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![]() Went out to day to for a repair to a Ridgeway Grandfather clock. The customer was needing the grandfather clock serviced and also "one of the weights had fallen off". In this case the left weight had come apart and fell in pieces down to the bottom of the clock. Fortunately for the customer, the weight was in the lowest position so it did not have far to fall, limiting the damage to the weight shells or caps, or to the bottom of the Grandfather clock. Part of servicing a grandfather clock includes tightening the hooks and the bottom nut to each weight of the Grandfather clock. When we service a Grandfather clock, we notice that allot of our customers Grandfather clock weight hooks are so loose, we are surprised that they are still hanging on. I wanted to show what we did to service this Ridgeway Grandfather clock as well as how we repaired the weight that had come apart. I always repeat myself on allot of these blogs because when we service a Grandfather clock, we always will remove the movement to clean and service the grandfather clock's movement. Sometimes, removing a movement from a grandfather clock case is the biggest challenge of the job. We always start by setting the clock 's hands to 12 o"o'clock. There is a reason behind this step and I will link it to our blog on why we do this. After setting the hands to 12, we will remove the hands as well as the second hand. ![]() Now that the hands are removed we can start to remove the movement form the Grandfather clock. Not all movement come out the same. Some are held in by bolts and some by screws and others by other means, This clocks movement will come out by removing 4 screws on the seat board. Once the 4 screws are removed, we were able to slide the seat board back slightly so that we can remove the front trim piece. On this model, there was a piece of wood up high on the backside of the topside of the face. This piece of wood is to support the top side of the movement and to keep the topside of the movement tight against the front trim piece. We simply just mover the support to the side. After this step, we removed the 4 screws from the seat board then we were able to slide the movement back away from the front trim piece.
Repairing the weight![]() After digging around in the bottom of the Grandfather clock case, we were able to retrieve all the parts that make up a Grandfather clocks weight. Keep in mind there are several sizes of Grandfather clocks weights and each manufacturer will make theirs slightly different. This weight had a few spacer pieces made of cardboard. This cardboard is only for filling dead space. Some manufacturers leave these spacers out and that's fine, they serve no other purpose. There will be an additional blog on how to re assemble the weight. Once we reassembled the weight, we were able to clean and re-oil the Grandfather clock. The Grandfather clock's movement was re-installed and adjusted. We re-leveled the grandfather clocks case and polished the case as well. After testing the Grandfather clock electronically, we ran the clock for 1/2 hour. The Grandfather clock checked out correctly and was running fine.
19 Comments
9/24/2018 03:49:45 pm
It's surprising that most of the grandfather clocks you've serviced have had loose weight hooks. I haven't had my grandfather clock serviced in years, so it's likely that the weight hooks are very loose. Since it's a common problem, I'll definitely get my clock serviced just in case!
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Marjorie D L Lawrence
7/11/2023 01:31:59 am
Okay can you setup my GF clock for me. It is a Ridgeway model 337, serial number: 532. My phone number is (530) 351-3030. I found your contact information online. I live in Concord, CA. I don’t know where you are, but if you are not near here do you know anyone in this area who works on clocks.
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4/15/2020 02:59:48 pm
I have been planning to have my clock repaired because its hands aren't moving. I never knew that the first step in fixing the clock is placing the hands to 12 o'clock. Interestingly, four screws from the seat board will be removed as well, it seems complicated, it's a good thing I'll leave this matter under the hands of professionals.
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Bob
4/15/2020 03:21:28 pm
If you read further you would find that setting your hands at the top of the hour would do nothing but save you time and headaches later on down the line when reinstalling the movement. Best to let a pro look at it then
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Karen
10/28/2020 10:33:09 am
I am looking for the blog post "how to re assemble the weight". My weight fell off and I am trying to figure out how to put it back together. I am not in your area.
