up the clock so that the pendulum hangs suspended a few millimeters above the base. Is there enough clearance? Do you need to loosen the center brass piece in the base to allow the pendulum enough room?

Once you replace the battery, you should see the star wheel twitching. Double check that the pin on the suspension spring is TO THE LEFT of that star wheel. As that pin comes in contact with the lever next to the star wheel, the star wheel should come free and push the pin back - turning the pendulum.

Once you see that everything works properly, you can replace the back cover. Be sure to slide it down, into the grooves below first... and then snap it back at the top.

Be sure the pin on the suspension spring is out of your way (pointing towards the clock) as you do this.

Once you replace the battery cover and the dome you should be finished! Congratulations!

A word for the future: You only want to give the pendulum the gentlest of pushes to get it started. These suspension springs break from over-twisting. As long as the pendulum isn't spun a great amount, your suspension spring should last a long time. Your pendulum isn't supposed to spin very fast - just a gentle swing back and forth.

Be sure to reference THIS POST on the proper setup of this fine clock.

How to attach the hands

A lot of confusion can crop up with hands that aren't cooperating. For example, sometimes it may look as if you clock has stopped but in reality the hands just aren't moving because they are too loose on the shaft. Sometimes one hand might be turning normaly, while the other stays still. Sometimes your clock might not be chiming or striking or calling when it's supposed to, but does it just before or just after the hour.

If any of these things apply to you, don't worry, your clock isn't broken, it just fell out of adjustment.

Clock hands are purposefully kept finger-tight or friction-fit so that they can be easily adjusted. Many clocks have very different methods for holding hands on. Most modern clocks follow some variation of the cuckoo clock model (discussed here in great detail) but there are a few that still follow the traditional example of antique clocks.

The Tapered Pin is, to the clockmaker, as the nail is to the carpenter. This is an elegant, slender pin with a very slight taper. It's purpose is to go through a hole on the end of a shaft and its taper allows friction to hold it in place. The hole is often on the end of a rod with a locking washer between the tapered pin and the object it is holding.

Many things on a clock are held together with the tapered pin method. Dials are held on, movement plates are held together, and of course hands are held on with tapered pins.

In the picture below you can see the shafts on which the hour and minute hand fit. The larger shaft (which is tapered) is called the Hour Hand Cannon. This rotates slowly around the smaller shaft which is circumscribes. The smaller shaft is the Minute Hand Shaft. This is often (but not always) squared - either the whole length or just at the end.


In the picture above, you can also see where the tapered pin fits in the end hole.

In the picture below, you can see how the hour hand fits on the Hour Hand Cannon. In this example, the minute hand assembly has been left out for clarity. As you can see, the hour hand slides back: over the cannon. The taper of the Hour Hand Cannon holds the hour hand in place.



If your hour hand is loose, simply slide it back further on the tapered cannon in the direction of the arrows.

Below is a picture of the minute hand assemply and tapered pin. Here, the hour hand assembly has been left out.

In this example, the minute hand has a squre hole that fits directly onto a square shaft. This is not always the case. Sometimes the minute hand has a round hole which fits over a square washer or bushing - more similar to the cuckoo clock example here. What is important in the example above is the way that the locking washer pictured keeps tension on the minute hand. In this drawing considerable space is shown so that you can distinguish between the parts but actually there should be no space between the minute hand, the locking washer, and the tapered pin.

Why does my clock keep stopping?

Once again, North Coast Imports is proud to offer helpful hints for the proper care of your mechanical clock. We are the only clock distributor to offer such in-depth information (for free!) on the proper care and maintenance of your cherished timepiece.

Be sure to watch this page for a growing list of instructions and articles on the care and use of your clock.

Today we are excited to offer the first in a series of video episodes describing proper care. Here we are talking about the best way to keep your clock in beat. This episode focuses on the automatic beat adjustment found on most pendulum clocks except for many cuckoo clocks.



Forget about how straight the clock looks on the wall. Use your ears. You should be listening for an even "TICK TOCK" (listen) sound. If you hear an uneven "tick TOCK" or "TOCK tick" (listen) sound, carefully tilt the clock one direction or the other. You can carefully move the pendulum leader (past its normal swing) to the right or to the left until you hear that even ticking sound.

Keep carefully adjusting the pendulum leader until your clock beats evenly.

Unpack your Black Forest Clock, or Cuckoo Clock

Here are a few words on unpacking your new Black Forest clock. The pictures below are of a Rombach und Haas "Dumpling Eater," but the instructions can also be applied to unpacking almost any Black Forest clock - including Cuckoo Clocks!

North Coast Imports, Inc. is proud to use recycled and/or renewable materials in packaging. Enjoy the old-world charm as you unpack your new clock. These cherished pieces are lovingly packed by the careful clock makers in the Black Forest in Germany.



After carefully cutting the tape and opening the top of the box (find the top by paying attention to which way the lettering is facing on the ends of the box) lift the cardboard flap to reveal your exciting new timepiece.



Using two hands, carefully lift the top of the clock out first and sliding the clock upward and out of the cardboard surrounding the bottom of the clock.



The Dumpling Eater figure may have a plastic bag rubber-banded around. Carefully remove the rubber band and bag being careful not to disturb the delicate figure's moving arm.



There may be another rubber band around the figure itself. Use great care to remove this band.



Remove the back of the clock. You will have to push aside the metal latch and pry the door open (from the top) with a pen or screwdriver. It should come open easily.



Once the back is removed take a moment to admire the fine craftsmanship of the mechanical movement inside. This solid brass and steel mechanism is made according to hundreds of years of practice and modifications.

During shipment the pendulum leader (circled in red) may have jostled to the side. You should be able to easily push this leader back so that it falls through the slot - see following picture.





On the back of the clock you can remove the paper which deadens the sound of the gong during shipment. This paper may have already been knocked loose and might be floating around in the back of the case. It is not a problem. The paper does not protect the clock from any damage - it only keeps the clock silent during shipment.



Pictured above you can see a bag that bundles the chains together. Again, this bag does not protect the clock from damage. If this bag has fallen loose in the box no harm has come to your clock. Now is the time during unpacking when you can untwist the wire from around the bag. For now, let the chains hang free without the bag, but leave the wire threaded through the chain links.



The untwisted but still-threaded wire will allow you to handle the clock more easily before you hang it.

Now would be a good time to hang the clock. If the clock is an 8-day (as the dumpling eater is) you should find a stud and anchor a good-sized screw in at an angle. Hang the clock so that it hangs flat against the wall. In order to get a full run out of your chains you should hang the clock high enough so that the chains are just barely touching the floor. If you don't have room to let the chains hang all the way down it won't hurt the clock but you may find yourself winding the clock more often. Here is a good article on how to hang your weight-driven clock.



Clock packaging uses every millimeter of space. Be sure not to throw anything away because it might contain something important! This also points out why it is imperative to always double-box clocks for shipment. There is not enough soft packaging in the factory box to withstand domestic shipping.



Unwrap the pendulum.



Find the weights.





Once you have the clock securely hung you can remove the wire threaded through the chains. This wire was threaded through the chains to keep them from falling back into the clock and jamming the movement.



You will probably have to remove labels and tags that are hanging below to allow for a free swing of the pendulum.



Hang the weights on the BRASS HOOKS.



Hang the pendulum on the pendulum leader that falls through the slot.

This article was meant to give you a pictorial introduction to unpacking your clock only. Be sure to pay close attention to the instructions that came with the clock for other aspects of owning a mechanical clock. You can also frequently check this site for updates and helpful articles for the continued care of your timepiece.

ENJOY!