How to Move a Grandfather Clock - Grandfather Clocks 123

Follow these easy steps, and you are on your way to moving your Grandfather clock.
Always start with the weights down about 3 – 4 days of movement. You will need gloves, scissors, newspaper, painter’s tape, packing tape, a large blanket, and about 40 minutes.

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1. Open the side access window (if any) and move them to a safe place where you may not step on one and break it.

2. If the clock has a cable holding the weights, insert 3 – 2″ square Styrofoam blocks above each pulley between the cables. If you do not have a Styrofoam block, make a tight square of newspaper about 2″ inches in diameter and hold the block or newspaper square above the pulley as you wind the weights one at a time until they stop with the paper or Styrofoam block jammed above the pulleys. This procedure prevents the cable from tangling when the weights are removed. You need to keep tension on the cables.

3. For clocks with chains, raise the weights so the clock is about half-wound (middle of the clock). Use a piece of thin wire or twist ties to string the chains together just where the chains protrude below the movement and tie the wire together; this action will secure the chains so they do not come off their sprockets. These need to be tight, or the chain will come off the sprocket.

4. Remove the weights while wearing gloves and look at the bottom to see if they are marked “Left – Center – Right”. If not, mark them so they can be replaced in the same position on the clock for installation later. For clocks with chains, secure the chains by bunching them from bottom to top and wrapping them in newspaper and placing a rubber band around the package so that they do not move around and possibly damage the finish. Package up the weights carefully as not to dent the brass casings.

5. Remove the pendulum by holding it from the middle and slightly moving it up. It should un-hook from the pendulum leader easily. DO NOT FORCE IT. The pendulum guide needs to be so that it may not move around during moving, and it should never be under a lot of tension in any direction. You may take one or two full-width newspaper pages and gather the loose paper around the pendulum guide. Use just enough so it remains loose but unable to move around freely.

6. Reinstall the access panels and lock them in or tape them from the inside (glass to wood) so the windows will not come out and break during moving. Close and lock the door(s).

7) Wrap a large blanket around the clock and tape the blanket closed. Wrap the tape twice near the top of the clock all the way around, once near the middle and once near the base.

8. The clock can now be carefully moved to its new location. If the clock is a newer clock, you may move it on its back if you have followed the instructions above to the letter. Older clocks may need only to be moved in an upright position because of the weight of the movement and the way the movement may be fastened to the case.

Set up in the new location1. Carefully unpack the clock reversing the instructions above:

2. LEVELING YOUR GRANDFATHER CLOCK
Position the Grandfather Clock into its final location. Once in place, your Grandfather Clock cabinet
must be leveled, as the Grandfather Clock may not operate if it is not level. There are four levelers under the cabinet on each corner that can be screwed in (up) or
out (down) to make adjustments. Place a level alongside the Grandfather Clock cabinet from front to back and side to side, adjusting the levelers until level. It may be necessary to periodically check your cabinet after initial set-up (especially if the Grandfather Clock is on carpet), as it might settle after original leveling. (see figure 2). Ensure the Grandfather Clock is positioned square and firm on the floor so that
it will not fall over.

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3. HANGING THE PENDULUM

NOTE: To perform the following steps Howard Miller suggests wearing cotton gloves or using a soft cloth when handling parts.

Some pendulums have a colored protective plastic film covering the pendulum disk. Carefully remove this film before hanging the pendulum. To hang the pendulum, locate the pendulum guide through the front door or
any of the side or back access panel locations. While holding the pendulum guide with one hand, slip the pendulum in through the front door with your other hand. Place the pendulum hook over the pin or through the slot on the pendulum guide, and lower the pendulum until it is hanging securely on the pendulum guide. (See figure 3).

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4. HANGING WEIGHTS
DO NOT REMOVE THE STYROFOAM BLOCKS until after your Grandfather Clock has been operating for at least twenty-four (24) hours. Most Grandfather Clocks use three weights. The bottom of each weight is labeled Left, Center, or Right, facing the Grandfather Clock. The total weight of each weight is slightly different, and each WEIGHT MUST BE INSTALLED IN ITS CORRECT LOCATION FOR THE Grandfather Clock TO OPERATE PROPERLY. Check the weights to ensure that they are tightly assembled. Check to make sure that the cable is in the cable pulley. Hang the weights on the pulleys. (See figure 4).

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5. SETTING YOUR MOON DIAL
Follow these instructions if your Grandfather Clock has a moving moon dial feature. To set the moon dial, apply slight pressure with your fingers to the front of the moon dial. Rotate the moon dial Clockwise until the moon is directly below #15. (See figure 5). If the moon dial will not rotate, wait 6 hours and try again. Never force the moon dial as it should move easily. Using an almanac or calendar, determine the date of the last full moon. Count the number of days past the last full moon. Turn the moon dial Clockwise one click for every day past the full moon. The moon dial is now set and will indicate the proper moon phases as long as the Grandfather Clock operates continuously. If the Grandfather Clock stops for more than 24 hours, the moon dial will also stop and must be reset when the Grandfather Clock is started again.

The lunar cycle is 29 1/2 days as indicated on your clock dial. These are not the days of the month but of the lunar cycle.
Example:
Let’s say the current date is the 20th of any given month, and the last full moon was on the 10th of that same month.

1) Rotate the moon dial so the moon is under the 15 on the moon dial.

2) According to the example, 10 days have passed since the full moon.

3) Rotate the moon ten notches clockwise past the 15 on the dial, as ten days have passed since the full moon.

4) Your grandfather clock moon dial has now been set correctly!

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6. SETTING TIME (moving the hands) To set the time, move ONLY THE MINUTE HAND counterclockwise (backwards) until an hour and minute hand are at the correct time. (See figure 6). DO NOT MOVE THE HOUR HAND WHEN SETTING THE TIME. The hour hand will move automatically when the minute hand is moved. By moving the minute hand counterclockwise, it is unnecessary to wait for the Grandfather Clock to chime as the minute hand passes each quarter hour. (See figure 6). The movement has a self-correcting feature that synchronizes the chimes with the time. If after setting the Grandfather Clock on time, it does not chime properly, permit it to operate 2 hours to correct itself.
CAUTION ON MOVEMENTS WITH AUTOMATIC CHIME SEQUENCING: Should the chime selection lever not be in the “Auto? position when moving the hands. Moving the hands in either the Clockwise or counterclockwise direction while the automatic chime sequencing is in operation could damage the chime mechanism.

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7. STARTING THE GRANDFATHER CLOCK Reach through the front door of the Grandfather Clock and place your hand on the side of the pendulum disk. Move the pendulum to the far left of the center and release. Let the Grandfather Clock operate for a few minutes until the pendulum settles into an even swinging motion. (See figure 7). If your Grandfather Clock gains or loses time after twenty-four (24) hours, see the General Information Section to regulate the timekeeping of your Grandfather Clock. After the Grandfather Clock has run for at least twenty-four (24) hours, remove the Styrofoam blocks by lifting the blocks straight up until they clear the cable pulley. Then, gently push them back through the cables.