When a customer brings a clock in for repair, I do an inspection of the clock with the customer and determine what the problem areas are. I give the customer a recommendation of what repairs need to be made and what options they have to bring the clock back to life.
I receive many calls from people who say they have a family heirloom clock that’s been passed down through the family, and it hasn’t run in years. They tell me it probably just needs a cleaning and oiling. That is rarely the case. In clocks movements, the gears are mounted on axles that rotate between brass plates. On the ends of the axles are pivots which rotate in holes in the brass plates which are called pivot holes. Over years of use, these round pivot holes wear to an oblong shape, or more of a slot instead of a round hole. This eventually will cause the clock to stop.
