gilbert suspension rod length

[MikeJohannesen]

I need some help here. I am really quite green at clock repair and have run across a problem with this clock. It is a WM Gilbert 5 1/4 movement (shelf clock) and it came to me with a broken suspension rod. There is a nub left in the peg on the plate which looks like a 3 pc rod (thin steel with a twisted wire at the top), but I have no way to tell how long the rod should be. I bought 2 – 3 3/16″ rods from e-bay but they are way too long. How can I tell what to trim? Do I trim the spring, or the rod or both? I’m assuming the hook should meet up with the crutch at the pendulum. A little help please. Thanks Mike

[drichards]

Hi Mike,

You would need to trim the rod itself but not the spring to the correct length.

Lacking an old one to take measurements from usually entails a trial and error approach for me. It’s my understanding that the number 5 1/4 stamped on your plate might indicate the pendulum drop length but I’ve never been able to figure out how that number is applied in the real world when it comes to determining the actual length of the rod. So I just cut and bend the hook so the pendulum bob just clears the bottom of the case and then check the rate. If needed I then begin trimming the length and re-bending the hook until it falls into the correct rate.

Sounds more difficult than it actually is. The whole process doesn’t take much time at all for me.
Bob has an ebook download with directions on how to make the bend correctly. We have it in our download section for the Course or you can just download the pdf file  (should open in a new tab) Here

Hope this helps Mike!!

Best, Dean

• This reply was modified 1 year ago by drichards.

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