Reply To: Really a newby

[Bob Tascione]

Happy Holidays Don!
I’ve just returned from traveling but I don’t have a Hermle with me down here in Mexico right now that I can look at. I think that would be the strike pulley that you’re asking about. Pretty sure but going from memory. I’ll see if I have a book or something down here with me that I can check just to make sure.
I agree with what John said about not needing a lathe or a staking set until later except…you could sure use one for straightening that pivot. Chucking the arbor in a lathe and then putting a punch with a hole that “just” fits over the pivot makes for a simple repair. Short of having those tools you can still do the job by making a small v-block out of wood …just a block of wood with a v shape cut along the top… that you can lay and rotate the arbor in to locate the high point on the pivot and then using a smooth jawed pliers grab the pivot and bend slightly then check the pivot by rotating the arbor in the v-block to see it there is still a high point. Repeat the process until it’s perfectly straight. It’s really important to make very small adjustments so that you don’t bend the pivot too far because having to bend it back again could crack or break the pivot off. It’s very common for clocksmiths to replace these movements with a new one when worn. As a result we usually have a lot of them laying around for parts. You can probably find used movements up on ebay for next to nothing. Good to have around when you need something like an escape wheel and arbor! Also you may be able to order a new wheel and arbor from a supplier like Timesavers or Merritts.
I’ll check around tonight to see if I have some info on that pulley.
Enjoy!
Bob