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Thread: anybody have experience with cuckoo clocks?

  1. #1

    anybody have experience with cuckoo clocks?

    I was given two old cuckoo clocks. the woman said her parents got them in Germany in the 1950's. She was moving and had them since her parents died and was tired of dragging them around. One is very simple. A clock face and a single door for a cuckoo. The second is much fancier with doors for dancers to come out. I don't know that either clock is anything more than tourist trade stuff. I would sort of like to clean them up and see if they work, but I do not want to break them in the attempt. I have watched a video or two and looked up a cuckoo clock forum, but the assistance is really bare bones, actually skimpy. Anybody have any knowledge to share or places to direct me.
    Last edited by Perry Hilbert Jr; 09-08-2020 at 7:38 PM.

  2. #2
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    I have one that was working, but it was a pain to wind every day. Most cuckoo clock works are pretty primitive as compared to most clocks. They are also relatively bullet proof. Before your try taking it apart, try blowing out the works with some canned air and lubricate all the visible pivot and rotation points with some light oil. Run an oily rag up and down the chains. The can be pickey on how they hang. You want the back straight up against the wall. Level the clock as best you can and give the pendulum a push. The beat needs to be even for it to run, which may mean you need to tilt the clock slightly. There are places that sell parts if you are missing pieces.
    Lee Schierer
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  3. #3
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    It would be very rare for a typical cuckoo clock to have been run enough to have any significant wear-- almost everyone gets tired of winding them every day before too long. More modern ones with 8 day movements could accumulate wear and need the services of a clock person. Does yours have a wooden or metal movement? (or an electric movement?) As such cleaning and lubrication may be sufficient. (Synthetic motor oil like Mobil 1 is popular amongst clock folks these days) Cleaning is best done by complete disassembly of all the pivot points; sometimes (but seldom) cleaning in a sonicator bath (for metal movements) works. I don't know about the maintenance of wooden works. Follow Lee's suggestions first before taking it apart.

    Be aware that a lot of these clocks are simply novelties and don't have much hope of running or keeping time over any significant period of time.

    The cuckoo itself often involves a small leather covered bellows to generate the air flow. If the leather has failed it will need to be re-covered. A good clock person should be able to do this for you, or a player piano tech. I can send you a small piece of the correct leather if you need it and want to try it yourself. It should be put on using only hot hide glue; this is a routine maintenance part and needs to be done in a readily reversible way. These can be fiddly to do right as they are so small.

  4. #4
    Thanks. When I checked for answers a targeted ad for a clock works company came up and they actually had a little more information and a bunch of spare parts. I actually accepted the clocks to sturdy the types of carving and how the little figures were turned. When I was a teenager, I used works from an old windup alarm clock to make a little very brightly colored 60's style case of balsa. I had ideas for what to attach to the alarm lever but never got around to it.

  5. #5
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    Check with Klockit.com a company that sells kits and parts for everything clocks up to grandfather-sized. I have a small one that I've had to tinker with to get the chains back on the gears. Not that many moving parts inside.

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