Reply To: Black Forest Movement

[david pierce]

Jan,
I do not work on clocks, only watches, so I can only comment on what I would look for. First, the movement is dirty and needs to be cleaned up. Second, many of the parts look noticably worn especially around the escape wheel. Third, I would check to see if any of the parts are bent, especially around the pivots. Third I would check for racking in the frame due to possibly being dropped or stored under something heavy. For a mechanism like this to work properly, the pivot holes and bushings must all be parallel to each other. A wooden frame is going to introduce other elements into the precision of the mechanism such as instability due to glue or fastener deterioration. Also, wood being wood moves with humidity and seasonal changes. Also, It looks like there is rust on some of the parts. There is a product called RUST FREE (phosphoric acid) than can be purchased from woodworking supply stores such as WOODCRAFT. With that and some SCOTCH BRITE you should be able to clean most of the rust off. Someone with actual clock experience can certainly add to this but to me it would lean more toward a restoration project as opposed to a repair.
david