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bob
6/1/2021 07:55:42 am
The weights will hook on to either chains or cables. The heaviest weight will go on your right side facing the clock. The center is the next heaviest and the left will be the lightest. If 2 are the same weight, then it wont matter if they are center or left. Also look on the bottom of the weights, sometimes they mark them
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Eric Amos
6/1/2021 01:24:15 am
THE OUTER WEIGHTS WONT COME DOWN & CLOCK WILL NOT CHIME. It is a Ridgeway Model Number 92004083
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bob
6/1/2021 07:59:23 am
The right the left and right weight operates the chiming and striking. Make sure the clock is not in the silent mode. There is a small leaver near the #3. If its not in silent mode, the first place to start is with a good cleaning and re-oiling. If you are comfortable with taking the clock apart, go to www.horacewhitlockoil.com and look at the instructions on how to oil a clock. If not, you will have to contact a clock repair company to service your cock.
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I have no help for others, unless it would be that you are not alone by being perplexed about Grandfather Clocks being needy. My problem is that my housekeeper was allowed by me (one time) to wind my Ridgeway 201 Lakemont, 50 year old clock. She accide
9/6/2021 12:25:33 pm
Appreciate any info or websites to go to for information.
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Thomas
2/5/2022 02:31:40 pm
Our chimes do not work,clock is 25 years old
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Mary Watson McSwain
12/22/2022 09:10:11 pm
All three weights on the clock are stuck at fully wound and are not moving no matter what we try, making the clock still and non-moving. Though with a hand on approach we've found the hands of the clock aren't stuck, and when moved the Chimes work just fine. So does the pendulum, but none of the parts are moving on their own which is the main problem and brings us back to the stuck weights. If there is any advice you could give that could help, we would appreciate it so much. I've put all the information on the clock below if it helps. Thank you for your work, Mary
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Bob
12/23/2022 08:03:19 am
Mary, Its hard to pinpoint your problem at this point, However if the clock has not been cleaned and oiled in the past 2 years, thats the place to start. When you swing the pendulum, do you hear the clock tick tock? If not, you can pull down on the center weight, if you hear the sound, then keep pulling down on it for a while, then let go and see if the clock will continue to tick without you pulling down on the weight. This might take up to 5 min too see. If not here is my email [email protected] so you can contact me directly and I can try to walk you through some other options.
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1/7/2023 08:45:34 pm
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Terry anderson
11/28/2023 01:42:47 pm
Hi I need my clock my clock works okay I don't know how to make it chime on the right hour of the day but my main reason for calling is my glass got broke somebody accidentally threw their phone and hit my clock right in the glass I need new glass for the for the clock but I need it to also serviced I just wanted to get a price on how much that would cost to get it clean service and get show me how to set the hour to the time so my phone number is 321-805-9389 I live in Palm Bay Florida thank you
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Kathy brock
2/23/2024 06:33:12 pm
I live in Central California in a little town called course called the nearest big city is Fresno. Just wondering if you have anyone who could repair a Ridgeway grandfather clock? Thank you.
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Norma Runnells
3/25/2024 11:56:18 am
Need cleaned & oiled, someone in Gardner Ks. Area
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George KRONIE
5/5/2024 05:07:27 pm
We have a ridgeway grandfather clock and the outside weighs don’t go down. We are moving and I love to have it fixed, I’m pretty handy and can do anything. We had a guy look at it, but he did work for my mom and never finished. I was wondering if you could walk me through it and I could send it to you. The clock means something to us. Maybe give us a price and work with me. I would appreciate it
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Bob
5/6/2024 06:44:00 am
George, there could be several problems with the clock, however the best place to start is with a good cleaning and re-oiling of the movement. You can order a cleaning kit at https://www.horacewhitlockoil.com/store/p4/HoraceWhitlocsPremiumClockOilKit.html This is the best place to start.
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About Us:
Clock Repair Service has been in business for over 10 years now. We service more Grandfather clocks than any other clock company in the state of Georgia. We have 2 Grandfather Clock Technicians that are on the road Monday - Friday repairing 2-3 Grandfather clocks per day, EACH.. That's allot of clocks in the past 10+ years. Our service area at this point is from Chattanooga, Tennessee down to Macon Georgia. The bulk of our Grandfather Clock repairs are however, in the Metro Atalanta area. We service Grandfather clocks ranging from 200+ years old to current models. We do service all brands of Grandfather Clocks and we are an Authorized Sales and Service center for both Howard Miller and Ridgeway clocks. Archives
April 2023
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