Help resetting chain drive weight

[bogeydude]

I have a 7 day Howard Miller chain drive Grandfather clock. I forgot to
stop the clock or rewind the center weight before going on vacation. When I
returned the center weight had come to rest on the bottom of the clock
cabinet.

The chain/sprocket is now jammed. I am unable to lift the center weight by
pulling on the chain.
Is there something simple I can check before calling for commercial clock
repair?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ron Love
rl...@austin.rr.com

[The Baron@flash.net]

Any weight, that comes to rest at the bottom of a clock, simply stops the
time, strike or chime train. This does not relate to ''jamming the
chain/sprocket''. There is some other part(or action) of the problem you
have not revealed to us.

"bogeydude" <rl...@nospamaustin.rr.com> wrote in message
news:aTuO7.9339$hK4.1...@typhoon.austin.rr.com...

[bogeydude]

Baron,
I agree with you that a weight resting on the bottom of the clock should not
break it.
OK then, what causes the sprocket to slip backwards when you rewind the
weight? If the mechanism is direct drive, then the time would be set
backwards as the weight is lifted. Is there a spring clutch mechanism that
allows the sprocket to slip when the weight is lifted? The sprocket
mechanism appears to be locked/jammed. Slightly additional pull force will
not free it, and I don't want to force it.

I swear, I tried to lift the weight by pulling on the chain and the
chain/sprocket will not move in the reverse direction. Nothing more has
happened that I am aware of. In almost two years of owning this clock, I
have never allowed the weight to contact the clock bottom. Is it possible
that the mechanism has been improperly adjusted from the beginning and is
the cause of the problem?

Ron

--

"The Ba...@flash.net" <theb...@flash.net> wrote in message
news:PBwO7.3147$4l2.72...@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com...

[The Baron@flash.net]

Usually, a small square section of the, chain sprocket winding ARBOR, has a
gear(ratchet wheel) attached to it. The chain SPROCKET has a ''click'' or
pawl attached to it's side. The click has a flat tension spring pushing it
into the ratchet gear teeth. The ratchet gear has teeth that are angled to
one side and does not look like a conventional gear in the train. This
system works like socket wrench used in automotive repair in that it will
allow movement in one direction only. In this case winding only.

When the clock is running the weight is pulling on the chain, the chain is
pulling on the sprocket, the sprocket and click are pushing against the
ratchet gear and with no movement here this assembly must drive the gear
train, the clock runs.

Normally, when these parts wear the weight falls and pulling on the chain
will not wind the clock, the weight usually just falls back down. Often,
on a 20 year old(new clock) unit we have a warning well ahead of failure.
While winding, the weight/chain may slip an amount and then catch and stop.

The jamming you are describing sounds as though the chain has come off the
sprocket and not a failure of the winding mechanism. Anything is possible.
Perhaps the tension spring is broken or the click is broken and have somehow
jammed in the ratchet wheel or between the ratchet wheel and the sprocket.

You might be able to observe this system by removing the side panels or
hood. Use a small flash light and look at the other trains. You might be
able to see the click and ratchet assembly but maybe not as the click
rotates with the sprocket and might stop at any point. You might find the
''obstruction and remove it and the wind the clock.

"bogeydude" <rl...@nospamaustin.rr.com> wrote in message

news:mrzO7.8513$oz4.2...@typhoon.austin.rr.com...

[bogeydude]

Thank you for the detailed description. Upon close inspection, I notice
that a piece of metal, very thin that could be the tension spring you
reference, is protruding through one of the "vanes" in the clock gear. I
believe, as you suggest that this jammed click or tension spring has caused
the chain sprocket and the clock gear to jam together causing the sprocket
gear to drive in both directions.

I will contact a local clock repair person to look at it. I suspect that
the inner workings of the winding sprocket will need to be replaced.

Thanks again for your detailed description.

--
"The Ba...@flash.net" <theb...@flash.net> wrote in message

news:JrAO7.61$N43.11...@newssvr16.news.prodigy.com...

[The Baron@flash.net]

What is a vane?

"bogeydude" <rl...@nospamaustin.rr.com> wrote in message

news:ToCO7.9063$oz4.2...@typhoon.austin.rr.com...

[bogeydude]

When I refer to vane, I mean the gear that the sprocket drives has little
windows in it's side. I assume that these openings in the gear is what the
click contacts. The left and right gears for the chimes and hour strike
have this same hole pattern in them. But, I do not see any metal pieces
protruding through them.
Somehow the click or tension spring became jammed in the gear and will not
allow the sprocket to slip when pulled in reverse. I have called a local
clock repair and the repairman will be out tomorrow.

"The Ba...@flash.net" <theb...@flash.net> wrote in message

news:oXCO7.3435$ce7.77...@newssvr17.news.prodigy.com...

[The Baron@flash.net]

Hmmmmmmmmm........................clock and watch gears are called (not
technically correct) wheels-large brass gears with teeth and pinions-small
steel gears with leaves. Wheels have holes in them and are
called.....holes. When the wheels have had holes cut or stamped in them
they are said to be ''spoked''. Perhaps spokes are vanes?

"bogeydude" <rl...@nospamaustin.rr.com> wrote in message

news:jIWO7.383$f75....@typhoon.austin.rr.com...

[QUAIL M]

Holes?Holes?

[The Baron@flash.net]

Yes, you are probably correct, they are not holes. They are not seen, they
do not exist, only the spokes are visible.

"QUAIL M" <qua...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20011205025957...@mb-dd.aol.com...
> Holes?Holes?
>