How to Fix an Overwound Clock
If you have an old clock that has stopped working, it may be because the weight is overwound. A clock’s weight winds the spring, which powers the gears. If the importance continues to turn after it winds down, this can cause damage to your clock’s mechanism and lead to a broken or non-working clock.
As the saying goes, time flies when you’re having fun. But what happens when time seems to be flying too fast or worse when it’s crawling by? If your clock is ticking too quickly or slowly, there may be something wrong with its timing mechanism.
There are different ways to fix this problem on your own, depending on what type of movement your clock uses for power. This blog post will show you how to fix an overwound clock.
10 Ways on How to Fix an Overwound Clock
1. Remove All the Batteries:
This one may seem like a no-brainer; however, it’s worth mentioning if batteries power your clock. Sometimes you cannot tell that this is the problem, and the clock will run again once the batteries are placed back in.
2. Turn it Upside Down:
Believe it or not, this has worked for me on more than one occasion. Changing the position of the clock hands seems to reset whatever mechanism is causing it to be overwound.
3. Change the Strength of the Spring:
This one may seem like more of a permanent fix; however, if you are up for some fun with tools, this is an excellent way to get your clock ticking again without using any of the other methods.
4. Tap the Clock on Its Side:
This is another one that may seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes it’s the little things that make the difference. A gentle tap on its side may be all your clock needs to start ticking again.
5. Use a Pencil:
If you’ve tried all of the above and your clock is still not ticking, it’s time to get a little more hands-on. Take a pencil (or something else with a thin, cylindrical shaft) and insert it into the hole on the side of the clock. Gently turn the shaft until you feel the mechanism inside start to move.
6. Use a Toothpick:
If you don’t have a pencil, another household item has the same effect. If you place a toothpick in your clock’s hole and turn it gently, it should do the trick as well!
7. Remove the Pendulum:
Clocks without pendulums can be stopped by removing them. You will need to take out the screws; however, it is an excellent place to start. Once you remove the pendulum, swing it gently, and it should start ticking again.
8. Replace the Mainspring:
This solution may be for those of you looking for a more permanent fix, but replacing your clock’s mainspring is not as daunting as it may seem. There are a lot of tutorials on how to do this that can be found online.
9. Use a Hair Dryer:
This is another technique that can be used for clocks without pendulums. Turn your hair dryer on to its highest heat setting and hold it about six inches from the clock for a few minutes.
10. Use a Magnet:
This technique will require some trial and error, but it has worked for users in the past. Place a magnet on top of your clock and hold it there for a few seconds. If all goes well, the mechanism should start to move again.
Some Tips and Suggestions
1. Never use a tool to unwind the clock. The force of the gears rubbing against each other will cause uneven wear and may prevent you from winding your clock properly in the future.
2. Stop winding when there is still some room on the crown/knob left, even if it is only a few turns. This ensures that you won’t overwind your clock.
3. If you have not used your clock in a while, don’t try to solve the problem by winding it hard because you think it just doesn’t work correctly anymore or something wrong with the gears. This will probably break your clock.
4. When trying to correct an over-wound clock, you will almost always break it if you use excessive force. Just like when winding your clock, stop when there is still some room left on the crown.
5. If your hour wheel (the wheel with the 1-12 numbers on it) breaks off or falls out completely when trying to fix your over-wound clock, you will have to replace it. This can be not easy and probably best left to a professional clockmaker.
6. If it’s possible, take your clock to a i and let them fix it.
7. You can also try using a fishing line or strong string to unwind your clock instead of the crown/knob if you don’t have access to it. But, again, make sure that there isn’t any dust on either end of the string before you begin, and be very careful not to let the string go too fast or it may snap and break your clock.
How Do You Release a Clock Mainspring?
If your clock’s mainspring is overwound, you’ll need to release it before you can wind it up again. To do this, remove the hands from the clock and locate the winding stem. You should see a small hole in the center of the stem.
Use a paper clip or a small screwdriver to insert it into that hole while also applying pressure to the opposite end of the clock. This should release some tension on the mainspring, allowing you to unwind it safely.
Conclusion
Overwinding your clock can result in the hands flying off and damaging other components. To fix an overwound clock, you need to release the tension on the springs that are wound too tightly by turning them counterclockwise with a screwdriver or hex key until they stop moving back and forth.
If you have an overwound clock, the best way to fix it is by rewinding in reverse. You will need to take off the pendulum and get under the dial with a screwdriver.
Loosen one of the screws on top of either side of where your hand would be if you were holding onto it from underneath. Turn this screw so that both hands are going counterclockwise at once until they stop spinning altogether.
Put everything back together again, and voila! The time should start ticking normally now! We hope this blog post on how to fix an overwound clock has been helpful. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
