essex clock repair service
 
0845 467 9006

The one thing that's virtually unique about longcase clocks is that they generally have a 'seconds' (or Royal) pendulum - that is to say the pendulum length (around 39 inches to the centre of the bob) is such that it takes exactly one second to swing in each direction. Often 8-day clocks have a subsidiary seconds hand and some from around 1710 may feature automata, too, such as Old Father Time or a ship that rocks back and forth. Some also have a moon phase dial and if you live in the northern hemisphere and came to this page looking for help in resetting the moon dial of your longcase clock, you might find this helpful:

It's updated daily but for a more practical insight on setting the moonphase dial, look HERE.

There are some excellent books, such as Darken and Hooper's English 30 Hour Clocks and Tom Robinson's The Longcase Clock. For dating tips try Richard Barder's English Country Grandfather Clocks (brass dials) or Brian Loomes' White Dial Clocks.

Many enthusiasts remove the movement and bring it to me for servicing; if you don't feel confident, I will come and remove it for £25 plus travel costs. Overhauling a longcase movement takes a great deal of time and special tools and equipment. I always strip these movements completely to clean the parts individually before looking for signs of wear and checking that the wheels, pinions and pallets engage properly. I will redress worn pallets, burnish (or replace) pivots and rebush worn pivot holes, and I will then finish all the parts with French chalk to give the brass a good lustre before re-assembly and oiling. I will fit new ropes or gut lines unless the existing ones are in tip-top condition. I believe that my servicing charge of £200 for all this is about half the rate you'll normally be quoted.

If it's a brass dial clock and the silver is worn so the brass shows througgh in patches, I can re-silver the chapter ring, calendar dial, name plate and other dial parts for an additional £75. This makes a truly staggering improvement visually as you can see in the photographs on the right. And if the black wax in the engraved numerals is missing in parts, I can re-wax it, too, for another £25.

There is an additional charge of £30 (plus travel costs) for personal delivery of the finished movement, installation, and setting up in your own home within Essex. This is not optional because setting up a longcase clock is more complex than many owners anticipate and if they are left to install it themselves and cannot get it to run properly, they are likely to presume that it's something I've done. It's essential that the clock case is anchored to the wall to keep it steady and if yours is not, I will also do this for an additional £50 while I'm there. All paid for work is of course guaranteed.

If you still plan to do it yourself, please first have a look at my six-part self-help series, starting HERE.

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