Reply To: Old English Longcase Clock

[Bob Tascione]

Hi Paul,
Since there was only one pulley with the clock that’s not a dumb question at all!
Yes you do need another one. You would hang the weight from the loop on the pulley (the weights have open hooks) and would run the gut from the winding drum around the pulley and back up to the seat board. There might be a hook in the seat board but much more likely there’s a hole that the gut can pass through. You can tie the gut around a small dowel or to secure it or there may be a hook or something else to attach it to on the other side of the board. Some people just tie a big knot and heat it just a bit with a flame to cause the knot to stick (slightly melt) together. I personally like to secure the line to something like a dowel with a groove around the center.

You can order gut from Timesavers and possibly from a supply house near you in the U.K. If you want you can also go with a braided nylon or dacron line which you can get from a fishing supply store. It’s important to make sure it’s braided though as anything else will stretch quite a bit when the weight is added. I like to use gut but many people prefer synthetic. It’s a matter of preference.

Hope this helps Paul!
Bob